For decades it was an afterthought. Now sommeliers are chasing the Clare Valley's old-vine Grenache for its perfume, lightness and savoury charm.
Ask a wine drinker to name a Clare Valley grape and they'll say Riesling, then Shiraz. Grenache rarely gets a mention. Yet some of the most exciting wines coming out of the valley right now are made from gnarled old Grenache vines that have quietly survived in the region for generations.
From blender to star
For much of the 20th century, Grenache was a workhorse - bulk wine, fortifieds, a blending component to be hidden rather than celebrated. Plenty of old vineyards were pulled out in the vine-pull schemes of the 1980s. The survivors, dry-grown bush vines often over fifty years old, were the lucky ones.
Now those same vines are gold. A new generation of winemakers has rediscovered what old-vine Grenache can do when it's picked earlier and handled gently: perfumed, red-fruited, savoury wines of real elegance, a world away from the jammy style of the past.
Where to taste it
Look to the smaller, vineyard-focused labels. Clos Clare makes an old-vine Grenache from Watervale that has become an insider's favourite. Several other boutique producers are bottling single-vineyard Grenache or weaving it into Rhône-style blends with Shiraz and Mourvèdre.
The Watervale and Penwortham areas, with their old plantings and limestone soils, are the heartland of the revival. Ask at cellar doors - the good Grenache is often poured with a little extra pride.
The bigger picture
Grenache's moment is part of a broader shift in Australian wine toward lighter, more savoury, more drinkable reds, and the Clare Valley's old vineyards put it in a strong position. So next time you're tasting in the valley, look past the Riesling and Shiraz for a glass of Grenache. You may discover the region's best-kept secret.
