Garnacha is the Spanish, and therefore original, name for the increasingly fashionable grape known in France and elsewhere as grenache. Its most common and noblest form is the dark-berried and light-fleshed Garnacha Tinta (Garnaxa, in Catalan). As this variety, ubiquitous in much of Spain, is being re-evaluated from weed to asset (partly in response to the rhône ranger phenomenon but also spurred by priorat’s initial success), varietal versions are becoming more common, as are blends with the firmer tempranillo, and the word Garnacha is increasingly seen on wine labels.
