red grape · regional staple
Mourvèdre
Murviedro (Sagunto), Valencia, Spain
Say it
moor·veh·druh
French terminal -re is a barely voiced /ʁ/; American English renders it as a schwa; stress falls firmly on the second syllable
On the palate
Body
full
Acidity
medium
Tannin
high
Aromatics
pronounced
blackberryblack plumblack olivegamevioletblack pepper
How you spot it blind: meaty, gamey undercurrent beneath dark fruit and black olive
The story
First written down · 15th century, Spain
DNA profiling confirmed Mourvèdre has no known parent varieties and no genetic relationship to Balzac blanc, overturning earlier synonym-based assumptions (Robinson, Harding, Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes, 2012).
Where it lives
Jumilla DO, Spain · Yecla DO, Spain · Bandol, Provence, France · Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France · Barossa Valley, Australia
Shows up as
still redroséfortifiedBandolJumilla
If you like this, try
Also answers to Monastrell, Mataro.
Shop our Mourvèdre bottles