At a  symposium held in the south of France during the summer, the participants decided to designate one day to promote the greatness of Grenache -- "G Day"-- to occur around the world. We did our part in this global movement to put Grenache in its rightful place on the wine map and hope you will join us.

Two of the rising stars producing some of best Grenache wines in the state, Bryan Kane of Sol Rouge and Jim Mack of Jemrose Vineyards led us through their distinctive techniques for vinifying this underappreciated variety.

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Grenache is widely planted in both the Old and New World, but the amount of acreage devoted to this grape is shrinking, showing the need for preservation. Grenache is eco-friendly, long-lived (it has more old vines than any other variety), economical to farm, adapts to small production, and is the perfect grape for blending or for use on its own. Clearly, Grenache should be recognised as a 'noble' grape.

The taste profile of Grenache [called Garnacha in Spanish]: smooth, warm, ripebut not jammy, and spicy, with garrigue aromas of Provence. And since it could be white, rosé, red, sweet, fortified and even sparkling, it is a 'one-stop' grape variety. Grenache possesses inherent compatibility with food, that there is a Grenache for every part of a meal and because of its vast variety, it can be a wine for all seasons.

In California, unlike syrah, which seems to do well in any climate, the better examples are being produced in the cooler coastal areas and tend to be very vineyard specific.

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Here are some comments from participants in the Grenache Symposium held at the beginning of the summer in the South of France