Grenache – McLaren Vale's own grape

Charlie Whish and dog Juno with dry grown Grenache

As attentive readers will have discerned, all over the world there is an increasing head of steam behind Grenache nowadays. See, for example, Max Allen on Grenache in the Yarra – a warming trend?, Ferran on Garnacha – now the height of fashion and A new way ahead for Grenache. Not to mention last week's wine of the week chosen by Ferran. 

The relatively warm McLaren Vale to the immediate south of the Australian city of Adelaide is an obvious location for growing the warm-climate grape of the southern Rhône. There are currently 456 ha (1,127 acres) of...