An Extra Special Garnacha

Following on from my inane ramblings on the virtues of Carignan earlier in the week, I return with more musings on another Spanish grape- this time, its Aragonese relative, Garnacha. Garnacha (or Grenache if you prefer the French) is another late-ripening, warm climate grape which is one of the most widely-planted in the Mediterranean, and which can produce hearty, brambly reds both as a varietal and as a constituent. For me, the best examples almost invariably come from plantings with a low-yield of fruit (look out for 'old vine', 'vieilles vignes' etc.) as the super-concentrated grapes they produce often result in food-friendly, fruit-driven reds. Grenache/Garnacha varietals are relatively common in UK supermarkets (see Ned Halley's informative annual guide 'The Best Wines in the Supermarkets' for the top ones) and are often very reasonably priced, so wine lovers really have little excuse for not getting accustomed to this exciting grape.

One of the best recent examples I've tried is the Asda Extra Special Old Vine Garnacha 2013, as was recommended by the ever-reliable Susie Barrie MW and Peter Richards MW for the BBC's Saturday Kitchen on 27th December (http://susieandpeter.com/saturday-kitchen-nye-2/). I was tempted by the promise of a "bright and perfumed" red with "a generous fruit character" and "gentle spiciness" that Barrie and Richards found. In addition, the fact that it made for a good match with a mouthwatering-looking slow-cooked mutton dish by top chef Thomasina Myers was encouraging, as I normally cook a couple of tomato-based red meat dishes in any given week. When this was taken into account with the positive reviews in Decanter and the Telegraph for the 2012 vintage, which was almost £3 dearer (http://www.decanter.com/dwwa/2013/wine/asda-extra-special-old-vine-garnacha-2012/3324, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/10199616/Wine-tasting-notes-Garnacha.html), it was no wonder that I couldn't wait to get my hands on a bottle to taste.

And what a bottle it is. The wine is young-looking (2013 vintage, natch) with a bright and jovial cherry red hue. On the nose, seductive aromas of purple fruits tantalise your taste buds, with blackcurrant, blackberry and vanilla intermingling beautifully. The first thing I got in the mouth was a big hit of friendly vanilla, which slowly adds more purple fruits to cleverly evolve into blackcurrant ripple on the mid-palate. The balance of oak is extremely well-pitched, and the density of fruit is such that you forget the wine's substantial alcohol content (14% abv). The wine finishes pleasantly fruity, with a suggestion of leather and palate-cleansing acidity. As expected, the wine worked perfectly with some moderately spiced Jamie Oliver meatballs (for those interested: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/meatballs/#z1OuY2ppiOk4Muyd.97) and my very own lemon rice (recipe far too valuable to share), and will be making a reappearance on my wine list very soon.

Overall then, this is one of those wines that manages to put a smile on your face: not just because of its inviting nose and densely-packed bramble fruit palate, but also because of the incredible value it represents at £5. How Asda manages to offer such a good Garnacha at this price, I will never know. My advice would be to go out straight away and grab a couple of bottles for yourself, as you'll be very glad you did. An Extra Special wine at an Extra Special price: ¡viva Garnacha!