10.3

Amount (in millions of U.S. dollars) that importer Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits spent to promote [yellow tail] wine during the Superbowl last weekend. Included: a 30-second TV ad featuring party animals and a giant marsupial named Roo. Aired in 80 markets, the spot reached 100 million people.

What is hairy grenache?

A. The name for a diseased grenache vine that develops a coating on the leaves, making it look like it’s covered in hair

B. A nickname for the feeling of tannin on the palate that comes after drinking grenache

C. A mutation of grenache that has leaves that appear to be covered in fur

D. An idiom in northeast Spain for a hangover that comes from drinking too much red wine

Hairy grenache, or garnacha peluda in Spain and lledoner pelut in the Languedoc Roussillon region of France, is a clone of grenache that has particularly hairy leaves. Like the furry fuzz found on rosemary and other Mediterranean plants, the “fur” evolved as a defense mechanism to protect the vine from heat and conserve moisture. The clone is native to the Spanish region of Catalonia. Wines made from hairy grenache often have a lower alcohol content, but the clone is customarily blended with regular (non-hairy) clones of grenache.

“I’m playing the best basketball of my life, and I’m drinking some wine pretty much every day.”

–LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, speaking to NBC Sports, California. On a recent trip to Napa Valley to taste wines, James practiced at the St. Helena High School gym.

10.3

Get WineSpeed