🍇 Mourvèdre

Mourvèdre is a red wine grape that comes from Spain, where it is called Monastrell. The VIVC grape catalogue lists 131 synonyms for it, among them Mataro and Garrut, and notes that it is good both for wine and for the table.

In Spain it is one of the main red varieties. According to the OIV, in 2015 Monastrell covered 43 thousand ha there, or 4.4% of the vineyards, and was the country's sixth variety. The area is shrinking: according to VIVC, in 2008 Spain still had 63,244 ha of it.

In France the variety spread later. According to VIVC, there were only 617 ha there in 1958, and already 9,363 ha by 2009. The best-known French wine from Mourvèdre is Bandol, on the coast of Provence. Under the rules of this appellation, the red wine has to contain 50 to 95% Mourvèdre, and the rosé 20 to 95%. The other main grapes of Bandol are Grenache and Cinsault.

Red Bandol is aged for at least 18 months in barrels or in large wooden vats called foudres. The description of the appellation mentions that as early as 1827 Mourvèdre was called the variety that reigns in all the vineyards of Bandol.

Why it matters to you. Mourvèdre, Monastrell and Mataro on a label are the same grape, so wines with these names can be compared as wines from one variety. The word Bandol on a red wine means at least half Mourvèdre. If a grape name appears on an EU wine, the bottle holds at least 85% of it. Reds are served at 15–18 °C and stored lying down at 10–16 °C.