5 to Try: Grenache

Grenache is a Swiss Army knife wine. Called Garnacha in Spain, the light-bodied grape gets blended into ballet-pink rosés as well as robust reds so iconic they’re referred to solely by their initials, GSM. (The acronym stands for Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre.) Varietal Grenache runs the gamut from crunchy crowd-pleasers to pair with burgers at a cookout, to structured investment pieces to cellar for years. “Grenache is really approachable,” says Leigh Ervine, the wine director for All Together Now in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. Whether you’re looking for “a gateway grape to Pinots and bigger, structured reds,” she says, or something bright and refreshing to sip as temperatures start to cool, globe-trotting Grenache has you covered.

A Tribute to Grace, Rosé of Grenache 2024

“It has lots of guava, stone fruit, and cotton candy flavors, but it doesn’t drink sweet,” Ervine says of this limited-production rosé made from biodynamically farmed Grenache from California’s Central Coast. Instead, it’s bright and crisp—the perfect thing to open while snacking on a cheese board, tinned fish, or crusty sourdough. A mainstay at All Together Now, “it’s the longest-standing by-the-glass pour at the shop,” says Ervine. “And it’s my go-to wine in summer, winter, fall, or any time at all.” $25.99, citywinemerchant.com

Emme Wines, ‘We Touch in Silhouette’ 2023

This elegant Grenache features hand-harvested, organically cultivated grapes from Shake Ridge, an esteemed vineyard in California’s Amador County that both Ervine and Emme winemaker Rosalind Reynolds describe as “magical.” Spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, the unfined wine is food-friendly and easy-drinking, especially with a light chill. “It has really beautiful aromatics and a strong tannic backbone, so you could age it, too,” Ervine says. $41.99, thirstmerchants.com

Worlds Apart, ‘Blewitt Springs’ Grenache 2022

From a cool corner of South Australia’s McLaren Vale comes this dynamically textured red wine with “good acid and concentration of flavor,” says Ervine. Bright and zippy, it has cherry and just-picked raspberry flavors alongside nuanced floral and herbaceous notes. “It’s a really fun showing of Grenache from an iconic, century-old site in Australia,” Ervine says. The whole-cluster fermentation “gives it a nice crunchiness while maintaining freshness.” $42.99, plummarket.com

Whitcraft Winery, Stolpman Vineyard Grenache 2022

Grapes for this aromatic cool-climate wine are hand-picked and -sorted in Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon. Afterward, winemaker Drake Whitcraft crushes them by foot to jumpstart carbonic maceration. It’s the opposite of industrial winemaking, Ervine says. “The only things that turn on at the winery are his laptop and the kegorator.” The results are elegantly structured, with savory herbs, orange rind, and lavender aromas followed by tart cranberry, cherry, and saline flavors with a grippy finish. $54, leonandsonwine.com

Château Rayas 2008

Winemakers in France’s Rhône Valley can blend up to 13 grapes into their esteemed Chateauneuf-du-Pape. But Château Rayas, one of the region’s most renowned producers, creates red bottlings made entirely or mostly from Grenache. The 2008 is rare and beautifully expressive, says Ervine; All Together Now has “exactly one bottle, hiding in the back.” Lighter than a typical Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the wine “has licorice and red fruit, plus savoriness and spiciness,” she says. While it’s an investment piece, Ervine believes it’s worth the splurge. “This is a special bottle.” $1,399, cellaraiders.com