Happy Wine Wednesday!

Last week we talked about Grenache, a grape varietal grown mainly in France and Spain and usually blended with other grapes to yield an elegant wine.

Many wines from the Rhône Valley in France are made by blending Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre. If you find this blend in the new world, however, the trend is to label it as a:

GSM

I’ve often seen this label when this traditional Rhône Valley blend comes out of Australia. But our last South Coast Wine Club shipment included a 2008 GSM from Temecula, California:

Legally, in the U.S., a wine must be made up of 75% of the grape in order for a wine to be labeled as that varietal. Generally speaking, in the new world, if the primary varietal is less than 75%, it is listed on the label first, along with the other grapes. For example, a wine labeled Cabernet-Merlot, is typically made of Cabernet and Merlot, but with a higher percentage of Cabernet than Merlot.

However, the exception to the rule lies when the vintner lists the percentage of each grape, as shown above. Here, Syrah dominates, just like in the northern Rhône Valley of France. Whereas the primary grape found in southern Rhône wines is typically Grenache.

Why does this combination work so well?

• Grenache offers red berry flavors, such as raspberry and strawberry, with hints of warm spices such as cinnamon.
• Syrah adds dark fruit flavors, earthiness, peppery spice and tannin.
• Mourvèdre provides acidity and balance with some floral notes. It’s rare to find this grape standing alone, but I once had a Cline Small Berry Mourvèdre that was incredible. I haven’t been able to find it in years. They do make an Old Vine Mourvèdre, but I was already spoiled by the Small Berry version that I couldn’t be converted. Good news! I found the Small Berry online and they still make it. Bad News: It’s twice as much per bottle from when I first tried it.

Here is what our South Coast GSM offered:

Have you had a GSM before?

What about a wine from the Rhone Valley in France?

What do you think of this blend?

Cheers~
Carrie