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.