a message from tina jones

It is a function of human existence: we tend to take for granted, or even blur out, things that we see frequently or consistently. These elements impact us and they influence our behaviours, even if we are barely conscious of them. Think for a moment about Grenache. Think about artificial intelligence (AI).

This issue of The Cellar Door is devoted to peeling back the layers of what we take for granted. In our online shopping, we are now quite accustomed to seeing a tidy package of alternate “suggestions,” but most of us never think about how those suggestions have been generated. Mike Muirhead tackles this issue of AI in the wine world. Its impact for us as wine lovers is tremendous, and Mike starts what should be a good ongoing conversation!

We also consider a grape variety that is dominant in many great wines and everyday favourites, but one that we tend not to think about as important. Grenache does not have the cult status of Pinot Noir or the curb appeal of varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. But when we take a good look at this often-blended variety we wonder: why not? There is a lot to celebrate with Grenache.

We invite you to discover the breadth and depth of Grenache. The capabilities of this variety and its wine greats are the focus of our feature. We examined our store collection of Grenache and Grenache-based wines and found incredible options in a wide range of colours and styles. Abby Pelechaty’s fun quiz will help you find your perfect Grenache match! Jill Kwiatkoski takes it global to examine the differences—and growing similarities—between Old and New World wines, while RickiLee Podolecki teaches us how to ask for the wines we want. And we continue our tradition of exploring wines from the inside out: Gary Hewitt talks about developments in European back labels, and Sylvia Jansen scratches the surface of some front-label talk.

As always, we look forward to sharing our world of wine with you.

Tina Jones