Garnacha Is Spain's Most Exciting Grape Right Now
There's a case to be made — and we're going to make it — that Garnacha is the most exciting grape in Spain right now. Not Tempranillo, which has anchored the country's fine wine identity for decades. Not Albariño, which has charmed the world with its coastal freshness. Garnacha. The grape that wasn't supposed to be this interesting.
For most of the twentieth century, Garnacha was Spain's workhorse. It was everywhere — blended into Rioja, pumped out of Aragón in high volumes, vinified into wines that were big, ripe, and forgettable. It was a grape defined by what it lacked: finesse, complexity, the kind of sense of place that makes a wine worth talking about. It was useful. It was not revered.
That story is now completely out of date.
The Revolution Happened in the Mountains
The turning point — and there really was one — came when a group of producers started looking at the Sierra de Gredos, a granite mountain range west of Madrid that had been largely overlooked by the fine wine world. What they found there were ancient, ungrafted Garnacha vines, some over a century old, grown at altitude on thin, poor soils. Vines that had survived because nobody had bothered to replace them. Vines that, it turned out, were capable of producing something remarkable.
The wines that came out of Gredos changed the conversation entirely. Elegant, mineral, translucent in color — closer in spirit to a great Burgundy than to anything anyone associated with Garnacha. Suddenly the critics were paying attention. Suddenly the grape had a story worth telling.
At Dashi, we carry some of the producers who made this happen. Comando G, the project of Dani Gómez and Fernando García, is perhaps the most celebrated name in Gredos — their wines, from Las Brujas de Rozas through to the Rozas 1er Cru, consistently earn some of the highest scores of any Spanish producer working today. Bernabeleva is another essential Gredos name, farming old vines at altitude and making wines of remarkable purity and tension — their Camino de Navaherreros and Arroyo del Tórtolas bottlings are wines that reward anyone paying attention to what this region is becoming. And from the Ordóñez portfolio, the Pegaso lineup offers two very different windows into what Gredos Garnacha can be. The Pegaso Arrebatacapas Cebreros '22 is a landmark bottle — old vine Garnacha from Cebreros, on granite, at altitude, with a 96-point score from the Wine Advocate and a presence in the glass that justifies every bit of the praise. But don't overlook the Pegaso Zeta — a wine at a fraction of the price that delivers beauty and complexity that genuinely punches above its weight. It's one of those bottles that makes you feel like you've found a secret, and it's exactly the kind of discovery that a great wine bar should be putting in front of people. These are wines that make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the grape.
But That's Only Part of the Story
What makes Garnacha genuinely fascinating right now isn't just Gredos. It's the fact that the grape is being reimagined across the entire country, and it looks and tastes completely different depending on where it's grown and how it's handled.
In Campo de Borja, Alto Moncayo makes Garnacha the way the region has always intended — powerful, layered, and built for time in the cellar. Their flagship bottling, made from old vines in volcanic soils, is a benchmark for what concentrated, serious Garnacha from Aragón can be. We carry their full range, from the entry-level Zismero all the way up to the flagship, and the progression across the lineup is a genuine education in the grape's range.
In Calatayud, Atteca and Breca are coaxing something wilder and spicier out of old Garnacha planted on slate and limestone at serious elevation. In Catalonia, Can Sumoi is blending Garnacha with indigenous varieties to make wines that feel playful and entirely modern. And Costador, working in the tradition of Priorat but with a natural wine sensibility, is pushing Garnacha into territory that feels genuinely avant-garde.
Then there's the white side of the grape. Garnacha Blanca — white Garnacha — is one of the most undersung whites in Spain, capable of real richness and texture. We carry both Herencia Altes Garnatxa Blanca and the Generaciones Garnacha Blanco from Cardel, and they consistently surprise people who have never thought of Garnacha as a white wine at all. And the rosé expressions — from Breca and others — show yet another face of a grape that keeps revealing new dimensions.
Why This Matters
What we're witnessing with Garnacha is something that doesn't happen very often in wine: a grape being genuinely rediscovered and redefined in real time. The old assumptions — that it was too rustic, too alcoholic, too one-dimensional for serious consideration — have been dismantled not by marketing, but by the wines themselves.
The range of what Garnacha can do right now is astonishing. A $10 glass of Frontonio Microcosmico, a 93-point wine made in the Aragón foothills, offers more character and freshness than wines at twice the price. A bottle of Comando G or Pegaso Arrebatacapas sits comfortably alongside the finest wines of any country. The white, the rosé, the old-vine red — they share a name and almost nothing else, which is exactly what makes the grape so compelling to explore right now.
We have one of the deepest Garnacha selections in Charleston, and we're proud of it. Come in and let us walk you through what this grape is capable of. We think you'll leave a convert.
Interested in exploring Garnacha in depth? Ask us about our upcoming Garnacha tasting event, where we'll be pouring across the full spectrum — from approachable everyday bottles to some of the most exciting old-vine wines coming out of Spain today.
What Makes a Great Rioja? A Guide from Charleston's Spanish Wine Bar
By Oscar, Dashi Wine Bar & Emporium | North Charleston, SC
If you've ever stood in a wine shop staring at a Rioja label and thought "I know I like this, but I couldn't tell you why" — this one's for you.
Rioja is Spain's most celebrated wine region, and for good reason. It produces some of the most complex, age-worthy, and genuinely delicious red wines on the planet. At Dashi, we pour Rioja by the glass every week, and it's one of the regions we get asked about most. So let's break it down.
What Is Rioja Wine?
Rioja is a wine region in northern Spain, nestled along the Ebro River in the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria mountains. The name refers to both the region and the wines made there — and it's one of Spain's few wines to hold DOCa status (Denominación de Origen Calificada), the country's highest wine classification.
The dominant grape is Tempranillo — a thick-skinned, medium-bodied red that delivers dark cherry, leather, tobacco, and earthy notes. It's often blended with Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo for added depth and complexity.
The Classification System (This Is the Key)
Here's where Rioja gets really interesting. The wines are classified by how long they've been aged, not just where they come from:
Joven — Young wine, minimal aging. Fresh, fruit-forward, easy-drinking.
Crianza — Aged at least 2 years (1 in oak). More structure, starts to show complexity.
Reserva — Aged at least 3 years (1 in oak). Elegant, layered, excellent value.
Gran Reserva — Aged at least 5 years (2 in oak). The pinnacle. Rich, complex, built to last.
At Dashi, we love pouring Reserva wines by the glass — they hit the sweet spot of complexity and approachability, and they're often incredible value for what you're getting in the glass.
What Does Rioja Actually Taste Like?
A well-made Rioja Reserva typically shows:
🍒 Dark cherry and dried plum on the nose
🌿 Leather, tobacco, and dried herbs from bottle age
🍦 Vanilla and coconut from American oak aging
Silky tannins and a long, warming finish
It's a wine that rewards patience — both in the cellar and in the glass. Give it 20 minutes to open up and it'll reveal layers you didn't expect.
Why We Love Rioja at Dashi
We currently pour Rioja on our Spanish Red Wine Flight alongside Ribera del Duero, Bierzo, and Priorat — and it's consistently one of the wines that surprises people most. Guests who think they "don't like red wine" often fall in love with a well-aged Rioja Reserva because of its smoothness and complexity.
One bottle we can't stop talking about right now: our Remelluri Rioja Reserva 2018 — decadent vanilla nose, silky structure, and incredible value. Come try it before it's gone.
Come Explore Rioja at Dashi
We're Charleston's Spanish wine bar, and Rioja is one of our specialties. Whether you want to try a flight, pick up a bottle for home, or just ask questions over a glass — we're here for it.
📍 Dashi Wine Bar & Emporium | North Charleston, SC 🕐 Wed–Fri 4–10pm | Sat 1–10pm | Sun 1–9pm
Join our Wine Club and get 2 bottles a month, tastings, and member discounts — starting at $40/month.