Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW from now on, because I roll with acronyms like that) is a new concept to me since my blog is still in its infant stages, but I instantly fell in love with the concept that a multitude of wine bloggers all blog on one ‘topic’ once a month.  It feels very unifying;  We can hold inter-webbed hands across the giant blogosphere and share our tales of the glass while somewhere in the distance, iTunes is playing kumbaya… .

The Mission:

The topic of this month’s WBW is North vs South and is Rémy Charest’s (winecase) brain child and it suggests something almost antithetical to this peace pipe picture of togetherness.  I expect the patriotic wine banter to be deliciously ripe with Canadian vs American comparisons, which is why I decided to go another direction.  I wanted to be original and stand out from the crowd, I wanted to think outside the boxed wine (although that might make an interesting topic sometime), and be as unpedestrian as possible.  BUT, don’t get your hopes up too high here.  This is only my first WBW post and I drew a complete blank when I walked into the specialty wine shop with only North vs South as my compass.

The Acquisition:

I wandered from wall to wall until a clerk  rescued me from my ever changing mind with a suggestion that I thought would be as unique as it would be tasty.  She suggested Grenache and my mouth watered so  I *finally* decided on comparing Spain vs Australian Grenache.  France would have been the obvious choice, but I was curious on how Australia managed with a Grenache and the origin of the varietal is actually most likely from Spain or Italy (Grenacha).

The Varietal:

I was actually surprised to learn that Grenache is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, and up until recently was third in California to Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is a strong varietal in arid and dry conditions and is often used in red blends to offer its strength as a backbone.  Grenache puts the G in GSM along with Shriaz and Mourvedre and on its own, it ages very quickly and is prone to oxidization.

The Food:

Lamb and herbed meatballs, with stirfried vegetables and mushrooms.  Brie and roasted garlic on fig and rye crisps.

The Wines:

North: Vina Alarba – Grenacha Vinas Viejas 2004

• Nice balance of earthy notes with black cherry, prune and licorice
• Spicy peppery kick in the finish
• A lighter more subtle nose than I am familiar with for the varietal
• We liked this one best with the meatballs and figure it would compliment any steak or burger with mushrooms and onions

South: Yalumba – Bush Wine Grenache 2006

• More fruit forward and had a smooth sweetness with less spice than North
• Black cherry with sweet figs
• We enjoyed this better with the brie and crackers.

Conclusion:

Both wines shared some similarities due to the arid conditions in which they were grown, but I found the Australian Grenache to be more fruit forward as tends to be the norm down under.  I will probably need to drink more.

This concludes my inaugural WBW post and I hope I managed to keep your attention despite the lack of controversy and if not, then I hope you at least ran out to try some Grenache yourself.  I have a hard time finishing these posts with as much excitement as I started them, because I am either drunk to too tired.  I should really start blogging earlier… but rest assured that by next month’s WBW post, I will be a little more fine tuned. 

Final note:  A big thank you to Remy for the great suggestion of North vs South.  Check out Wine Blogging Wednesday for more participants and to find out how you can participate as well.