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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.