Archive for September, 2010

Photo courtesy, Brewer's Association/Jason E. Kaplan

Let me rephrase that… reflections on the beer fest. Last week was the 29th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, America’s biggest beer festival and Guiness record holder for the most beers tapped in one location as well as the largest selection of American beers gathered together on the globe. With close to 50,000 attendees over the course of four sessions in three days (Saturday afternoon is for Brewers’ Association members only), this is by no means a small production. Considering the amount of beers to try (over 2,200) and new experiences and information to be absorbed, all I can say is, good thing they give you a tasting book with the names of all the breweries and beers!

It’s a lot to take in, but after a week the haze begins to clear and coherent reflections can be assembled. Here are some of the highlights and epiphanies I experienced that I can’t wait to examine further:

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Photo @ Christophe Grilhé

Nearly every grape seems to have its own advocacy group these days: ZAP for Zinfandel, PS I Love You for Petite Sirah, TAPAS for Tempranillo. And why not? Every berry deserves a little love.

Grenache still doesn’t have a group of its own, but at least it has a day. This Friday, September 24, 2010 is International Grenache Day, an initiative born of the First International Grenache Symposium, which was held this past June in France’s Rhône Valley.

There are numerous local wine events being planned around the world focusing on Grenache, like the Hospice du Rhône-Paso Bowl event if you happen to be in Paso Robles. Retailers and restaurateurs elsewhere are also participating–just search the Web and you’re bound to find something. Better still is this Google Maps link I just got in from the Symposium.

If nothing else, plan to open a bottle of Grenache and post about it somewhere–on a blog, Facebook, Twitter–using the official #Grenache hash tag. Give this unsung grape a little love.