On September 14, 2023, a magnificent international reception was held in honor of the European Garnacha/Grenache grape. It was held at the exclusive and emblematic City Winery event venue in the heart of New York City, that was transformed into a vineyard where 200+ guest linked to the world of wine gathered to pay tribute to one of the most unique and booming variety in the USA: Garnacha/Grenache.

The event was attended by wine connoisseurs, professionals and opinion leaders, representatives of the trade, the hotel and catering industry, wine associations, producers of “European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines”, journalists, influencers, members of the jury and winners of the International Competitions Grenaches du Monde (organized in June).

The reception turned out to be a perfect tribute to those who work this trending variety, to the best wines made with this grape -rewarded with a prize-, but also to the Garnacha/Grenache variety itself, unique in the world, which celebrated its festival (Garnacha Day) the following day, September 15. The cherry on the cake was Mayor Eric Adams’ Proclamation declaring “International Garnacha Grenache Day 2023 in the City of New York”.

Then, in the main hall, the master of ceremonies, Christy Canterbury, and the presidents of the associations that are part of the Program, José Antonio Briz of the Asociación de Garnacha Origen, Stéphane Zanella of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon (CIVR) and the president of the “Grenaches du Monde” competition, Fabrice Rieu, welcomed the attendees.

The master of ceremonies presented the European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines program, as a very ambitious project co-financed with the European Commission whose objective is to improve the competitiveness of Garnacha/Grenache, so that it continues to grow worldwide. She also spoke about the two associations that promote this program both in Spain and France, and all their activities to promote this quality variety.

All this information was completed with the intervention of the two presidents of the Spanish and French associations -José Antonio Briz of the Asociación de Garnacha Origen and Stéphane Zanella of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon (CIVR) – with the projection of a video on the three years of the Garnacha/Grenache Program in the USA, a priority market for growth and where this variety is being very well received by the public due to its attractive price, its special characteristics and its guarantee of origin.

Around 7:00 p.m. in the evening, a grand tasting of wines that were awarded during the International Competition Grenaches du Monde was held. Through this great tasting, the attendees were able to taste ones of the best wines made from Garnacha/Grenache in the world. For memory, those wines had been tasted, evaluated and awarded by the jury of the competition which was composed by personalities and professionals from the American wine industry and press.

All in all, the evening in the heart of New York City became a magical, festive, and memorable gathering around the fascinating Grenache universe.