Tasters sample grenache from this side of Atlantic

Grenache is best known for red wines from the southern Rhone region of France, made in a fruity sweet, easy-to-drink style with a high alcohol content.

Over the years, grenache, one of the world's most widely planted red grapes, has been used to blend with other grapes in various red wines.

Although the grape originated in Spain, its fame came via Rhone wines, but rarely did France produce a bottle of 100 percent grenache.

American wine makers have discovered the value of grenache and have started using it to give more fruit to some blends.

I asked the wine-tasting group to sample five grenache wines or wines blended with grenache as a major grape from this side of the Atlantic. Here is how they compared:

- 2001 Joseph Phelps Pastiche Red at $13.99. The Phelps was a blend of six grapes including grenache, mourvedre and syrah. This wine had a garnet color and a subtle but meaty aroma, full of raspberry, orange and fresh fruit. The texture was smooth, in a medium body, with a full taste and elegant approach. The Pastiche had a medium complexity and a moderate finish. It tied for second in our tasting.

- 2002 Hewiston "Miss Harry" at $19.99. This wine was built from grenache, syrah and mourvedre grapes. The aroma was full of dried strawberries and alcohol plus a bit of white pepper. It had a purple color and a leaner, heavier body than the Pastiche. This was a medium to complex wine with a medium-long finish. Tasters liked its overall attributes and ranked it first in a close vote.

- 2001 D'Arenberg Stump Jump at $11.99. This wine was 75 percent grenache, 20 percent syrah and 5 percent mourvedre. The aroma was spicy and fruity with raspberries and a good bit of alcohol. In the mouth, it was hot from the alcohol, very dry and medium-bodied. The finish was slightly astringent.

- 2000 Swan's Flight Grenache at $12.99. This had a brickish color and an aroma similar to the Hewiston, except with more raspberry notes. It had a medium body but was not overly complex. It had a long finish. This wine, which tied for second in our tasting, was simply made but had plenty of tannins, those chemicals in grapes that give wine structure and backbone but can make the mouth pucker when young. You don' t usually find a grenache with this level of tannins. Tasters thought this wine would be good with lamb or Brie.

- 2002 Clos de Gilroy Grenache at $13.99. This maroon-colored wine was 100 percent grenache, a rarity. It had a gamay-like aroma, full of strawberry, candied apples and young fruit, with some white pepper. It had a light-to-medium body and low to medium complexity. The finish was light to medium.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 2000 Edmeades Anderson Valley Pinot Noir at $20. This wine smelled of sweet cherries. In the mouth, the flavor of cherries came through, along with plum and blueberries. It had a soft-and-silky texture except for the alcohol burn (14.5 percent). It had few tannins on the end.

- 2002 McWilliam's Hanwood Estate Shiraz at $12. The sweet smell of raspberries was the first thing we smelled in this young Australian wine. The taste of raspberries and plum with a touch of oaking came through in the mouth. It was mellow and soft, without a heavy tannin hit at the end.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to editor