Garnacha Blanca

Where is Garnacha Blanca from?

Like lots of grapes there’s a bit of debate about where Garnacha Blanca (White Garnacha) comes from genetically speaking, though the consensus seems to be that is it some sort of mutation of the red Garnacha grape.

Like its red equivalent, Garnacha Blanca very much takes on the character of the terroir where it’s cultivated and that really means the Mediterranean and particularly Terra Alta. Terra Alta is a DO in southern Catalunya, just a bit further inland from Priorat and Montsant, and it’s home to around 1,400 hectares of white Garnacha vines – that 75% of Spain´s total and a staggering one-third of all the white Garnacha planted in the world!

Terra Alta’s plains, plateaus, and valleys and panal – the local name for the limestone rich, sandy soil of decomposed fossils – are the perfect environment for the Garnacha Blanca grape, and it can clearly be considered the grape's homeland.

A short history of Garnacha Blanca

Now as we’ve learnt, grape varieties have their own little history and Garnacha Blanca is no exception. It was traditionally used a lot in blends basically because potential alcohol was quite high, and its high yields meant it didn’t stamp a strong flavour profile on the other grapes it was blended with.

But it’s thanks to the vision and persistence of a few producers in Terra Alta that Garnacha Blanca’s profile is where it is today, and it’s because of them that you can now find single varietal wines made just from Garnacha Blanca. To some extent Terra Alta’s producers were following the example set just down the road in Priorat which had started to see its own potential back in the 80s.

Inspired by Priorat’s producers, the Terra Alta growers realised that by farming their vines carefully and controlling yields, they could use their own DO’s altitude and Mediterranean climate to their advantage. They could make Garnacha Blanca wines in a variety of styles, from fresh white wines made with early harvested grapes, fuller wines made with riper fruit, wines aged in wooden barrels or clay amphorae. They could even make orange wines which is done by leaving the must in contact with the grape skins during fermentation.

What does Garnacha Blanca taste like?

In terms of flavours, Garnacha Blanca wines tend to give full-bodied whites with lots of white fruit & Mediterranean herbs. They can have an appealing minerality and, over time, take on stone fruit & petrol notes. And if it’s been oak-aged you’ll often find lovely baked apple and bready flavours.

In summary

We think there’s something special about Garnacha Blanca. Whereas Verdejo or Albarino produce lovely fresh, citrusy white wines, Garnacha Blanca offers a real contrast. It’s a wine with the Mediterranean in its DNA. Imagine yourself walking along a coastal path on a spring day with the smell of scrubland herbs and flowers mixing with the fresh sea air. Well, if you could bottle that it would probably be a Garnacha Blanca.

Airén

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Albariño

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Albillo Real

Albillo Real is a native Spanish white variety grown historically in Castille, especially Ribera del Duero, Avila and Madrid, as well as Galicia.

Alicante Bouschet

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Bobal

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Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is an early budding, medium ripening grape variety with medium to high acidity which adapts well to different soil types. It is one of Spain's less common grapes, but can still be found in places like Castilla la Mancha, Catalunya and Valencia.

Cabernet Sauvignon

A cross between Cabernet Franc and the white grape, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps the world’s most famous red grape.

Cariñena, Mazuelo or Samsó

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Chardonnay

One of the wine world’s most well-known grape varieties. In Spain it's used on its own or blended in Cava, and is popular because it can soak up the influence of its environment or the techniques of its winemaker like few other grapes.

Garnacha

Garnacha is one of the most widely grown red grapes in the world and Spain's third most popular red grape. From the famous Priorat to the lesser-known Méntrida, this grape has become a staple of the Spanish wine sector.

Giró

For many people, Giró is synonymous with, or a very old clone of, Garnacha and it’s the name given to the grape in the Levante region

Godello

Godello is a Spanish white wine grape primarily grown in the regions of Valdeorras and Monterrei in Galicia, and in Bierzo in Castilla & Leon. It produces wines with lovely citrusy flavours and delicate saline notes.

Graciano

Graciano is perhaps best known as "Rioja's third grape" after Tempranillo and Garnacha. It has a very dark-hued skin and gives dark, intense red wines with good acidity and levels of tannin. It tends to give fresh, elegant wines which are quite full in the mouth with a long finish.

Macabeo or Viura

Macabeo, or Viura as you’ll see it referred to in Rioja, is Spain’s fifth most widely planted grape. In Catalunya, it's commonly used in Cava whilst in Rioja, it's an important part of the region’s exciting experimentation with new white wines.

Malvasía

Malvasia is a Spanish white wine grape variety. It's popular in the Canary Islands, where you’ll find it as Malvasía Volcanica or Malvasía Aromatica. In mainland Spain, it's known as Doña Blanca, Malvasía Blanca, Alarije, Blanca Roja, Rojal and Subirat Parent amongst other names.

Mencía

Mencía is particularly popular in DOs like Bierzo or Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei and Valdeorras in Galicia. In general, Mencía wines are fresh and perfumed, with very appealing fruit that works well with very subtle oak or no oak at all.

Merlot

Originally from Bordeaux, Merlot is now grown in close to 40 countries across the world. It tends to give quite plump, juicy and rounded wines, which makes it the ideal blending partner for the more austere grapes.

Merseguera

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Monastrell

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Moravia Agria

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Moscatel

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Palomino Fino

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Parellada

Parellada is a white wine grape, commonly used in the Spanish wine regions of Valencia and Catalunya. Alongside Xarel-lo and Macabeo, it is one of the three core grapes used to make the Spanish sparkling wine Cava.

Pedro Ximénez

Pedro Ximénez (PX) is traditionally associated with Andalucia, and particularly the sweet wines of Montilla-Moriles. In fact, some producers in Jerez or Malaga still routinely import sweet, sticky PX wines from Montilla-Moriles to sweeten their blends.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is one of the world’s best known and best loved red grapes. But it’s also a notoriously delicate grape to work with and requires optimum growing conditions.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world’s most popular white varieties. In many parts of Spain, the climate is a little too hot for Sauvignon Blanc to grow in large quantities. But you can find it used quite extensively in DO Rueda.

Sousón

Sousón is the most popular red grape in Rías Baixas, the Galician wine region known for its white Albariño wines. But it’s also found in the Spanish wine regions of Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Valdeorras and Monterrei.

Syrah

Originally from the Rhône Valley in France, Syrah has found fame in Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and the US. But in Spain it is still largely used in blends.

Tempranillo

Tempranillo is the most common wine grape in Spain. Whilst it's grown and used for winemaking in many Spanish wine regions, it's most commonly associated with the wine regions of Ribera del Duero and Rioja.

Torrontés

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Treixadura

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Verdejo

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Xarel-lo

Xarel-lo is a white grape variety from Catalunya in Spain. It is most commonly associated with the Spanish sparkling wine Cava, where it is blended with Parellada and Macabeo.