For the Love of Grenache

How a Barossa icon keeps evolving in our hands—one pick, one clone, one parcel at a time.

By Susan Papps

Photo: Kevin Schild Vineyard Vine Vale Barossa Valley

At Yelland & Papps, our relationship with Grenache is anything but fleeting. It’s a slow-burn love affair, seasoned, thoughtful, and always evolving. Grenache speaks to both the history and the future of the Barossa, and we’ve devoted years to understanding its many faces: from sun-drenched old vines to expressive younger plantings, from single-clone bottlings to site-blended texture and spice.
This variety lets us explore the delicate tension between power and restraint, elegance and generosity, and that’s exactly what we love about it.

Single Vineyards, Multiple Personalities
We work with dominant single-vineyard Grenache parcels that offer both strength of character and diversity in expression. From the Old Block on the Schild family vineyard, an anchor for some of our oldest Grenache, to the Modra family’s 1935 planting, the fruit we source carries with it stories of resilience, tradition, and careful stewardship.
To the newly planted bush vines on our Estate, this will represent three different expressions of Grenache.
These are not just vineyards; they’re part of our extended family. Their soil, aspect, and clone selection shape the way we make every pick and guide how we build each cuvée.

Modern Traditional, Classic Contemporary
Grenache gives us the freedom to sit between worlds. We embrace natural ferments, whole berry and whole bunch fermentations, basket pressing, and maturation in new and seasoned oak. It’s a “hands-off but eyes-on” approach: minimal intervention, with a lot of intention.
Many of our Grenache wines are picked in multiple passes across the vineyard, preserving natural acidity and showcasing different phenolic moments. The goal is always the same, build complexity through timing and texture, not through oak or manipulation.
We’ve coined our style “modern traditional” or even “classic contemporary”—a bit of an oxymoron, but one that suits our evolving relationship with this grape.

Not Just GSM—Grenache Goes It Alone
While Grenache blends with Shiraz and Mourvèdre have a proud tradition in the Barossa, we’re often inspired to work outside that frame. Some of our most exciting cuvées are Grenache blends without Shiraz, highlighting Mourvèdre, Cinsault or Carignan and Counoise instead. These add savoury depth, lifted spice, and structural intrigue, without overshadowing Grenache’s natural brightness.
Sometimes, less is more. And sometimes Grenache deserves the solo stage.

Water, Roots, and Respect
We manage our vineyards with purpose and care. Water usage is measured and strategic—some vines are dry grown, others supported with sustainable irrigation during key growth periods. Whether it’s old vine or newly established block, our approach is the same: let the vine speak, guide the vineyard, and trust the site.

Food Pairing Suggestions: Let Grenache Set the Table
Grenache’s versatility makes it one of the most food-friendly red varieties around. Whether light and perfumed or rich and structured, it has a generosity of fruit and spice that pairs beautifully with a wide range of dishes. Here’s how we love to enjoy it:
Vin de Soif & Young Grenache Styles

  • Chargrilled octopus with lemon and smoked paprika

  • Roasted beetroot and goat cheese salad

  • Wood-fired pizza with prosciutto, olives, and basil

  • Moroccan lamb skewers with mint yoghurt

Single Vineyard Grenache

  • Duck breast with cherry glaze

  • Porcini mushroom risotto

  • Grilled eggplant with harissa and tahini

  • Pork shoulder slow-roasted with fennel and garlic

Limited Cuvée or Age-Worthy Expressions

  • Braised beef cheeks in Grenache jus

  • Slow-cooked lamb shanks with rosemary and tomato

  • Hard cheeses like Comté or aged Manchego

  • Cassoulet with smoked sausage and white beans

Tip: Slightly chill your young Grenache for warm days or decant your older cuvées to let them open up beautifully over a shared meal. These are wines made for connection.

Why Grenache?
Because it offers purity. Because it carries a sense of place.
Because it can be wild and delicate in the same glass.
Because it asks the winemaker to listen, not dictate.
For us, Grenache is the soul of the Barossa, and in many ways, the heart of Yelland & Papps. Whether you’re drinking it young or cellaring it for later, we hope it brings as much joy to your table as it does to ours.