Glory of grenache: Barossa icon joins revival of classic red varietal

Like fashion, food and music, the world of wine swings to the trends influenced by those around it.

For the great regions of South Australia, what was once old is new again as the oft-overlooked grenache varietal roars up the charts as the hottest thing on wine lists and at fine wine auctions.

“In the Barossa, we’re seeing varieties like cabernet sauvignon being pulled out of vineyards and replaced with grenache,’’ says Allister Ashmead, co-managing director of the five-star Elderton Wines.

Our timing at The Australian Wine Club is in tune then, as we offer a stellar line-up of gorgeous grenache this week in our mixed dozen deal, featuring four wines certain to renew your interest in this classic varietal.

Elderton’s sublime 2022 grenache-shiraz-mataro blend joins forces with two outstanding examples from McLaren Vale – the $120-a-bottle Dandelion Vineyards Faraway Tree and the highly rated Lloyd Brothers 2021 offering – along with Kilikanoon’s Clare Valley powerhouse, the Baudinet Blend.

While the savings we offer are exceptional, the price of grenache grapes is rising fast: growers received an average of $1275 per tonne in 2024 – well over double the price fetched 10 years ago. (As a comparison, the price of shiraz grapes has fallen in recent years and is now little more than half the price of grenache.)

Two forces are driving this shift: wine drinkers are preferencing lighter reds, away from heavier styles such as cabernet. Pinot noir is leading this charge.

Secondly, vignerons are detecting a change in climate and exploring hardier varieties that require less water to survive and thrive. Grenache is one of these.

At Elderton, the Ashmead family are cheering on grenache’s revival and soon plan to release a couple of high-end single-vineyard grenache wines to complement their signature grenache-shiraz-mataro blend. Their 2022 GSM was the eighth vintage of this blend, which takes its lead from the winemaking traditions of southern France’s Rhone region.

Elderton Wines co-managing directors Allister and Cameron Ashmead. Picture: Russell Millard

While the Elderton pedigree has been built solidly upon shiraz – (self-respecting Barossa wine lovers will be well acquainted with the glory of Elderton Command shiraz) – the family over the past 15 years have carefully acquired vineyards that hold high-calibre grenache vines.

The 2022 GSM was crafted from fruit grown in the family’s Greenock vineyard, located in the west of the Barossa Valley and featuring grenache plantings back to 1969.

As the Elderton website says: “It is easy to make the case that grenache blended with its Rhone brethren of shiraz and mataro are the up-and-coming stars of the Barossa.’’

We should add that these “up-and-coming stars” have been 180 years in the making.

The Barossa and McLaren Vale happen, through fate, to be home to the oldest grenache vines on the planet, dating back to 1848. Not long after grenache cuttings were imported to Australia, their genetic forefathers in France and Spain were wiped out in a devastating phylloxera outbreak.

In the early days here, grenache was used as a key component in fortifieds but when drinking trends switched to table wines, cabernet and shiraz quickly ruled the roost – to the point where many old grenache vines were pulled out in the 1970s and ’80s.

But now the wheel turns again, and grenache’s eternal virtues are in the spotlight. As Ashmead says, good grenache delivers pretty, lifted aromas of delicate, fresh red fruits but with sufficient power to drive through on the palate.

The French often blend grenache with shiraz to add a little weight in the mouth, and with mataro to give the wine structure. Excellent examples of straight grenache are being produced in Australia as well.

“Grenache shows that you don’t have to have red wines that are brutes – they can be a thing of beauty,’’ Ashmead says.

This week’s offer from The Australian Wine Club features a stellar line-up of grenache certain to renew your interest in the classic varietal.

Elderton Estate Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2022

Classic grenache characters of raspberry, plum and strawberry lift from the glass, mingling with hints of exotic spice, musk and black pepper. Joyfully juicy, bright and pure on the palate. A creamy backbone and smooth tannins add a light but sure touch. A cracking example of a modern GSM where grenache is the standout performer. Gold at Royal Adelaide Wine Show; 93 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14.5% alc; RRP $36 a bottle.

SPECIALS $29.99 a bottle in any dozen; $27.99 in Grenache & Friends dozen

Dandelion Vineyards Faraway Tree of McLaren Vale Grenache 2022

From Dandelion’s Firehawk Farm, perched atop an ancient ridge overlooking McLaren Vale, comes this layered example of premium straight grenache. Opens with earthy and meaty notes before revealing vibrant scents of blackberries, blueberries, violets and jalapenos. On the palate, juicy brambly fruits and ripe raspberries and redcurrants wash through a frame of silky tannins. Delight in its balanced complexity. 96 points, The Real Review. 14.5% alc; RRP $120 a bottle.

SPECIALS $89.99 a bottle in any dozen; $27.99 in Grenache & Friends dozen

Kilikanoon Baudinet Blend Clare Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2019

A heady mix of plum, black cherry, pepper and spice on the nose, evolving to offer hints of leather, black treacle, earth and tobacco. Sumptuous plums, maraschino cherries, chocolate and liquorice flow through the palate. A feast. Drinking perfectly now. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 14.5%; RRP $55.

SPECIALS $49.99 a bottle in any dozen; $27.99 in Grenache & Friends dozen

Lloyd Brothers McLaren Vale Estate Blend GSM 2021

Lively aromas of red berries, blue fruits and cherries dance with cloves, aniseed and pepper. The palate is plush and velvety, studded with brambly berries; red, blue and black. Fresh acid; well-integrated tannins add structure. 93 points, Halliday Wine Companion and James Suckling. 14.5% alc; RRP $32 a bottle.

SPECIALS $27.99 a bottle in any dozen; $27.99 in Grenache & Friends dozen

GRENACHE DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $27.99 a bottle. SAVE $393.

Order by simply clicking the links to our online store or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead is partnering with The Australian Wine Club on this offer.