Grenache is one of the most widespread and historically important red wine varieties in the world. Its history goes back to ancient times, because it requires a hot and dry climate, it probably has its roots in the Mediterranean region, where the Romans began to cultivate it. It most likely comes from the region of Aragon in northern Spain, where it is known as Garnacha. From there, its cultivation spread to southern France and Sardinia, but it also thrives in the San Joaquin Valley in California and even as far away as Australia. So it is cultivated almost all over the world, blends or cuveés are made from it, the French even make the famous Châteaunef-du-Pape - a red wine of the highest quality. This variety is known for its distinct and characteristic taste and aroma. Whether you reach for French Grenache or Spanish Garnacha, you can look forward to a full-bodied red wine with higher alcohol content and a slight spiciness. Other characteristics of this variety are notes of red and dark fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and cherries, but even coffee or fine white pepper. With longer maturation, it develops even more delicate spicy notes. Wines made from this variety tend to lack acids, tannins and colorants, so this variety is usually used in a blend with other varieties where it usually forms the dominant component and gives a velvety and sensual mouthfeel. Wines based on the Grenache variety regularly win major awards. They are suitable for dark and grilled meats and venison.
International Grenache Day was announced by the Grenache Association in 2010 and falls on the third Friday of every September. It is meant to be a celebration of this grape and all the varieties and vintages of wine that have been, are and will be made from it.
So enjoy this day with a glass of good wine and maybe even a look at the oil painting from our collections, created by František Jiroudek (February 17, 1914 Lhota near Semily – June 15, 1991 Prague) in 1955 under the name Entrance to the vineyard. This Czech painter, graphic designer, stage designer and teacher moved to Prague after graduating in 1933 to study briefly at the School of Arts and Technology, then at the Technical University in Prague and finally graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts with prof. Willi Nowak (1935–1939). In 1939, he became a co-founder of a group called Seven in October, and from 1941 he was a member of the Mánes Association of Visual Artists. In the years 1961–1970 he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and in the years 1970–1985 also its rector. During the years 1982–1987, he was the chairman of the Association of Czechoslovak Visual Artists and the Association of Czech Visual Artists.
In the beginnings of his artistic work during the war, he devoted himself to scenic creation, designed sets and costumes for the theater in Ostrava, painted pictures from the theater environment and with subjects of theater tragedies reflecting the wartime. After the war, in the summer of 1946, he visited Paris for the first time, and the influence of Pierre Bonnard significantly influenced his work. He devoted himself to figural and monumental works, illustrations and, above all, to landscape painting, which he did not leave thematically until the end of his life. In 1954, he discovered the landscape in Mělník region, in the vicinity of Liběchov (Malý Liběchov) and became very fond of this wine region. And it was here that he probably also painted the already mentioned work from our collections a year later.
Jana Bojanovská, September 20, 2024
phone number: 567 217 133; 605 221 763
bojanovska@ogv.cz