Exploring wine: Garnacha

Let's start this Friday off right and explore some wine!

Las Rocas, Granacha, 2008, $9.99

My rating for this bottle? I would drink the whole thing.

I never heard of this grape before but we decided to try it for two reasons 1) this blog series and 2) it was on sale for $9.99 at Whole Foods.

Granacha is traditionally grown in Spain and areas with hot, dry conditions, like those in other Mediterranean countries, Australia, California and Washington. It is also traditionally used to blend with other grapes as it has high levels of sugar and alcohol without being too tannic. Reading about it started to turn me off because it seemed like it couldn't stand up on its own as a varietal grape but we openned the bottle and tried a sip.

We were immediately struck by the flavor of  cherries and other berry-type fruits, but then the kicker, something I hadn't really tasted in wine before, black pepper. Yes, that's right, black pepper. It lingered slightly while the fruity flavors moved on. Gman and I both really enjoyed drinking this spicy wine and tried with pastas, sandwiches, and even chocolate (Oreos...).

As soon as we finished it we ran back to Whole Foods to grab at least 4 more bottles... for hostess gifts, you know?