Grenache Blanc

June 3, 2023 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Perle Blanche

When planning our recent trip to Morocco, none of our small group (which included PWZ’s Susan and Towny) had any idea there would be a winery owned by a man from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. But there we were and there he was. Charles Mélia moved to the small village of Ounara — just 20 minutes east of the seaside town of Essaouira — in 1994, and started Domaine du Val d’Argan.

Earlier in his life, he worked at his family’s vineyard, Château de la Font du Loup (in Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and, after exploring other wine growing areas (Argentina and New Zealand), he settled on Morocco. The climate was perfect for growing Rhône grapes such as Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Muscat, and Roussanne. Sadly, the... [...]

October 2, 2022 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Meanwhile, Across the Pyrenees…

Between Valencia and Barcelona you can find the wine growing region of Terra Alta in the western part of the Province of Tarragona. It is only recently that wines from this region have come abroad for our pleasure… and today’s wine is indeed that — a pleasure. You may be wondering why... [...]

January 3, 2021 4

Two Female Winemakers Light Up Our New Year with Their Rhône-Varietal Sparkling Wines

Does drinking good bubbly on New Year’s Day foretell a good year? I tend to think so; but to be sure, we popped open two bottles, two super good bottles of sparkling wine exquisitely crafted by female winemakers in California.

One winemaker is in the Santa Ynez Valley, near Santa Barbara in the Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), and the other is in the northern part of the Central Valley, due east of San Francisco Bay in the Lodi AVA. Both are outstanding winemakers... [...]

January 4, 2020 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Chilling With Friends

It was the eve of a minor surgical procedure that was to keep me off my feet for four to six weeks. What was I to do? Naturally, I invited friends over for meal-worthy charcuterie board to chill, try out some wine ... and to keep my mind off the knife. What would you have done?

While there is no one “recipe” for putting together a charcuterie board, I invite... [...]

July 8, 2018 0

Acquiesce Winery’s Sparkling Grenache Blanc to Debut on Friday, July 13

Grenache Blanc is widely grown in both Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône. If you are lucky enough to be familiar with Acquiesce Winery in Lodi, California, you know that they have a vine or two of this grape variety. It was a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine – typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Picpoul Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Picardan, and Bourboulenc... [...]

May 28, 2018 4

An International Blind Tasting in Lodi California included Rhône Valley and Provence wines

I recently participated in a fascinating international blind tasting in Lodi, California. Four flights of four wines predominantly composed of four different grape varieties were included: Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo, and Mourvèdre.

The tasting was not intended to determine the best wine in each flight but, rather, to compare and contrast the wines in order to... [...]

October 29, 2016 22

OFF THE VIA DOMITIA
IT ALL STARTED WITH A WHITE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

When I attended the Wine Bloggers conference in mid-August in Lodi, California—one of the largest appellations in California and one intricately tied to Old Vine Zinfandel wines—I did not expect to visit a winery dedicated to producing [...]