Moscato Rosa

            A member of the Muscat family that is a specialty of Trentino-Alto Adige. Some call it a color variant of Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, but it is listed as a separate variety in VIVC.

            It is usually vinified as a sweet wine, which Jancis Robinson notes has “assumed almost cult status.” Franz Haas, who produces this example, says that the low-yielding vines must be planted in a windy area to avoid botrytis. Very high sugar levels allow production of a dessert wine from grapes that are neither harvested late nor dried. Haas leaves the wine on the skins for only a few days to avoid astringency, then interrupts the fermentation by refrigeration and transfers the wine to stainless steel for six months before bottling.

            Production is limited, and the wine is quite expensive (I paid $49 for my half-bottle). But it certainly provides a wonderful experience for your money. The aroma of candied fruit is quite enticing, with very many sniffers reporting the scent of roses – to me a somewhat fanciful perception suggested by the name. The color, too -- a clear, deep cherry-red -- is quite attractive. And these sensory promises are more than fulfilled by the flavor itself. The winemaker’s promotional material describes “a fascinating interplay between acidity, sweetness and tannin,” and for once this is not just hype. There is a great deal of depth and complexity to the flavor. Cherry stood out to me, as well as some unidentifiable savory note, and others report tasting orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and, of course, roses. It’s a wine that can truly be called interesting.

            Food pairing: Haas recommends chocolate, others suggest blue cheese. I agree with those who consider it a “meditation wine” that is best appreciated without food.

Carricante

            A fairly acidic white grape grown on the slopes of Mt. Etna. The Etna Bianco DOC requires a minimum of 60 percent of this grape.

            This wine from Tenuta di Fessina is medium yellow in color and has a rather full body and, of course, marked acidity. The somewhat blunt flavor is citrusy in character with mineral overtones.

            Food pairing: A good partner for pasta with pesto, ripe cherry tomatoes and wilted arugula. Also matched up well with grilled salmon, and I imagine would do likewise with other flavorful fishes.

Molinara

            This pale red grape of the Veneto is usually encountered as part of a Valpolicello blend with Corvino Veronese and Rondinella.

            AziendaAgricola Ca'Rugate uses Molinara to produce this rosé spumante. It gets a couple of days of skin contact that imparts a salmon or coral color and is fermented in stainless steel. The following spring, the still wine is bottled with additional yeast for a second fermentation and ages for two years before the spent yeast is disgorged. The result is a foamy wine with a character that is more yeasty than grapy, and I think just about anyone tasting it with closed eyes would think it is a soft crémant-style wine from white grapes.

            Food pairing: Merchant Astor Wines says its “ripe black cherry” flavor complements grilled or smoked fish. We had it with grilled tuna and a sauce of roasted green peppers and garlic, but the expected red-fruit flavors were not prominent and it was a bit overpowered. With its festive bubbliness, it would be good with seafood or vegetable hors d’ouevres.

Courbu Petit

            A grape of the Madiran region of southwestern France whose name “little curved [one]” is thought to refer to the shape of the small berries or the vine itself. It is grown on both sides of the Pyrenees and supposedly is blended into the Txakoli wines of the Basque region, though on its own, dry or sweet, it produces wine nothing like those nervy whites.

            This bottle from well-known grower Alain Brumont is built for power and has a character as exotic as its AOC name, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. Fermented and raised in oak, it was still going strong four years after the vintage, no doubt partly because of its 14 percent ABV. Almost greasy in texture and deep yellow in color, it has a flavor profile to match: citrus in quantities to overcome the oak and a note that more than one taster has referred to as toast.

            Food pairing: Chicken is often recommended, so I made Martha Stewart’s chicken burritos with goat cheese, raw spinach and a cooked mixture of corn, onion and jalapeno. Didn’t faze this wine. Despite its inland origins, I’d have to think smoked salmon would pair well, particularly if served on toast.

Melon

            This grape is also known as Melon de Bourgogne, due to its origins in Burgundy. According to the Loire Valley Wine Bureau, it was eradicated there as early as the 16^th century as growers found success with other varieties (good move). The Dutch planted it as a distilling grape around the Atlantic trading port of Nantes, and it was one of the few varieties to survive the winter of 1708-9, the coldest in Europe in the past 500 years. It now produces the region’s signature wine, Muscadet, to the extent that the grape itself often goes by that name.

            This bottle from Sauvion, one of the area’s major producers, is typical. The wine’s predominant characteristic is brininess, befitting its seaside origins, and it is dry, somewhat high in acid and a bit prickly as well, adding to the overall impression of freshness. Keeping the wine on its lees (sur lie) over the winter, brings out more fruit, usually described as apple, pear and citrus.

            Food pairing: Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book recommends mussels, and that’s what we drank it with: mussels steamed over onions, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and parsley. Quite satisfactory. Another classic recommendation is oysters.

Fiano Aromatico

            A different grape from the well-known Fiano associated with the area near Avellino in Campania. This one comes from Puglia and apparently is going into Italy’s national variety catalog as Minutolo, as it’s identified on this bottle.

            The grape does bear some resemblance to the “other” Fiano in its Muscat-like character. My bottle from Cantine Polvanera was vinified in stainless steel and was good summer drinking: fresh but not sharp, stony (or maybe that was steely), yet very entertaining to the palate. One blogger’s initial impression was “an explosive mix of Meyer lemon, lime zest, vanilla bean, quince and apricot jam.” Wish my taste buds worked like that. But I do agree there’s pear and lime to be tasted within a restrained but quite floral flavor that explains the “aromatico” name.

            Food pairing: My retailer said the wine was “ideal for anything with pesto,” and we had on hand Lorrie’s homemade pesto and some fresh scallops. Very enjoyable, though next time I think I would try a grilled fish with herbs that would allow the wine to shine through a bit more.

Raboso Veronese

            A grape that hails from the area around Treviso north of Venice. Researchers at the University of Padova report that DNA analysis shows the grape to be the offspring of Raboso Piave, a powerfully tannic red grape, and Marzemina Bianca.

            Raboso Veronese is often used to produce red wine, but the well-known Prosecco producer Zardetto uses it to make this sparkling rosé. Probably its most remarkable characteristic is its color, often described as raspberry but to my eye more like salmon. On the palate, you might remark the carbonation before the faintly cherryish or strawberryish flavor. It’s medium dry at 16 g/l residual sugar, with plenty of acidity for balance.

            Food pairing: Whatever you’re passing around before the barbecue. It’s mainly a pretty, bubbly wine to create a festive atmosphere.

Kisi

            Kisi is a Georgian variety, and this version from the Vinoterra winery is made with an ancient technique: it's fermented with the seeds and stems in large clay amphora called “qvevri” and kept there for about five months with frequent stirrings, then matured for another year in oak.

            This method produces a very idiosyncratic dry wine that is deep gold in color and has a savory, nutty character, with hints of baked apple and apricots. Although the wine is clearly oxidized, this 2006 vintage did not taste as if it had gone bad; it’s just part of this wine’s unusual character. The vintner claims that wine made this way will keep for decades.

            K&L Wines suggests smoked white fish as a pairing, so we made a salad with smoked whitefish, arugula and pecans with a lemon-olive oil dressing, and it was indeed an excellent combination. Against this powerful combination of flavors, the wine, so assertive on its own, became a supportive partner. We even had a second glass of what I had feared would be a taste-it-and-dump-it wine experiment.

Lambrusco di Sorbara

            Another member of central Italy’s large and friendly Lambrusco family.

            Like other dry, fizzy Lambruscos, this non-vintage wine is intended as a simple pleasure. The retailer, Astor Wines describes it as “dry with firm acidity and aromas of fresh raspberries and violets,” adding that it will “evolve for years to come.”

            Unfortunately, this particular bottle had already over-evolved. Several seconds after I popped the (plastic) bouchon, foam heaved from the bottle. The wine had a sickly gray cast and tasted, Lorrie thought, “like an inner tube.”

            Wines from this grape that have not gone bad should pair well with pizza or salami.

Arbois Blanc

            A Loire Valley grape also known as Menu Pineau which has nothing in common with the Jura appellation except the name. Once widely planted in the Loir-et-Cher department, according to Wikipedia, it had declined to about 750 acres by 2004.

            It’s too bad more wine is not made from this grape. This bottle from Christian Venier at Madon was quite delicious, and distinctive enough that I might even be able to identify it at a blind tasting. It is quite soft (and is used in the Loire to smooth out sharp grapes such as Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc), and while the flavors are mild there are a lot of them competing for attention. Various tasters describe tropical fruits, celery root, lemon and orange. Given the softness, I had an impression of a Creamsicle in a glass, albeit dry.

            Astor Wines recommends that this 2009 vintage be drunk no sooner than 2013, when it will have completed its “complex evolution,” but I felt that this soft three-year-old white that had been shipped across the Atlantic was fully ready to drink.

Food pairing: We had it with grilled rockfish topped with a bit of pesto, and it was quite compatible. One taster recommended mushroom soup – might be interesting.

Siegfriedrebe

            Siegfriedrebe has origins worthy of a romance novel. One parent is Riesling Weiss, considered by some the noblest grape of all. The other is Oberlin Noir, the exotic, dark-skinned offspring of Gamay Noir and the American climbing grape Riparia Millardet. Their interspecific breeding took place in Germany in 1936 (strangely enough), in an obvious attempt to impart some of riparia’s cold-hardiness and disease resistance to a new grape with Riesling’s exalted flavor profile.

            As is generally the case, the breeder’s highest hopes were unrealized. But Reisling’s royal genes are certainly discernible, at least in this bottle from Peace Valley Winery, a Pennsylvania producer that has been experimenting with European-American hybrids since 1968. The wine may not be thrilling or profound, but your German visitors should enjoy its clean, simple, sweet-and-sour fruit flavor. Try a glass on your next visit to Bar Sinister.

Food pairing: An excellent accompaniment to Cindy Saiah’s homemade apple pie.

Marzemino

            “Versa il vino! Eccellente Marzemino!” I’m not about to become the only person to write about this grape variety without mentioning its appearance at the last supper of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” So that’s out of the way: on to a discussion of yet another northern Italian grape that is a credit to its region.

            Jancis Robinson describes it as being of “tantalizingly average quality,” and other writers note that it’s high-yielding, late-ripening and susceptible to fungal diseases –not qualities likely to produce great wine in northern climes. In fact, it’s often made into sparkling wines or sweet ones with names like “Baci Dolci” (“Sweet Kisses”).

But as a dry wine, like this one from Cantina Turina in Garda, (available in the U.S. from Turina Italian Wines), it’s entirely worthy of a place at the dinner table.  Like the Turina Groppello mentioned in the previous post, it’s flavorful in the cherry-berry end of the red fruit spectrum, well-balanced and elegantly light-bodied. I wouldn’t bet the house on being able to distinguish the two in a blind tasting, but the producer describes its Marzemino as having an “herbal and undergrowth” character, which I assume is meant as a compliment.

The producer recommends serving it with barbecued or stewed meat or game (one retailer suggests elk). I think it would usually show off better with something lighter. It was delicious with our grilled pork chops, and I believe it would, like the Groppello, go well with tomato sauces.

Groppello Gentile

            A fairly obscure northern Italian variety. Its name, like that of many Italian grapes, seems to be derived from the shape of the tight cluster, which is thought to resemble a “groppo,” a lump or tangle. There appear to be only a few hundred acres grown, mostly in the Brescia region of Lombardy near the western shore of Lake Garda.

This bottle is produced by Cantine Turina in Garda and imported by Turina Italian Wines, run by a Maine chemical importer who branched into wine when he discovered the products made by his distant relatives. You can read a lot more about Paul Turina and his business on Fringe Wine. 

This is another of northern Italy’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of delightful unknown grapes. It has been made into just the kind of wine I enjoy most, with a full and interestingly complex cherry-raspberry flavor that is concentrated in a light body and supported with bracing acidity.

Producers tend to recommend it with cheese and meat dishes, but I’d say Fringe Wine’s Rob Tebeau has it pegged with his call to match this wine with tomato sauce. The flavor profile and acidity are just right for what can be a difficult pairing. I also have a bottle of Turina’s reserve Groppello, and maybe I’ll go a little heavier with that one, like meat with tomato sauce.

Feteasca Neagra

            Feteasca Neagra (“Black Maiden”) is an old variety cultivated traditionally in the south of Moldavia province in eastern Romania, according to a 2007 paper by the University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest. Recognition of its potential for quality red wine has led to its spread throughout the country, and dozens of versions are now produced, most of them dry. Importation to the U.S. is becoming more frequent, as evidenced by the appearance of this wine from the Recas Winery at my local Total Wine superstore.

            According to the university’s paper, wine from this grape resembles that made from major international varieties – so much so that one prominent Romanian taster confessed that he identifies it by a process of elimination (“that is, after dismissing the possibility of a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir”). That was my impression. Its flavor was pleasant but undistinguished, a generic red-wine taste with average intensity, acidity and astringency, and no particular fruit flavor standing out above the others. Tasters often mention currants and plums.

            Food pairing: Disregarding the bottle’s inevitable recommendation of roasted red meat and anticipating a middleweight wine, we drank it with chicken chili, and it was serviceable. Some recommend lean, mild meats such as pork and veal.

Pignoletto

            The Pignoletto grape is known as “the king of the Colli Bolognese wine zone,” according to the excellent blog Fringe Wine, one of the most comprehensive sources of information about obscure grape varieties that I’ve found on the Web. But it’s little known and less consumed outside Emilia-Romagna, which is known in the U.S. mainly for Lambrusco and wine from international varieties such as Chardonnay, Merlot and the rest of the familiar crowd.

            One young producer, Alberto Tedeschi, is making a name for himself with his wines from two rented vineyards planted with this grape. His Spungola Bellaria, named after the two vineyards, is a quite distinctive wine. As he explains in this interview with importer Louis Dressner, Tedeschi produces it as an organic, natural wine because “I don't even know how to work with chemicals; I've never tried!”

            The thick-skinned grapes are pressed and the juice is left outside overnight. Fermentation begins in stainless steel, and then the juice is transferred to 500-liter old oak casks, where it stays on the lees for 12 months. This results in what’s known as “orange wine,” and it’s really quite flavorful for a white. The question is, is it a flavor that you will enjoy? For me, “interesting” comes closer than “enjoyable.” It has elements of sour orange, apple cider, vanilla and nuts. But the main takeaway is the oxidized character, and while this is intentional and natural – I’m sure that centuries ago a lot of white wines tasted like this – I can’t get past my prejudice that oxidized white wine is wine gone bad.

            Food pairing: We had it with salmon and pesto. The wine certainly stood up to it, but not particularly harmoniously. Tedeschi himself suggests bacalla, a stew made from salt cod, or else chicken, turkey, “something spicy” or less-fatty meats.

Carlos

            Carlos is a muscadine variety (V. rotundifolia) developed at the North Carolina Agricultural Extension station at Raleigh in 1970 by crossing varieties called Topsail and Tarheel. It has become the top “bronze” muscadine grape for juice and wine in the southeastern United States, according to the University of Florida.

            This product of Casa de Sue Winery in Clinton, La., has a deep yellow color and a powerful, pure muscadine flavor, which has been accurately described by one grower as "just like a grape but different."

            Food pairing: This dry wine’s assertive character stood up well to the strong flavors of a classic regional dish, shrimp creole spiced with black pepper, red pepper flakes, cayenne powder, hot paprika, allspice, a few shakes of Tabasco and worcestershire sauce – all in moderation, of course.

Abouriou

            Abouriou is a traditional, and reportedly disappearing, grape of the Marmandais, a region southeast of Bordeaux.

            This wine’s producer, Stephanie Roussel, is a practitioner of biodynamic agriculture, a style of organic farming that emphasizes the interrelationship of plants, animals and the soil and avoids chemical inputs to the greatest degree possible. Chateau Lassolle wines are often praised for their purity and genuine varietal character, and this bottling was produced without fining, filtering or added sulfur.

            It has a rustic, unpretentious character, but there’s plenty here to engage the palate. “Le rouge qui tache” is a phrase used to describe simple, strongly flavored reds, and one reviewer says this wine tastes like “it was grown in a rugby field.” Another taster says it combines the forward, fruity personality of Gamay with the leathery, black-olive accents of Mourvedre (Monastrell).

            Food pairing: It’s a wine to drink with roasted red meat or, as has been suggested, duck breast.

Edelweiss

            Edelweiss is a cold-hardy hybrid developed by Elmer Swenson, whose grape-breeding experiments dating back to the 1940s have left a lasting mark on the wine industry in the northern U.S. Edelweiss has a little V. vinifera in its pedigree, but a lot more V. labrusca – including Concord on both sides of its family tree – and some of the Minnesota V. riparia that’s often found in Swenson crossings.

            The notorious labrusca muskiness is said to be minimized by early harvesting of Edelweiss, and its precocious ripening – sometimes as early as August – makes it a natural choice for a Maine vineyard such as Prospect Hill Winery. Proprietor Richard Carle, a real Yankee craftsman, makes a wonderful dry, crisp and fruity version that might change some assumptions about Maine wine.

            Food pairing: We drank this bottle on the pier at Wellfleet, Mass., last summer with a bucket of takeout steamer clams, a green salad and some rolls. Absolutely perfect.

Mavrotragano

            Vines in the sandy, volcanic soil of the Greek island of Santorini were one of the few to resist phylloxera. But what the invading louse couldn’t destroy, commercialization nearly did. The sacrifice of vineyards to burgeoning tourism development and the rush to plant the excellent white Assyrtiko grape once reduced the indigenous Mavrotragano to less than 2 percent of the island’s production. Most of it was used for sweet passito-style wine for local consumption. The tide turned in the late 1990s after a couple of prominent growers began producing dry wines, and their quality is becoming more widely recognized.

            Estate Argyros is often mentioned as being among the top producers. While my bottle from a certain D.C. wine shop seemed ridiculously overpriced at $60, I would recommend it at half that. It comes to the table carrying a big club, thanks to its 14 percent abv and 18 months in small oak barrels. But it’s not really a brute-force wine. Garnet in color, its spicy cherry-berry flavors are carried on a middleweight body and with restrained tannins, so the oak doesn’t overpower.

            Food pairing: Lamb is a natural partner.

Forastera

            A specialty of the island of Ischia near Naples. Its name is said to mean “foreigner” in local dialect, and this may be appropriate, as some sources say it’s originally from the Canary Islands.

            Casa d’Ambra buys the grapes from local growers and vinifies them in stainless steel. The wine is dry and light in flavor, vaguely citrusy and supposedly with hints of apricot and almond, although you’d have to taste hard to discern them.

            This bottle was a good accompaniment to our Easter-dinner salad of arugula and fennel with green olives and toasted almonds. The recipe was from the “A16 – Food and Wine” cookbook, which recommends a pairing with Biancolella, Forastera’s frequent companion in Ischia Bianco wine. (The cookbook, from the San Francisco-based southern Italian restaurant, provides good details on many regional varietal wines and in general gives wine equal billing with the cuisine.) 

Frontenac Gris

            Frontenac Gris originated as a sport, or spontaneous mutation, when a cane with bronze-gray fruit sprouted from a vine of the Frontenac black grape at the University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center. Subsequent propagation consistently yielded fruit with the same qualities.

“Due to … high levels of both sugar and acidity, Frontenac Gris wines often require leaving residual sugar in order to produce a well balanced wine in northern climates,” according to UM. That’s the case with this product of Grovedale Winery, a small family-run operation in northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s a very pleasant wine that has won several regional awards and always seems to be appreciated by our guests. It’s deep yellow thanks to the grape skins and has a peachy-citrusy flavor -- not overly sweet and with a refreshing tang -- and a creamy texture.

            Food pairing: It went well with the bowl of fresh mango and strawberries that was our Easter dinner dessert.

De Chaunac

            De Chaunac is a hybrid created by the French breeder Albert Seibel with an American-style diversity of origin. It is an interspecific crossing, and how! Tracing its lineage in the Vitis database turns up no fewer than five grape species -- labrusca, lincecumii, riparia, rupestris and vinifera -- within four generations. And that’s just on one parent’s side. How’s that for a melting pot?

            It’s most widely grown now in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, to which it was introduced as Seibel 9549 in the mid-20^th century by the Canadian enologist Adhemar de Chaunac. It was once quite popular, due to its ability to survive very cold winters and produce wine with complex fruit flavors that are enhanced by oak, according to Hudson Valley Wine Magazine.

            This offering from Altamont Vineyard and Winery near Albany, N.Y., is probably not the best ambassador for the grape. While certainly drinkable (we finished the bottle), it was somewhat thin and bitter. Hopefully this is not what Upstate New Yorkers consider to be passion.

            Food pairing: A rice casserole with spinach and cheese might work.

Merlot Noir

            Merlot Noir, the queen of Bordeaux, has the feminine characteristics of softness, roundness and opulence to complement the sterner qualities of King Cabernet Sauvignon. (And in the tradition of European royalty interbreeding, they are in fact half-siblings, each having Cabernet Franc as a parent.) It is reportedly the most widely planted grape in France and has been adopted almost wherever wine is made, thanks to its ability to produce large quantities of juicy, enjoyable quaff.

            This has engendered a certain lack of respect for the varietal wine among serious oenophiles, most famously expressed in the “I’m not drinking any fucking Merlot” line from the film “Sideways.” So, as I begin to upgrade the classic varieties in my tasting collection, I have replaced a lower-shelf California product with one from an area that does get some respect: Pomerol. The uncontested best wine of the appellation, Chateau Petrus, usually contains 5 percent Cabernet Franc but is occasionally made with 100 percent Merlot Noir. One instance is the 2010 vintage, which is currently available en primeur for as little as $2,499 a bottle.

            Someday I may get a taste of that, but until then I’ll settle for my bottle of Fleur de Gay, the luxury cuvee of Petrus neighbor Chateau La Croix de Gay, at a mere 3 percent of the price. Although more than a decade old, the wine was remarkably fresh and charming. The flavors were intense without being jammy or overpowering, and the family resemblance to Cabernet Sauvignon was apparent, as were the differences. The tannins of this oak-raised wine played only a modest supporting role to the mouth-filling fruit.

            Food pairing: We followed Hugh Johnson’s recommendation in his 2012 Pocket Wine Book and prepared an unctuous oxtail stew.

Listan Negro

            This is the black version of Palomino, an undistinguished white grape mostly used for sherry. Recently, reds from Listan Negro produced in the Canary Islands have been getting quite a bit of attention in the U.S., largely due to the efforts of importer Jose Pastor.

            One often in the spotlight is this Tajinaste Tenerife Valle de la Orotava, which uses a “braided cord” production in which ungrafted vines, some nearly a century old, lie low against the island’s volcanic soil. Part of the production gets several months of oak aging.

            The New York Times’ Eric Asimov described the 2010 Tajinaste as “juicy and perfumed.” We would have been better off waiting a year or two to taste our bottle from that vintage. It seemed closed in, with the oak dominating the fruit.

            Food pairing: Many tasters suggest slow-cooked pork, often with a rich or even spicy sauce.

Callet

            An indigenous grape of Mallorca that’s widely grown on the island, but until recent years wasn’t much associated with high-quality wine.

            A winery that has done a lot to change that impression is Anima Negra (Black Soul), which goes to great lengths to coax the flavor out of this light-colored grape. The 2005 AN was judged by the Age newspaper as the best wine imported into Australia, where they know a little about powerful reds.

The label on the 2006 vintage says that yields from 50- to 80-year-old vines are kept low with pruning, and then “each berry is sorted to ensure only the highest quality grapes are used.” Fermentation is partly in cement and partly in large oak vats, and the wine is aged for 17 months in new oak barrels and an additional two months in cement.

Taking these pains really pays off. This is a noble wine, with the combination of delicacy and power found in top Pinot Noirs. The oak is of course quite prominent, but the main impression is of a long and complex mouthful of rich red fruit. It’s a bottle that I wasn’t ashamed to admit to Lorrie that I paid $55 for.

(And at that, it’s a second wine. In “exceptional years,” Anima Negra releases Son Negre, “a unique wine with a superior quality” and a label featuring a priapic devil.)

This bottle paired wonderfully with grilled lamb chops and a Mallorcan potato-and-vegetable dish called tombet.

Ives

            Ives is one of the oldest names in American grape lore, if not one of the most honored. Its origins are cloudy. It is commonly thought of as labrusca, but the Vitis variety catalog calls it an interspecific crossing, naming only one parent: Hartford, a labrusca cross with Isabella, which is itself a labrusca-vinifera hybrid. The trouble with this genealogy is that Vitis dates Ives from 1844, and Hartford from 1849. But it’s not totally off the mark, according to a 1928 paper by chemists at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, whose analysis led them to conclude that “the Ives grape is not a pure Vitis labrusca but probably contains some Vitis vinifera mixed with still another strain.”

            Well, anyway: If it quacks like a duck it is a duck, and you’d be advised to duck this grape unless you really enjoy that musky labrusca flavor. This wine comes from Bully Hill Vineyards, founded by a scion of the powerhouse Taylor family of Finger Lakes wine pioneers and one of the earliest champions of hybrid grapes in that region. They say it’s “bursting with native American fruit and floral essence;” I say it tastes like cough syrup. But it’s as sturdy as Madeira. My bottle hardly changed flavor in the several months it sat on the kitchen counter waiting for me to brave another taste.

Food pairing: Aspirin, the next time flu season comes around.

Meynieu 6

            This is a French grape with some new-country roots. It’s a cross between Semillon and Baco Blanc, the latter of which has as one of its parents the 19^th-century American grape Noah, a riparia-labrusca crossing.

            Slate Run Vineyards southeast of Columbus, Ohio, is the only place I’ve found selling a wine, called Premblanc Reserve, made entirely from this grape. A high-school pal helped me get a couple of bottles last year, and I was dismayed to see that it was the 2006 vintage. Sure enough, the first bottle we opened was quite brown. Yesterday I opened the other one, just to see if it could be used as cooking wine, and was surprised to discover that it was only slightly over the hill, and close enough to the summit to be enjoyable.

            The winery provides little information about this wine, other than to call it “white Bordeaux-styled” and (incorrectly) “a Sauvignon Blanc hybrid.” Other Slate Run wines see some oak, and this one evidently did as well. It was soft, and the flavors seemed rounded and mellowed with age, indeed rather Bordeaux-like with no hint of foxiness.

            We haven’t had this with a meal, but it should be fine with comfortable American-style preparations of white meats.

Vernaccia Nera

            This variety from the Italian Marche region is unrelated to the better-known Vernaccia di San Gimigiano of Tuscany or Vernaccia di Oristano of Sardinia. The name is thought to be related to the Latin vernaculus, meaning “of this place,” and to the English word “vernacular.” So, in the area around Serrapetrona, this is the local black grape.

            As such it has its own DOCG, at least when it is made in a dry spumante style. The Colli di Serrapetrona winery, however, specializes in still wines: rosés, reds from partially dried grapes fermented and aged in oak, and this product, fermented in stainless steel.

            It’s not complex, but tasty enough. Were it not for the firm tannins, this medium-bodied wine might remind you of a cru Beaujolais with its lip-smacking grapiness. At a mid-teens price point, I considered it a worthwhile new wine experience.

            Food pairing: I prepared pork with fennel because the maker suggested it as a match, and while the dish was suitable we didn’t consider it magically harmonious. A step closer to that ideal might be if that fennel were flavoring Italian sausages served over pasta.

Veltliner Gruen

            This Central European variety lost favor among the wine elite after becoming almost too trendy in recent years, but this bottling from Austria’s Weinrieder could make new converts. The grape, known as Gruner Veltliner seemingly everywhere except the Vitis variety catalog, is a cook’s favorite because of its affinity for food.

            The importer Blue Danube Wine Co. in Los Altos, Calif., which provided my bottle, speaks of its “pleasant fruity zing.” That’s a good description as far as it goes, but it didn’t go far enough for my bottle of the 2008 vintage. The wine’s fresh acidity gave it a very alert character – zesty without being sharp. The quite pronounced flavor was citrusy and a bit peachy, with mineral overtones. Very, very enjoyable, and a good value in the high teens. Gru-vee, man.

            Food pairing: We had it with simply grilled salmon, but pork would seem to be its natural partner. Nearly every wine writer cites its versatility, recommending it with seafood, white meats and even vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes. Like the Riesling that overshadows it, it also makes well-balanced dessert wines.

Pallagrello Nero

            This grape, a specialty of the Campanian province of Caserta, is unusual in that it has a white-grape sibling, Pallagrello Bianco. These ancient grapes were long thought to be identical to the better-known Coda di Volpe Bianca and Nera, but have since been recognized as distinct varieties.

            This largely took place because of the efforts of a former lawyer, Peppe Mancini, and a former journalist, Manuela Piancastelli, who championed both Pallagrellos along with another traditional variety, Casavecchia, grown at their small property called Terre del Principe, and won recognition for all three in Italy’s national catalogue of winemaking grapes.

            Many reviewers tout the richness and longevity of this wine. Indeed, I’m not sure if the 2006 vintage we tasted in 2012 was a bit too old or too young. It was enjoyable, but the tannins were more noticeable than the fruit, making for a bottom-heavy flavor.

Food pairing: My favorite suggestion comes from Italian Wine Merchants, which calls it “ruddy and rustic” and says, “If you're looking for a wine to accompany your favorite Tuesday night dinner of cheeseburgers, look no further.” As it happened, we drank it with broiled sockeye salmon with a spinach-tomato-capers sauce, which needed a lighter and fruitier red. Perhaps it would go with veal and mushroom pasta, if your conscience allows it.

Malvasia di Schierano

            To produce DOC Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, this black-berried variety is grown in several hilly communes southeast of Asti.

            It is very appealing wine, its color like that of cherry juice and its mouthfeel creamy, thanks to its slight effervescence. The flavor is aromatic and rather interestingly complex for such a fresh and light-bodied wine. Strawberries are predominant, and the gentle sweetness is saved from being insipid by a slightly tannic and astringent finish. You may guess from the label that it’s aimed at the young-lover market, but at 5.5 percent alcohol it aims to charm rather than seduce.

            We had it with the first strawberries of the season to finish Sunday dinner, and it seemed an ideal pairing.

Blanc du Bois

            After my unflattering description of Haak Vineyard’s Jacquez port in the previous post, I feel compelled to follow up immediately with another Haak product that I found surprisingly enjoyable.

            I hadn’t found much to like in Southern hybrid grapes, but this one is a happy accident. According to Wine Compass Blog, it resulted from a program by the University of Florida’s Leesburg Research Station to create a grape resistant to Pierce's disease, a bacterial infection of vines. The result in 1968 was Blanc du Bois, which has one muscadine parent and one that’s a vinifera hybrid. It is disease-resistant, but the bonus is that it makes delightful wine.

            With its citrusy flavors and good balance, it could easily pass as a European cousin of Sauvignon Blanc. It should definitely improve the appreciation for American hybrids in general and Texas-grown hybrids in particular. Haak buys the grapes for this bottling, but also sells a higher-end version from older vines on its own property that has won numerous medals and is a wine I’m looking forward to trying.

            Food pairing: I’ll second Haak’s recommendation of poultry and creamy pasta dishes.

Jacquez

            A grape with an interesting story. The National Grape Registry says it’s a hybrid of V. aestivalis and a V. cinerea x V. vinifera cross. It supposedly originated in the southeastern U.S. in the early 19^th century as a naturally occurring hybrid, and then was exported to Europe after the phylloxera crisis. Jancis Robinson says it is common in Madeira under the name Black Spanish.

            It remains popular in the U.S., particularly in Texas under the name of Lenoir, for its resistance to Pierce’s disease and the quality of its dark, sugary red juice. (A Google search turns up other attributes: NIH studies showing that compounds in the juice may have anti-diarrheal effects and protect the skin against UV damage.)

            This example comes from Haak Vineyards south of Houston and has a flavor profile similar to traditional port. Lovers of that wine may find this one a bit watery, however, and although wine from this grape is said to maintain or even improve its quality after it has been opened, my bottle did eventually acquire a distinct sourness.

            Good for sipping after the barbecue or with the usual port accompaniments such as nuts or cheese.

Trepat

            This grape comes from Catalonia, and nearly all the 2,700 acres reportedly in production worldwide are there. It is mainly used for rosés and cava, but a couple of growers make it into a red. Mas Foraster’s technique is to cut the usual production of its 50+-year-old vines in half and to conduct a secondary fermentation in oak, followed by five months of aging in oak. It’s rather like a working-class family determined to see its child become a doctor.

            Well, the doctor is in. This is a very enjoyable light red, “delicate and elegant” as Foraster describes it, with a nice flavor of strawberries and other red fruits.

            Some compare it with Pinot Noir, and guided by that, we drank it with a roast chicken. I think Foraster’s pairing recommendation of rice, pasta and white meats is closer to the mark.

Duras

            Duras is strongly associated with France’s Tarn department, which claims a wine-making history of several millennia. Despite its longevity, this black grape hasn’t earned much renown, but in my opinion it deserves more appreciation.

            An excellent ambassador for the variety is this offering from Domaine Plageoles, known for its promotion of Gaillac wines and dedication to natural wine-making. There’s a nice profile of the Plageoles family on The Vine Route blog. Their range of wines from traditional Gaillac varieties would make the winery a rewarding destination for the varietal hunter. My bottle was from Astor Wines in New York. Not cheap at $24, but very interesting to experience.

            What’s particularly noticeable about this hearty red is the purity and clarity of its fruit, due in large part to its vinification and elevage in cement vats. It has a very pleasant and distinct blackberry flavor that sets it apart from the crowd. The only grape I could really say it resembles is Sagrantino.

            Food pairing: We had it with a roast leg of lamb, and it was a worthy companion. Any flavorful meaty dish, possibly one that’s slightly rustic, would be a good excuse to open a bottle.

Diamond

            Diamond, or Moore’s Diamond, goes back a long way in American viticultural history. Thomas Pinney’s “A History of Wine in America” calls it one of the first secondary hybrids, in which two hybrids are crossed or one is crossed with a native grape. Jacob Moore, a commercial nurseryman in Brighton, N.Y., created the variety in 1870 by breeding the native Concord grape with Iona, which has vinifera genes from its grandparent Catawba.

            Diamond is still widely used for wine across the Northeast, and perhaps nowhere farther northeast than Candia Vineyards outside Manchester, N.H., where grower and winemaker Bob Dabrowski specializes in cold-hardy hybrids. (“We do not use foreign grapes!” his website proclaims, though he does bottle Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon.)

            A chat and vineyard tour, though, made clear that the hybrids are truly where Bob’s heart is. He was also nice enough to dip into his basement bank vault, featured on his corks and some of his labels, for this bottle of technically sold-out Diamond from his private stock.

            The Concord heritage comes through strongly. It’s grapey and plain, with sweetness well balanced with acids. I’m pretty much a vinifera snob, but I had no trouble finishing my half of the bottle.

            To pair with this American tradition, I made a chicken pot pie, tweaking it by cooking off a couple of ounces of sherry once the veggies were sautéed. Candia suggests spicy Asian food, always a good choice with this style of wine.

Mantonico di Bianco

            A big-shouldered white grape of Calabria, believed to have originated in Greece or Turkey. Sometimes spelled Montonico.

            This bottle is from Librandi, a champion of regional varietals, and they certainly take this one seriously. The grapes are fermented first in stainless steel and then in small oak barrels, then spend another eight months in small barrels of French Allier oak. This produces a wine with good aging potential for a white – Librandi suggests a window of three to five years after the vintage, and the bottle that the Potenza wine shop in D.C. ordered for me was discounted by the importer because it was even older than that. Normally it runs about $20.

            But it was in fine shape, and you can see why it inspires extravagant descriptions from the maker and from blogs like Jakob’s Bowl. I’ll just say that the yellow-fruit and citrus flavors were intense and complemented by the oak, and that the wine is worth saving for a special dinner.

            Librandi says that “it excels with sea bass, swordfish and dentex, even with the most complicated preparations.” Our Safeway being fresh out of dentex, we drank it with grilled salmon in an herbed cream sauce.

Malvasia di Candia Aromatica

            A rich expression of this variety of Malvasia grown on Madeira. According to technical notes from the maker, grape brandy is added to the juice after 48 hours in stainless steel tanks, “arresting fermentation at the desired degree of sweetness.” Then comes 15 years of aging in oak, with periodic transfers of the wine to lower, cooler barrels in the “lodge.”

            This painstaking process presumably accounts for the bottle's $35 price tag for 500 ml. But it is a treat, at least for those who enjoy oxidized madeiras and sherries.

            In the glass it’s the color of Midwestern coffee, and the 19 percent ABV is evident in the legs. The flavor, after applying the usual de-hyping factor, is as Blandy’s describes it: “complex dried fruits and wood, toffee and vanilla. Sweet, smooth, full bodied, complex, and a long finish of nuts and dark chocolate.”

            A good sipper if you’re trying to stay out of the cookies after dinner. Also a candidate to break out at the end of a small dinner party with cheese or nuts, or maybe even bread pudding with raisins and vanilla sauce.

Lagrein

            From looking at its opaque purple color, you wouldn’t guess that this wine comes from the Alpine foothills of far northern Italy. Alto Adige, a region better known for pinot grigio and similar crisp whites, is nearly the only place where Lagrein is found. When grown on heat-trapping floors of mountain valleys, it can produce wines that the New York Times’s Eric Asimov describes as “deliciously plummy, earthy and chewy, dark and full-bodied but not heavy, with a pronounced minerally edge.”

            That’s what he thought of the best bottles of the dozen he tasted for his column. Wish I’d had one of those instead of this one, which was flavorful but flabby. Without balance or the region’s famous minerality, the wine just wasn’t that interesting. Maybe some bottle age would have helped, but I doubt it.

            Food pairing: Guided by the memory of the only other Lagrein I’ve tasted, a superior bottle from Weingut Fritz Kupelweiser, I roasted a pork loin that had been smeared with a Dijon mustard-sour cherry paste and wrapped in very thin sheets of prosciutto. I think this is a good match – the cherry definitely found an echo in the wine – but I’d want to try it again with a less disappointing bottle.

Elbling Weiss

            An ancient grape that’s not very well known, which should give you a clue about its general quality: good enough to survive the centuries, but not good enough to conquer the wine world. Elbling has been grown in the upper Mosel Valley since before the Middle Ages, according to Jancis Robinson, largely because it produces bountifully on soil that won’t support Riesling or other more flavorful local varieties. Once used mainly for sparkling sekt, it’s now often sold as a varietal, especially in Luxembourg.

            Robinson notes its “searing acidity,” and elsewhere calls it “almost unimaginably tart,” but happily this example from Weingut Matthias Dostert has bright fruit to provide balance. I tasted citrus; others have mentioned peaches and a floral character similar to that of Viognier. Perhaps Alva – the name by which this grape is known in Portugal – is meant to indicate this riper style.

            This bottle made a winter trip overland from California’s K&L Wines to Maryland and arrived none the worse for it. A solid value at K&L’s current price of $9.

            Food pairing: This was a good choice for a recent family bouillabaisse dinner. The acidity let it rise above the richness of the dish, and the flavor was quite compatible.

Airen

            As late as 2004, Airen was the world’s most-grown grape in terms of acreage, according to Wikipedia. But it is losing the favor it long enjoyed across vast expanses of central Spain because of its resistance to drought and disease. Most of the crop traditionally went into brandy; some, tinted with other juice, produced the pale red of Valdepenas.

            A relatively small percentage was used for sharp whites like this example from Vinos Ambiz. These grapes are grown by two partners as a sideline from their day jobs and used to make “natural, organic, healthful and sustainable wine,” sold unfiltered in recycled bottles. The winemakers say cleanliness is paramount in the wine-making process and that as a rule nothing is added to the juice, not even sulfites.

            The result is an honest, straightforward wine that reflects the character of the Airen grape, unfortunately. Cloudy in the glass, it has an almost glowingly green tint. Fruity it’s not, but you would call it refreshing. And clean.

            Food pairing: We tried this with a bouillabaisse, which likes a neutral dry white, but it wasn’t a successful match. The wine was just too austere. If I come across it again I’d like to taste it with a Caesar salad – with organic romaine, of course.

Rougeon

            As long as we’re in Missouri …. Along with the Cynthiana from St. James Winery came this Rougeon dessert wine. This black grape is a French-American hybrid, one of many developed by Alfred Seibel in France.

            Winemakers Direct lists a handful of producers – a couple in New York, one in Missouri and one in Wisconsin. Apparently part of Rougeon’s attraction is its versatility, as the wine styles run the gamut from dry to sparkling to port.

            This example is dark, thick and sweet, with a hint of roasted character. Perhaps a bit pricey at $20 for the half-bottle, but some might find it a memorable treat. Food pairing: It stands alone as a sipper quite well, but could accompany a range of rich desserts, including dark chocolate.

Cynthiana

           A wine dear to the few who celebrate America’s native grapes, this was an early and highly successful attempt to create a good-tasting variety that could resist the New World’s climate and pests. As recounted in Todd Kliman’s “The Wild Vine” and elsewhere, Dr. Daniel Norton created the variety in the early1820s at his farm near Richmond. As he tried to cross the V. labrusca grape Bland with Pinot Meunier, the Bland was accidentally fertilized by wild V. aestivalis pollen. The offspring, which became known as Norton’s Virginia Seedling, produced a full-flavored wine with native character but without labrusca’s disagreeable foxiness.

            The grape quickly won commercial favor in the East and later in the Midwest, where Missouri’s growing conditions proved especially welcoming. Famously, a bottle of Missouri Norton was honored as among the world’s best wines at Vienna’s Universal Exposition in 1873.

            Along the way, Cynthiana became recognized as a separate variety. Many believed it to be a mutation of Norton with distinctly different flavor and ripening characteristics. Whatever the case, DNA analysis has shown that today’s Norton and Cynthiana are one and the same, and the latter name now predominates in reference books (if not in Virginia).

            This particular bottle comes from St. James Winery, one of many smaller U.S. wineries listed on the Winemakers Direct site, which is searchable by variety. Another notable example is the Chrysalis Vineyards Estate Bottled Norton, grown near Middleburg, Va.

            Cynthiana/Norton is a wine you needn’t be ashamed of serving to your European friends – preferably at a cookout where the main course is grilled beef. It has good fruit and grip, and somehow does taste American.

Lambrusco Salamino

   The Vitis catalog lists almost a dozen varieties of Lambrusco – lots of chances to explore this food-friendly wine. This organic product from Azienda Agricola Luciano Saetti near Modena is grape soda with a bitter cherry finish.

   Cost is mid-teens from Chambers Street Wines in NYC; also available right now from De-Vino Boutique there.

   Dry, light-bodied and effervescent, this was a good match for one of the Family Reunion Pizza Night choices – cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, with a layer of fresh arugula added as soon as the pie came out of the oven.

Mauzac Rose

   A refined member of the straightforward Gaillac grape family. This off-dry example from Domaines Plageoles offers softer apple and pear flavors than the zesty green apple common in Mauzac Blanc sparklers. Methode rurale fermentation in the bottle yields a pleasant fine-grained carbonation.

   From Astor Wines in New York, about $25. Stock up when you’re in Gaillac.

   Food pairing: This helped us end Family Reunion Pizza Night on a light note, accompanying a tricolore salad of arugula, radicchio and endive with some fresh citrus. The wine’s mild acidity and gentle sweetness might also fit well with cheese, say brie on a cracker with a Granny Smith slice.

Encruzado

   The principal white grape of the Dao, more commonly blended. A good balance of crisp acidity with mild honey-rounded citrus flavors.

   A tasty example here from Astor Wines in NYC.

   Astor’s buyer’s note suggests “lighter seafood such as calamari, octopus and mussels. This bottle made a refreshing companion to a squid stir-fry with spinach, snow peas and bell pepper, flavored with ginger, garlic and scallions, dressed with a bit of soy sauce.

Croatina

   This wine, from southwestern Lombardy, reminded me of Sangiovese (others compare it to its nearer neighbor Dolcetto), but was a bit lighter in body and brighter in acidity. The bitterness this variety is sometimes said to display was not especially noticeable. A 2009, it gained noticeable depth and complexity a half-hour or so after being opened.

   You’ll notice the label says Bonarda. I had originally hoped that this was Bonarda Piemontese, but the friendly and knowledgeable manager of Potenza Wine Shop on 15^th Street Northwest in D.C. informed me that this is the name used for Croatina in the Oltrepo Pavese region. It’s also different than the South American red gaining popularity in the U.S., about which more later.

   Food pairing: I drank this with a (slightly underdone) Ricciuti’s pizza topped with caramelized onions, fresh garlic, red bell peppers, gorgonzola and mozzarella. It deserved finer fare. Maybe a cured ham risotto would pair well.

Brachetto

   Just in time for Valentine’s Day shopping, a note on a charming wine that’s ideal for the occasion. The Brachetto grape is associated with Italy’s Piedmont region, and this wine is sparkling and sweet, perhaps just like your own valentine. You may also find versions that are less sweet or made in a frizzante rather than spumante style. Brachetto from the Acqui district, which this bottle is not, is considered by many the best expression of the grape.

   Brachetto seems to be pretty widely available in cities with good wine shops, though DOCG Brachetto d’Acqui is a little harder to find, and a little more expensive. Expect to pay in the mid-teens for the good stuff and a bit less for the Piemonte version.

   Food pairing: This fun, frothy wine delivers not-overpowering but pleasant red-fruit flavors: strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Low in alcohol, it could accompany the fruit salad in a Valentine’s brunch _ or even better, chocolate-dipped strawberries at the end of a Valentine’s dinner.

Vuillermin

   This is a full-flavored, somewhat tannic red from the Valle d’Aosta. Fairly light-bodied, but rich and aromatic.

   Vuillermin is an ancient indigenous variety that has been revived by the Institut Agricole Régional in Aosta and certain growers in the valley, including Feudo San Maurizio, which produced this bottle. 

   According to the VinoRadio Blog, the owner of Enoteca Vino Nostro in San Francisco says that Vuillermin “is so rare that there is no vineyard of it. As the story goes, the grapes used to make this wine were collected by the producer from small plantings around the region.”

   My bottle also came from Enoteca Vino Nostro. A splurge at $51.

   Food pairing: We had this bottle with a pork tenderloin roasted with garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, with a few bacon strips on top to moisten it. A good match, but this wine might go even better with another of my wife’s recipes: beef slow-cooked with onions, a little bacon, red wine, and orange peel, and served over rice.

Introduction

   For several years now, I’ve been seeking out wines that express the personality of an individual grape variety. The ones I’ve tasted are listed on this Picasa page.

   A fundamental question: Which grapes are discrete varieties? I’m no ampelographer, so I rely on outside authorities to make that call. My basic reference is the Vitis International Variety Catalog maintained by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in Germany. For some U.S. varieties, I also consult the National Grape Registry maintained by the University of California and USDA.

   How “pure” must a varietal wine be to make my cut? I differ with some other tasters on this point. For example, if I understand the ground rules of the Wine Century Club, members can count all the grape varieties in a blended wine. So if they drink Chateau Batailley, a fifth-growth Pauillac that includes 3 percent cabernet franc and 2 percent petit verdot, they can claim to have tasted those grapes. But have they really? Once the proportion of a wine’s main grape falls below 85 or 90 percent, I begin to doubt that its varietal character is coming through, and I usually don’t include it in my list.

   I’ll be writing about the wines I’ve tasted in hopes of promoting a discussion among people who share my interest. I especially invite input on two topics: Where are especially fine examples of these wines produced and sold, and with what foods do they pair well?

   Along the way, I plan to cite wineries and retailers I admire, fellow bloggers exploring this same topic, and other sources of information on grape varieties, both online and in print.