Sip This: Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc

The heat of late summer calls for a revitalizing wine like this one from the gorgeous SIP (Sustainable in Practice) Certified vineyards of Halter Ranch in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles. This Rhône blend is 80 percent Grenache Blanc, 14 percent Picpoul Blanc, 4 percent Roussanne, 2 percent Viognier, and 100 percent delicious, from its floral and wet stone nose to its lemon/melon fruit and acid core.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Rhone Rangers Offer Up All of Grenache's Guises

 (photo courtesy Larry Schaffer)

You might not trick anybody if you ask him or her what's the most commonly grown wine grape in the world. Most people would guess or know it's cabernet sauvignon. But you could win quite a few bar bets asking people what's the second most commonly grown wine grape globally.

Meet Grenache. A work horse in the Rhone region of France, a favorite in Australia, a cornerstone of the Spanish wine industry (some think it originated there, where it's called Garnacha), Grenache has a checkered history in the U.S. Because as much as the varietal can make delicious wines -- think Châteauneuf-du-Pape -- it also can grow prodigiously, and for years was crucial to filling millions of jugs of wine coming out of California's Central Valley. And you know how it is when you're cheap and loved by everybody -- you don't get the best of reputations.

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Sip This: Curran Grenache Blanc

Curran Grenache Blanc Santa Ynez Valley 2012: There are almost 300 times more acres of Chardonnay than Grenache Blanc planted in California, but when you drink Kris Curran’s, you start wondering about the wisdom of those numbers.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Indy's site.