European Garnacha/Grenache-based dry whites and rosés encompass light, tangy styles with fresh flavors of apple, peach, lemon and quince, and plump, rich, round styles with currant, melon, honey and citrus oil elements. Grenache rosés feature delicate berry and watermelon flavors and herbal notes like rhubarb.

To dine like a local, try the lighter styles of white and rosé with anchovies, salted or soaked in brine or oil and served with potatoes, grilled peppers or white bean salad. Cooked or raw oysters and mussels are also summer staples. Or sub in a favorite dish of your own: Seafood paellas and risottos, tropical fruit salads, and Japanese delicacies like sashimi and tempura are a solid bet. More full-bodied styles of blanc and rosé can greet the region’s winter fish dishes: bourride fish stew, a cousin to bouillabaisse, and creamy brandade with aioli, potatoes and cod. Closer to home, you might try barbecued pork, artichokes and other sautéed vegetables, and even tofu preparations.

 Red Grenache can be svelte or robust in style as well. For light- and medium-bodied versions, look for the delightfully affordable yet seriously terroir-driven wines of the PDOs and PGIs of Roussillon, which can be bright and minerally or fresh and fruity, with strawberry, raspberry and cherry accents. Full-bodied, concentrated reds, with layers of blackberry, black currant and allspice flavors, are the pride of winemakers.

 Finally, the dessert VDNs crafted from European Grenache will end any meal on a high note. These singular wines can be red, white, rosé or tawny, spanning from dense, unctuous younger versions to nutty, spicy wines bottled after lengthy oxidative aging. Whether sweet and jammy or refined with coffee, toffee and cocoa flavors, these are delightful digestifs on their own. The Catalan French might drink them with rustic, savory cow and goat cheeses or hedonistic crème Catalane, a fragrant, country spin on crème brûlée. But your own guilty pleasure, be it dark chocolate, caramel or candied tropical fruit, will go hand in hand with a VDN as well.

Now get to the kitchen, pour a glass of European Garnacha/Grenache, and get started!