Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi Las Uvas de la Ira Garnacha 2018

Méntrida is a wine region in the north-eastern corner of the Toledo province, in Castilla-La Mancha, central Spain. Garnacha is the most favored grape variety here, accounting for almost 80 percent of total production. At its best, it can produce robust, tannic and ageworthy red wines. It is also used for rosé wines (rosado), known for their fruity and refreshing characters.

In Spain, Garnacha is the second most-planted red-wine grape variety, surpassed only by its modern blending partner Tempranillo. It is grown in almost every area of Spain, but most notably in the north and east – it is the key constituent in the prestigious wines of Priorat.

The arrival of the grapevine pest phylloxera to the Iberian Peninsula in the 19th Century brought unexpected benefits to Garnacha. The native vines were devastated (Rioja was particularly badly affected) it was robust Garnacha that replenished the vineyards and helped to re-energize the wine industry.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Grenache's status was reduced, but it survived efforts to eradicate it, returning to international favor in the 21st Century.