All the medallists from the Global Grenache Masters 2024

Prior to this Global Grenache Masters tasting, Siobhan Turner MW thought she could never love Grenache – but now she’s been won over to its charms. 

On a warm, sunny October day on the edges of the City of London, we gathered to taste Grenache, a grape I have generally found enjoyable, but never truly fallen in love with. I stand here and say: I was wrong.

How glorious it can be, and how versatile. We tasted wines across the colour spectrum and through the full range of prices, and it was interesting to note that, while the lowest-priced wines did not excel, neither did those at the very highest level either, because they were lacking a subtlety and elegance that those which were just slightly less expensive possessed in abundance (if that can, in fact, be said about subtlety).

We tasted 48 wines, of which more than half (25) were from Spain, with exactly one-third (16) coming from Australia, with further contributions from France (6) and South Africa (one).

Remarkably, out of those 48 wines, only one did not merit a medal, and there were an astonishing 17 Golds awarded, split between Spain, Australia and France, with the solitary Master going to France. Grenache can have a reputation for heaviness, alcohol and oxidation; with very few exceptions, the wines we tasted were refreshing and well-balanced. Although many of them have alcohol levels of more than 14% ABV, those we chose as the Gold and Master medal winners were wonderfully integrated and extremely drinkable.

The higher medal winners were almost all from the red spectrum, although one rosé, the beautifully textured Anayón, did truly impress all the judges. Nevertheless, Grenache showed its full versatility in this tasting, in lighter and more full-bodied styles, and with varying levels of different grapes blended in, from the almost luminous pure Garnachas of Scala Dei to the beautiful elegance of the Grenache/Syrah blend from Domaine Beauvence in the Rhône Valley that was our sole Master winner.

One of the best aspects of tastings like this is that they make you reassess and challenge your preconceptions – about a region or about a grape. This tasting did just that, and its overall high quality is a true testament to those producers – both artisanal and larger-scale – working so carefully with a rewarding but often challenging grape variety.

Sparkling White – 100% Grenache

Unoaked Still White – 100% Grenache

Oaked Still White – 100% Grenache

Oaked Still Rosé – 100% Grenache

Oaked Still Red – 100% Grenache

Oaked Still Red – 100% Grenache (continued)

Unoaked Still Rose – Blend

Unoaked Still Red – Blend

Oaked Still Red – Blend

Oaked Still Red – Blend (continued)