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Cinsault :
Cinsault is a red grape variety yielding black juice that is grown in the Rhône Valley and Languedoc-Roussillon. Considered a 'small' variety, it has a reasonable keeping quality and imparts freshness and a fruity note to young wines.
The variety is of Spanish origin and has been grown in Provence for a considerable length of time. Mourvèdre produces a wine with a high alcohol content, a strong colour, rich in tannins, initially bold on the palate and very robust, and should be allowed to mature for several years. It should be combined with other varieties like Grenache Noir and Syrah. Greek navigators from the town of Chiraz (in what is now Iran) are alleged to have introduced this variety to the West. Another version of the story is that the grape came from the historical French province of the Dauphiné and spread to the Rhône Valley. Syrah extends towards the Ardèche, the Drôme, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, Corbières and even as far as Gaillac. 
Originally a Spanish variety, in favourable conditions (dry, stony soil) Grenache will produce a full-bodied and heady wine with a very high alcohol content and a beautiful reddish-bronze colour. Wine made from pure Grenache ages quickly; its colour oxydises and it acquires notes of Rancio. In order to obtain a wine that keeps well, it must be combined with other varieties.
