Vinified from the fruit of auspicious vines, established 1998 around an eminent block of ancient Cariñena and Garnacha. The soils here are unique, plantings are exposed to the temperate Mediterranean winds of Ebro Valley, brisk, envigorating breezes which extend the ripening season and encourage grapes to form remarkable esters. Font de la Figuera is the second growth from Clos Figueras, a wonderfully complex cépage of Cabernet and Grenache, Carignan, Mourvedre and Shiraz, seamless and intense, cossetted by lithe, silken tannins.

Julius Caesar was born a Spaniard, he probably enjoyed the wines of Priorat at a time when ancient Romans built the very terraces which now yield Font de la Figuera. This majestic viticultural paradise was devastated by phylloxera and abondoned by agricuturalists in the nineteenth century. Rediscovered by fine wine enthusiasts and re established to productive vineyards in the 1980s, it delivers vintages of the most exquisite Grenache blends in the world. Layered with licorice and the seasoning of Mediterranean spice, a penetrating wine, seamless, stately and refined.

The surrounds of Clos Figueras have been farmed since Roman colonization. There are groves of productive olive trees on the estate, some are centuries of age and yield the most delicious fruit. The original block of vines are also age unknown, returned to life after a period of disuse, they are now source to a Grenache Carignan accord of opulence and humbling virtue. Fermented in the luxury of completely new French oak casks, pigeaged by hand and treated to an extended maceration on skins, followed by a year's maturation in a selection of Allier hogsheads and barriques.

Clos Figueras is a legacy block of old, to very old, Cariñena and Garnacha vines. This very special site is surrounded by ancient terraces which were re established to viticulture at the turn of the century. Cabernet and Syrah have traditionally been called upon by local vignerons to round out the palate of Priorat Grenache and to contribute structure. The most exemplary parcels are singled out for inclusion into Clos Figueras, achieving a finely chiselled wine which undulates with seamlessness, resonating under its opulent weight of fruit and dulcet complexity.

A compilation of parcels, dry grown Clare Valey fruit, Grenache for freshness and allure, Shiraz for structure, plummyness and spice, Mourvedre brings a measure of ribald richness, palate weight and pastoral funk. Claymore were established 1991 with a view to making good, healthy wine from an ancient block of terra rosa Grenache, the precious old site remains an inspiration to the team and delivers an amazing harvest of exceptional fruit with each vintage. Savoury earth and currant florals, a bliss alongside slow cooked, melt in the mouth pork.

A big, sweet and savoury style of blush hued wine, driven by revitalizing berry fruit flavours, fashioned exclusively from Clare Valley Grenache. Ferments are arrested just shy of complete dryness to achieve a judiciously satisfying balance between natural Grenache sweetness and crisp, fruit laden acidity. Juicy strawberries up front, a zesty palate seasoned with spice notes and crushed dry herb. A whole lotta joy in a comely pink drink that pairs beautifully with prosciutto and tomato, a nicoise of rare salmon or just about any fresh pink fare.

Light Pass was one of the first Barossa precincts to be planted to vine. A single Grenache vineyard remains from earliest settlement, still yielding the most precious fruit, it is likely the oldest productive planting of Grenache in the world. Marco Cirillo personally manages each and every vine on this invaluable block, his specialty is Grenache and he maintains a close watch over his priceless old plantings. Much of what he picks off the vine is destined for the mighty Torbreck, he retains a small amount from each vintage to release under his own label.

The site which was destined to become South Australia's first winemaking estate was planted to vines just south of the Onkaparinga River, at the northwest corner of Panalatinga and Reynell Roads. Within ten years, John Reynell became the first to export South Australian red wine. His business grew, as Chateau Reynella won over palates throughout the Empire. As his operations flourished and local businesses started up, more workers were attracted to the area and settled down, the beginnings of McLaren Vale. Significantly, one of Reynell's star employees was Thomas Hardy of Hardy Wines.

An assemblage of fruit, picked off vines near the village of Roquemaure on the right bank of the Rhone, between Orange and Avignon. Mostly Grenache with a fifth of Syrah, the earliest vines at Mont Redon date back to ancient times. Protected from the chilling Mistral winds, the canny Romans planted their rootstock at the bottom of a hill which lends its name to the estate. In the middle of the 18th Century, nobleman Joseph Ignace d'Astier acquired Mont-Redon. His descendants still own the property, manage the vines and make Mont Redon Cotes-du-Rhône.

Beaucastel is one of the great renditions of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, itself one of the principal appelations in all France. One of the richest and most complex cepage allowed under Origine Controlee law, components of Grenache and Cinsault provide the deep colour, intensity and softness. Parcels of Mourvedre and Syrah, Muscardin and Vaccarese give the wine its renowned ageing potential and classic, dark fruit character. The Counoise, Picpoul and other aboriginal grapes contribute freshness, suave fragrance and distinctive aromatic élan.

A mostly Shiraz Cuvee sourced from six of the Melton's best dry grown, old vine blocks. Charlie was one of the first to recognize the value and tradition of the Barossa's old vineyard Shiraz, Cabernet and Grenache. At a time when others were pulling out some wonderful old rootstock to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic vineyards. He belongs to a small group of dedicated vignerons who fought to retain the viticultural heritage of Barossa Valley. Two years in oak, followed by liqueur dosage tirage and a further four years on lees.

Described by the London Observer as Australia's finest pink wine, Rose of Virginia is distinctively perfumed thanks to the inclusion of a choice Grenache component, followed by the brooding characters of noble red grapes. At a time when growers were pulling out their vines to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic parcels of Grenache. Just ever so slightly away from the cloying, rich styles, Rose of Virginia is crisp and balanced to match the wide range of cuisines which have been her partners.

What's Barossa Rosé without a vital inclusion of old vines Grenache? Charlie Melton prunes his old vines harder so that they produce lower yields, concentrating more of the vigor into fewer berries. The bright effusiveness of a lusciously ripe harvest is assembled with barrels of aged Grenache wines for a remarkably complex, blush hued Cuvée. Evocative and engaging, richer than most any other Rosé, her heady perfumes of rhubarb and ripe strawberry, cherry blossoms and turkish delight, precede a delightfully complex palate of jellied fruit, plum pastels and pretty, purple cassis.

Charles Melton's life long passion for Grenache began during a working tour of the Rhone Valley in the 1980s. At the time, Australian Grenache was being used mainly for cheap, high alcohol, fortified wines, Charlie however, started experimenting in the vineyard, pruning the old vines harder so they would produce lower yields of better berries. All Melton's vineyards are unirrigated and dry grown, some are in excess of 130 years old, yielding fruit of the most intense natural sweetness, even when fermented to bone dry, a quality of Grenache that's without peer anywhere in the world.

Melton was christened Graeme but given the nickname Charlie by his long term mentor, the legendary Peter Lehmann. It was during a tour of duty amongst the illustrious vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape that Charlie acquired his deep passion for the sublime grace of old vines Grenache. The Reformation is crafted from precious parcels, hand picked off distinguished Barossa plantings, seventy to a hundred years of age. A mix of destemmed and whole bunch grapes are vinified on skins and pressed into a selection of French and American oak for twenty to thirty months before the final assemblage.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. Based on the wines of Chateauneuf du Pape, or home of new popes, alternate papacy of the 13th century. Drawing fruit from the only other classic Grenache growing area in the world, Melton has given this evocative grape a little Aussie twist, assembling the inspiring varietal with parcels of old vines Barossa Mourvedre and Shiraz. Litigation by the French was avoided, but problem remains, Melton's French skills were a tad light when he named the wine, assuming Chateauneuf du Pape was a reference to the nine popes.

Charlie Melton was one of the first to appreciate the overlooked value in Barossa's old vineyard Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre. At a time when others were pulling out such vineyards to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic plantings. He was one of a small group of winemakers who helped retain the viticultural heritage of Barossa Valley. A soft, plump palate of traditional Barossa ripeness and plummy, festive cake spice, currants and dark fruit, a finish of luscious, rounded tannins underpinning soily Barossa goodness.

Chapoutier have been a part of Rhône Valley viticulture since 1808. Within their portfolio of great vineyards, are many old and distinguished sites which can trace a heritage back to the company's establishment during the reign of Napoleon. The timeless and enduring cépage of Grenache and Syrah in equal proportions, Belleruche is a passionate expression of the Cotes du Rhône, sourced from vines planted to some of the most noble and ancient winegrowing precincts in all France.

Old vine Grenache, a few inestimable rows, planted during the 1930s to a picturesque place in the northern Barossa called Light Pass. Impassioned vigneron Kevin Schild is custodian of these wizened old veterans, yielding barely enough of a crop to make a few hundred cases. The Chaffeys see themselves as oenological parfumiers, identifying the supple complexities of wayward fruit, revelling in the lost art of small batch vintages. They have elected to treat Schild's fruit to a Nouveau style of ferment, a third included as whole bunches, to be judiciously bottled unfiltered and unfined.

It's no puzzling coincidence that the three noble grapes of Cotes du Rhône have endured as one of the wine world's most engaging, long lived accords. The plump, juicy sweetness of Grenache provides an amenable foil to the rustic tannins and pastoral earthiness of Mourvedre. Add a dash of peppery plum Shiraz and you have achieved a harmonious construct which drinks beautifully while fresh, beguiling and evocative after a term of bottle age.

From sacred blocks of old, to very old Blewitt Spring vines, mostly Grenache and Shiraz, with a judicious measure Mourverdre. The hand picked parcels are treated to a traditional course of pumpovers and whole bunches, vinified to dry, batches are pressed, rack and returned to a selection of French and American oak hogsheads for an extended eighteen months maturation. Structured, seamless and lingering, an amazingly well rounded palate of ingratiating alcohol warmth, the whole bunch Grenache contributes a sweetly pungent, spicey lift.

Calo Rioja is a modern and expressive Tempranillo created by third generation winemaker Javier Murua. In keeping with the new wave of rejuvenating wines sweeping Rioja, Murua avoids the traditional long maturation in old oak to focus on fruit vibrancy and purity of clean varietal characters. The moniker Calo is evocative of the wandering caravan folk who lead the liberated lifestyle, free to indulge in their pursuit of epicurean delights and long, languid libations. A sublime match to tapas, oven hot bread and Iberian cheese.

The richness of Shiraz and the softness of Grenache together with smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Mataro and other varieties, combine together in the Port Soleras at Milawa to produce this Tawny style Port. The fortifying grape spirit is subtle and the wood maturation of this young tawny port has enhanced the developed qualities of the wine. The Reserve Port is drawn from a labyrinthine complex of soft old wines stored under the Brown Brothers cellars in barrel, and blended with fruity young wines into a warm nutty, and satisfyingly rich old Port.

Bondar make wine from a privileged ballot of elite little sites. It's a tiny portfolio with the effort on excellence. At the heart of all their splendour is an illustrious block of less than a hectare, fifty year old vines on a patch of salubrious sandy soils within the princely parcels of Rayner Vineyard. This is Grenache as it should be made, the seasoned old plantings are hand picked for an arcane, old world style of ferment, a measure of whole bunches and whole berries intact, meticulously timed for age and assemblage into an excruciatingly limited release wine.

Try and find a rendering of McLaren Vale GSM which includes a sultry soupçon of the X-rated Counoise and Carignan. It's that extra bit of passion for the racy red blends from Vallée Rhône which sets Bondar apart as a deeply transcendental journey into the sublime majesty of abstruse bucolic blends. It's all old vines fruit, picked row on row by hand, gently treated to a press, natural ferments and fill to seasoned French oak. There’s a life to the palate, a tension and nerve, which elevates the medley to a weightier mouthfeel and more intricate place.

Take a lesson from the well versed Rosé rectors on the Cotes du Rhône and you'll be adding a measure of the arcadian Cinsault grape into your Grenache ferments, conceiving an animate and engaging ochre pink wine. There's a real affinity between the balmy maritime climes of McLaren Vale and the swarthy, effusive varietals that hail from the French south. Portentous, pale and dry, it's a topical mix that's raising eyebrows amongst the cognoscenti around the Vale, best Rosé Trophy at the McLaren Vale Wine show, fewer than a couple hundred dozen are made.

From parcels of Garnacha Tintorera and Monastrell, harvested off vines planted to the lean, sandy soils of Almansa. It is here that the parched vines must forage for their nourishment, a struggle for survival which concentrates flavour in the grapes, producing intense fruit esters and achieving the most wonderful complexity. The remarkably generous wines of Almansa are renowned for their mouth coating textural richness and opaque fruit characters, introduce Atalaya to a meal of pork loin padella, succulent saffron chicken or prawn and pimientos paella.

Denominación de Origen Alamansa is at the east of the Iberian peninsula, between La Mancha highlands and the Mediterranean coast. It was bitterly fought over by the Christians and Moors but it is nowadays best known for good red wine. Grenacha is the grape of choice, often vinified alongside an inclusion of Monastrell, it produces a thick succulent wine renowned for its glass coating richness, evocative perfume and silken textures. Intenational industry doyen Robert Parker describes La Atalaya as an amazing value in unrestrained hedonism.

The very limited range of Atalaya are all consistent in their structure and intensity, vintages of the most remarkable concentration, boundless in their generosity yet seamless, they speak volumes about the frugal soils whence they originate. Alaya Tierra is the estate flagship, a powerful, opaque wine, pure Grenache at its old vine, old world finest, crafted from the reduced little berries of fifty year old plantings, tiny yields of precious fruit, picked off the most superior blocks on the thirsty, sun drenched climes of Almansa in Castile La Mancha.

A mix of Temparanillo, Grenache and Mazuelo, from Rioja D.O.C. along Ebro River. Bodegas Age was established in 1881 from the legacy of three ancient family cellars with a long tradition of winemaking. Their distinguished origins are there to be seen in the ancient wineworks of Don Felix de Azpilicueta and in the bodega's paradise, where bottles of the earliest wines are still cellared. The estate remains family owned and operated, the traditional winemaking has ensured Siglo endures as an international ambassador of Bodegas Age.

Bleasdale was established in 1850, classified by the National Trust and listed on the State National Heritage Registers. Fully conversant with the soils, the microclimates and the cycle of flooding which nourishes the unique terroir of the estate's vineyards, fifth generation winemaker Michael Potts cultivates the old Grenache and Verdelho vines destined for inclusion into the Wise Old Tawny. A smooth rich Port wine full of rancio and nutty flavours obtained through a slow maturation over many years under small oak casks. It's all about the history and moreish Tawny rancio richness.