Grenaches du Monde 2021: A traveling competition for the 9th edition!
Could grenache become a remedy for the anxiety of the time? In any case, this is the promise that the 9th edition of this itinerant competition wishes to keep, which despite the context offers us an original version by inviting us on a journey. Four international stages for four decentralised tastings in four major capitals of the Grenache. A true international event where Grenache is the centre of interest!
Based on the observation that it is currently easier to make wines travel than tasters, the management of Grenaches du Monde, an international competition dedicated to this grape variety and its preferred terroirs, has decided to split up the tasting of the wines entered in the competition into four sessions separated in time and space.
A clever process that respects the gestures of protection and the recommendations of social distancing and at the same time brings together four emblematic Grenache terroirs:
- Cebreros in the province of Ávila (Castilla y Léon) for Spain,
- Ascoli Piceno in Marches Region for Italy,
- Châteauneuf-du Pape and Roussillon for France.
“It's a way for us to reduce the anxiety of the time” explains Fabrice Rieu, President of the Competition. “We prefer to organise limited tastings to about twenty people over one morning to avoid any health hazards.”
Grenaches du Monde is an annual competition open to all wines mainly produced from Grenache, without restriction of colour, origin, or nationality. Entries are open until March 31. After this date, the wines will be classified, sorted, and organised in series. They will then be sent and tasted in 4 major Grenache capitals, namely: Perpignan on April 26, Châteauneuf-du-Pape on April 29, Cebreros in the province of Ávila in Castilla and Leon on May 3, and Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region of Italy on May 8. These dates may be modified according to the health agenda of each region.
Covering 192,455 hectares of vines, grenache ranks seventh among the most planted grape varieties in the world. Emblematic of Mediterranean countries, it ranks third in Europe with 178,628 hectares, or 93% of the world's surface area. France, Spain, and Italy are the top three producing countries, but grenache is very popular all over the world: North and South Africa, Australia, North and South America, Croatia, Greece, Lebanon, etc.
The Grenaches du Monde have an international vocation, and the ambition to make people discover the singularities and diversity of the grape variety. Each of the 4 stages of this 9th edition will present a wide range of wines from various origins: in short, a "great edition in miniature"! "We will make sure to present a coherent and diverse panel of Grenache production from different regions, European of course, but also from more distant places. Most of the judges will come from each country, including the best specialists in distribution, sommelier or wine communication", concludes Fabrice Rieu.
About the Grenaches du Monde: Created in 2013 by the Interprofessional Council of Roussillon Wines (CIVR) in Perpignan, the Grenaches du Monde competition becomes itinerant in 2016 with its first edition relocated to Aragon (Campo de Borja), then to Sardinia (2017) and Catalonia (Terra Alta, 2018). The Competition returns to Perpignan in 2019, and the following year it resumes its journey to Montpellier in partnership with Vins de Pays d'Oc, the world's leading producer of rosé grenache wines.
