A Pays d'Oc Grenache with Iberian Peninsula-Style Squid #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles are looking at French Grenache with Deanna of Wineivore leading the charge.

The French Grenache Line-Up

• Wendy is having Roasted Lobster Tails with Curry Dipping Sauce paired with a French Granache Rosé at A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Camilla is tasting A Pays d'Oc Grenache with Iberian Peninsula-Style Squid at Culinary Cam (you're here).

• Terri is pairing a 2019 Milhas Grenache with Campfire Beef Stew at Our Good Life.

• Gwendolyn is celebrating with Let’s Go Grenache! Dave Phinney’s D66 from Cotes Catalanes France with Lamb Chops at Wine Predator

• Jeff is writing about Domaine Lafage: Sustainable Grenache from the Roussillon at Food Wine Click!

• Deanna is drinking Organic Terra des Dames Wines for Grenache Day at Wineivore

2015 Domaine de la Pertuisane Têtu Grenache

For today's event, I decided to share a red wine from Pays d'Oc, Vin de Pays, France. I did pour a few Grenache Rosés. And they are the perfect summer wine. But a red wine was more fitting of my pairing. So, here we are. Besides, I liked the label. The Catalan donkey, or Ruc Catalá, is the symbol of Catalonia and reminds "us of the old vine Grenache vineyards, stubbornly persevering in the rockiest of soils."

The village of Maury is situated a stone’s throw from the Spanish border. Richard and Sarah Case and Kimberly Jones worked alongside local growers to curate a wine displaying the complexities of the local terroir with both finesse and old-vine concentration.

The wine pours a regal aubergine color. On the nose, I jotted down ripe red fruits such as raspberries and currants. On the palate, those red fruits are bright with silky tannins. It was light enough to serve with seafood, but complex enough to match garlic and red chile flakes of the dish.

Iberian Peninsula-Style Squid

I shared this recipe previously: Calamari à la Plancha + Patatas Bravas.

That's a wrap on my French Grenache offering for #Winophiles. The combined wine writers' group will return in October to focus on wines from Oregon. I can't wait to revisit some of my favorite wineries. Stay tuned!