Before their journey to Australia, the Penfold family secured a number of vine cuttings from the south of France, including grenache. Carefully nurtured during the long sea voyage, these cuttings formed the first vineyard at The Grange homestead in Magill, which the Penfold family planted in 1844.

Grenache played an equally important role in both Christopher Penfold’s medicinal tonic wines and Mary Penfold’s award winning blends. And as winemaking pushed further into the regions surrounding Adelaide, the varietal too began to find new homes.

Barossa Valley is one of Penfolds most important wine regions and remains the heartland of Australia’s finest grenache today. The varietal flourished during the region’s earliest viticultural days, aided by the warm and dry Mediterranean-style climate. Even through hot summers, grenache is known to retain good levels of natural acidity.

Grenache is a dynamic grape, that lends itself well to many unique styles and expressions.

We will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with this varietal – with each new vintage, comes new possibilities.

“With every trial and experiment, we have honed our understanding of grenache and its expression of place.” 

- Shavaughn Wells, Penfolds Red Winemaker