Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache is here for a good time

The Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache is a beautiful wine offering bright fruit flavours followed by a complex savoury finish. It is a great food wine for summer offering a balance between light and heavy and goes perfectly with BBQ or pasta. If you are after a great red wine for summer, this could be your match! 

This week I wanted to share a delicious Grenache we had the other week. It came in a Vinomofo Black Market case that I ordered late last year. It was one of the many wines I ended up hoarding from the box because I was so excited to drink it. But I decided on this particular Friday night that the time was right to crack it open, and I’m very glad that I did!

We’ve been having a bit of a Grenache moment in our house – probably because it’s been so hot in Brisbane. Grenache is a great red wine to enjoy in the warmer months because it is so light and fruity generally. But it can also make a great food wine, and this one definitely ticked both of these boxes!

The Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache is no joke

Mitolo was one of the wineries we visited when we went to McLaren Vale last year. If you’re in the area it is definitely worth a look. Their wines are fantastic and this one was no exception! Because of this, I didn’t want to open this wine straight away, because the winery held a special place in my heart. But luckily we have a few other bottles we picked up when we were there, so I could really crack this open guilt-free!

McLaren Vale is known for its Grenache and with wines like this, you can see why! Each winery offers a different style and taste, each more unique than the next. The grapes for the Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache were grown in the southern end of McLaren Vale near the coastal town of Port Willunga. The fruit was crushed straight away allowing the skin and juice to warm naturally prior to fermentation. The ferment was held cool to maintain the wines fruit characteristics and then pressed before being placed in oak barrels.

Why I loved it

The Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache is bright red in the glass, something you’d normally see in a Grenache. However, it had an intensity that made it far more medium-bodied than some other Grenache that I’ve tried. It was packed full of flavour, aromatic on the nose and really quite complex overall.

Flavour-wise you’ll find a lot of red berries, which is quite typical for a Grenache. There was also a hint of cinnamon which I loved. The wine itself was quite bright upfront with raspberry and cherry. There wasn’t much in the way of tannins which meant it went down smooth, but it also had enough that there was a length to the wine that ended in a savoury flavour. This complexity made it the perfect food wine!

So who will enjoy this wine? Well if you like a lighter style red but still want a bit of a flavour punch, this wine is for you. It has the lightness of a Grenache, but is complex and lengthy in its flavour, offering more long after you’ve taken a sip.

What to enjoy it with

The Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache is a great food wine and will go with plenty of dishes because of it. The best pairing to me would be grilled meats. Fancy a BBQ? This wine would be perfect with lamb such as some chops with a salad. You could also pair it beautifully with a slow-cooked ragu and fresh pasta – especially one that’s tomato-based!

The final word on the Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache

The Mitolo 2016 Jester Grenache is a beautiful Grenache that helps to solidify why Grenache is such a versatile and interesting grape. It offers depth and complexity along with a balance of fruit and brightness. This wine is perfect for summer meals. It’s light enough to enjoy in hot weather, but still offers enough depth and savoury notes to pair beautifully with food. You can’t go wrong with this one!

I got this in a mixed Black Market case from Vinomofo – check out more here and get $25 credit when you sign up!