Graciano wine variety in Australia 

Graciano is an aromatic red wine grape variety that is prized for the rich colour and flavour it gives to blended wines. In Australia it is being used increasing to produce varietal wines.

Graciano quote by Jancis Robinson

Graciano in Spain

Graciano is used mostly in blends with Tempranillo in its native Spain. It is prized for the spiciness, acidity and tannin that it gives as the minor component in red wine blends.

A naming mess: The original variety is Spanish and is named Graciano in its homeland in the Northern Spanish Ebro Valley and Navarra. It is grown in the Jerez region of southern Spain under the name Tintilla de Rota.

Graciano is used in France under the name Morrastel. But the Spanish use the variety called Mourvedre (or Mataro in Australia) under the name Morrastel.

To add to the confusion the Portuguese variety Tinta Miuda is now known to be the same variety.

Not to be outdone the Californians grow Graciano under the name Xeres.

Problems in the vineyard such as Downy Mildew restrict its popularity in some regions. For this reason  Grenache (Garnacha in Spain) is often the preferred blending partner for Tempranillo.

Artwine Graciano from the Clare Valley

Iberian varieties used in Australia

These varieties, now used in Australia, all originated in Spain or Portugal

Albarino | Arinto | Cabernet Franc | Graciano | Grenache | Grenache gris | Mataro/Mourvedre | Mencia | Palomino | Pedro Ximenez | Prieto Picudo | Souzao | Tempranillo | Tinto Cao | Tinta Negra Molle | Touriga | Trincadeira | Verdejo | Verdelho

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You can learn about the regions of Spain and Portugal with this digital map

Learn about Iberian wine regions with this map

Click for details

Graciano in Australia

Image from Dan Traucki Wine Assist

The variety has a small but growing number of adherents in Australia where it is used in blends with Tempranillo or as a varietal.

I have been impressed with a few Tempranillo/Graciano blends. Straight Graciano wines tend to be big, soft and aromatic, sometimes a little too aromatic, but when done well they are very impressive, rich wines.

Brown Brothers in the King Valley have had Graciano planted for many decades, and over recent years other growers and winemakers have become interested in the variety. The list below indicates that the variety is being tried in all mainland states but has yet to become very popular anywhere.

Please let me know if there are any errors or omissions in this list.

• 919 Wines Riverland
• Alejandro Riverland
• Allegiance Tumbarumba
• Almondcart Adelaide Hills
• Amato Vino Margaret River
• Artwine Adelaide Hills
• Atze's Corner Wines Barossa Valley
• Bakkheia Geographe
• Bassham Wines Riverland
• Battle of Bosworth Wines McLaren Vale
• Beechworth Wine Estates Beechworth
• Black and Ginger Grampians
• Bremerton Langhorne Creek
• Brown Brothers King Valley
• Browns of Padthaway Padthaway
• Campbells Wines Rutherglen
• Chalk Hill Winery McLaren Vale
• Chambers Rosewood Rutherglen
• Ciavarella King Valley
• Delatite Winery Upper Goulburn
• Dewey Station Barossa Valley
• Dogrock Winery Pyrenees
• Domaine De Binet Hunter Valley
• Dowie Doole McLaren Vale
• Epsilon Barossa Valley
• Gibson Barossa Valley
• Gormesal Barossa Valley
• Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy McLaren Vale
• Happs Margaret River
• Head in the Clouds McLaren Vale
• Hemera Estate Barossa Valley
• Henschke Eden Valley
• In Praise of Shadows McLaren Vale
• Koomilya McLaren Vale
• Landaire Padthaway
• Lion Mill Vineyards Perth Hills
• Living Roots Adelaide Hills
• Lobethal Road Wines Adelaide Hills
• Margan Family Hunter Valley
• Massena Wines Barossa Valley
• Maximus Wines McLaren Vale
• Mazza Geographe
• Monkey Business Adelaide Hills
• Moppity Vineyards (and Cato) Hilltops
• Mount Majura Canberra
• Oak Works Riverland
• Otellia Coonawarra
• Paulmara Estate Barossa Valley
• Paxton McLaren Vale
• Pengally Lane Wines Bendigo
• Pertaringa McLaren Vale
• Pete's Pure Murray Darling
• Red Edge Heathcote
• Redheads Barossa Valley
• Ridgemill Estate Granite Belt
• Rosenvale Barossa Valley
• Rowsley Fault Vineyards Geelong
• Rudderless Wines McLaren Vale
• Salena Estate Riverland
• Samuels Gorge McLaren Vale
• Savina Lane Granite Belt
• Smallfry Wines Barossa Valley
• Soul Growers Barossa Valley
• Steels Gate Yarra Valley
• Surveyor's Hill Winery Canberra
• Symphony Hill Wines Granite Belt
• Talijancich Swan Valley
• Tempus Two Hunter Valley
• Thorn-Clarke Wines Barossa Valley
• Tscharke Barossa Valley
• Ulithorne McLaren Vale
• Vinifera Wines Mudgee
• Wines By Farquhar Barossa Valley
• Woods Crampton Barossa Valley
• Woody Nook Margaret River
• Xanadu Margaret River
• Yangarra Estate McLaren Vale

Graciano and Food

With blends of Graciano and Tempranillo you should probably aim to match your food just as you would with Tempranillo.

However if you have a varietal Graciano it may be worth thinking about what foods will go with the stronger aromatic flavours of varietal Graciano wine.

Rustic game dishes or strongly flavoured stews might be the go with varietal Graciano.

Try this easy Spanish recipe

Alubias con Chorizo - bean and sausage hotpot

Slice two hot chorizo sausages into 1 cm rounds.

Saute for a couple of minutes in olive oil with some crushed garlic and a chopped onion.

Add to a pot with 1.5 litres of water and 500g of white beans and a bay leaf which you have soaked overnight (or you can cheat with canned beans).

Simmer for 1.5 hours. Adjust seasoning and perhaps add some paprika.

By Valdavia (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Serves 6 as a first course with crusty bread and a bottle or two of Graciano wine.

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