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.