Edition 2022

The Navarrese town of Olite will host the 10th edition of the prestigious competition, to be held from 4 to 6 May 2022. For three days, a hundred national and international wine professionals will taste some 1,000 Grenache wines to select the best.

Les Grenaches du Monde fêteront leur 10º anniversaire en Navarre!

The Navarrese appellation has been chosen to host the 10th edition of the Grenaches du Monde competition, an international contest dedicated to this grape variety and its preferred terroirs. Around a hundred national and international wine professionals (importers, distributors, journalists, and sommeliers, among others) will meet in the Navarrese town of Olite from 4 to 6 May to taste some 1,000 Grenache wines and select the best ones.

The choice of Olite as the venue for the competition reaffirms the Navarre appellation's commitment to the Grenache grape, the region's emblematic variety, which produces excellent red, rosé, and white wines.

A MULTITUDE OF CLIMATES AND LANDSCAPES

One of the main characteristics that define the DOP Navarra is the great diversity of landscapes and climates in the more than 100 kilometres that separate the north of the region, located near Pamplona, from the south, on the banks of the Ebro river.

Navarre enjoys an exceptional situation, practically unique in the Iberian Peninsula: the confluence of Atlantic, continental and Mediterranean climates. The proximity of the Bay of Biscay, the influence of the Pyrenees and the favourable conditions of the Ebro valley allow for this climatic diversity.

This is a circumstance that profoundly characterises the landscape of Navarre, where the more than 10,200 hectares of the Denomination of Origin are located in a multitude of ecosystems and growing conditions (hillsides, riverbanks, plateaus, plains) which define 5 different production areas: Baja Montaña, Valdizarbe, Tierra Estella, Ribera Alta and Ribera Baja.

"For the competition and its founder, the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon, it is with pride that we see the great family of Grenaches du Monde grow with Navarre as a partner. In Olite we have found a perfect associate who shares our "grenachist" values: generosity, conviviality, and friendship. We have no doubt that the quality of this future edition will be very promising" explains Fabrice Rieu, President of the contest. "We are very pleased to have been selected to organise this prestigious international competition. This recognition encourages the wineries and winegrowers of Navarre to continue the effort and work they have done to place Navarre on the world map of Grenache, as there are studies that affirm that this variety is native to Navarre", says Javier Santafé, Director General of the D.O. Navarra Regulatory Council.

A HISTORICALLY "GRENACHE" REGION

In Navarre, Grenache has traditionally been well represented (at the end of the 1970s it represented almost 90% of the vineyard), but it has gradually lost ground due to the introduction of international varieties. Today, it is still very present, accounting for more than 25% of Navarre's vineyards, with around 2,600 hectares, and is the second most important variety in terms of planted area. Although it is cultivated in all regions, its presence is more important in the Baja Montaña and Ribera Baja.

This variety produces wines with a high alcohol content, good acidity, medium body and aromas. In Navarre, it is used to make rosé wines, where the saignée technique combined with the freshness and aromas of the grape have produced remarkable results. But it is also used to make high quality red wines. For years, Grenache has had an unfair reputation as an oxidative grape producing wines that quickly decline. Fortunately, its potential for producing long-keeping red wines has now been established and the quality of its wines recognised.

Les Grenaches du Monde fêteront leur 10º anniversaire en Navarre!

Competition location