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Grenache
The Grenache grape (a.k.a. Grenache Noir) produces relatively pale, fruity red wines that often stop just short of sweetness. Grenache is familiar to most wine drinkers as an ingredient in the blends of the Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon, where it can add charm to varieties that are a little rougher around the edges. The distinguished Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas appellations are both...
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Mourvèdre
Known as Mataro in California and Monastrell in Spain, Mourvèdre can produce bold, tannic, highly alcoholic red wines. They usually show no shortage of fruit as well, and the best examples keep it all in perfect balance. Rhône-style blends are cropping up all over the world, and one of the classic tried-and-true combinations is "GSM," or Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre. The "M" contributes focus and...
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Rhône
Prestige in the north, value in the south: that’s the quick version of the Rhône story. Southern village appellations produce a dizzying stylistic range of delicious wines, while the prices for northern “trophy” bottles can be dizzyingly high. If you like smoky, leathery, earthy, macho red wines, however, the wines of the northern Rhône are well worth it. Prestigious northern Rhône appellations...
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Syrah
We'd like to clear this up once and for all: the Shiraz grape is genetically identical to Syrah. Australian winemakers put "Shiraz" on the map (and, many would argue, vice versa), and the term is now used throughout much of the New World. Let it never be said, however, that Shiraz and Syrah are the same thing: the region in which the grape is grown determines much about the flavor of the wine it...
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