A few weeks ago I picked up an interesting bottle of wine in Sainsburys and have only just got around to drinking it. It is the Sainsburys Taste the Difference Grenache Gris in the Discovery Collection range, a changing selection of unique wines that aren't available in sufficient volume to be available all year round. Fortunately for punters it is currently on sale for £7.00 and with the current Coronation weekend '25% off 6 bottles' discount is an absolute bargain at what works out at just £5.25.
Although Grenache is a popular grape variety in wines from the Rhone and Languedoc in France (and Increasingly so in Spain as Garnacha) the 'gris' (grey) version is less common.and seems to have fallen out of favour after its heyday in the sweet fortified vins doux naturels of SW France 30 or so years ago. The result then is that Grenache Gris varietal wines are now something of a rarity and a winemaker's indulgence since there is little commercial gain to be had from producing them. All credit then to Sainsburys for sourcing this wine from South Africa made by female winemaker Trizanne Barnard who is making a name for herself producing interesting and unique wines.
On opening the wine is soft and creamy with notes of apricot and peach. Its profile is therefore not dissimilar to many Viognier-based wines currently on the market. We drank it to accompany a chicken stir-fry meal and I note that Olly Smith was recommending it some time ago "to lift the aromatics of a Thai green curry". Either way, if you are looking for something a little different, you can't really go wrong at this price.
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