Taste the world’s finest Grenache in London

The world’s finest bottles of pure Grenache – from Château Rayas to Torbreck’s Les Amis – are to feature in a comparative tasting in London on 12 October, and there are still a few spaces left for the trade.

Yangarra winemaker Peter Fraser will compare his McLaren Vale wines to the greatest varietal Grenaches from around the world, from Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Château Rayas to Spain’s Espactacle

The event, which takes place in London’s Westbury Hotel on Monday 12 October from 3-5pm, will be hosted by Yangarra’s Peter Fraser, who has just been named Australian Winemaker of the Year by eminent wine critic James Halliday.

Fraser’s expertise centers on Rhône grapes, in particular Grenache, having made wine from the variety since 2000 at Yangarra Estate in the McLaren Vale, where he crafts the flagship High Sands Grenache, created using biodynamically-farmed fruit from bush vines planted in 1946 on the highest point of the producer’s ancient sandy dunes.

Yangarra’s Peter Fraser has just been named Australian Winemaker of the Year by eminent wine critic James Halliday.

Fraser has agreed to compare his wines to the greatest varietal Grenaches from around the world, such as the unique 100% Grenache wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Château Rayas and Spain’s Espactacle, a varietal Grenache from 120 year-old vines in Montsant, made by René Barbier, famous for Priorat’s Clos Mogador.

The award-winning McLaren Vale winemaker has also said he will show his wines alongside Australia’s celebrated varietal Grenache from the Barossa Valley: Torbreck’s Les Amis, which is made using grapes from vines planted in 1901.

Other wines in the tasting will include a Grenache from California’s Tablas Creek (the Paso Robles partnership of Château de Beaucastel and New York fine wine importer Robert Haas) and a Grenache blend from Château La Nerthe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Together, this tasting will provide a unique chance to try a selection of extremely rare wines made from one of the trade’s most underrated grapes – Grenache.

However, numbers at this event are restricted, so, if you would like to register your interest, please email sheila.crisp@thedrinksbusiness.com, or call call +44 (0) 207 80 240.

The full selection of wines are below:

Flight 1:

2013 Yangarra Old Vine Grenache (McLaren Vale)
2012 Tablas Creek Grenache (Paso Robles)
Château La Nerthe (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)

Flight 2:

2012 High Sands Grenache (McLaren Vale)
2010 High Sands Grenache (McLaren Vale)
2009 Torbreck Les Amis (Barossa Valley)
2008 Château Rayas (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
2012 Espectacle (Montsant)