International Grenache Day, Spanish Style

As the Spanish buyer I must take the opportunity of International Grenache Day to remind the wine drinking world that Grenache, AKA Garnacha, is from Spain. It is believed to originate in the Aragon region. It was the Crown of Aragon that brought the grape variety down the Ebro River to Catalonia and from Catalonia (what would become the French and Spanish sides) to the Rhône, Sardegna, and the rest of the Mediterranean. Now that the super-abbreviated history lesson is done, I want to take you on a quick tour of Spain’s take on the grape and point out several Garnacha-based wines that I highly recommend.

Old Favorites and New Discoveries from Spain and Portugal

K&L Spain/Portugal Buyer Kirk Walker checks in on some of our longtime favorite wine producers and introduces us to a new-to-our-shelves importer who’s shaking things up in the European import world.

New Direct Import: Catalonia’s Cal Bessó

Cal Bessó is the relatively new Montsant project from the Castellví Figuerola family, who own and run Celler de l’Encastell in Priorat, and local grape grower, Jaume Valles. It is based around the village of Els Guiamets, which is located fewer than 10 miles south of the heart of Priorat.

K&L Wine Merchants

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