When we were new to wine in the 1970s, before America really warmed to it, there was a lot of unusual stuff on shelves. We drank quite a bit of Bull’s Blood from Hungary, for instance, which was charmingly rough-hewn but inexpensive. U.S. winemakers were still experimenting, too. We will always remember the Napa sparkling wine pioneer Hanns Kornell at his tasting room, proudly pouring a traditionally made bubbly made from a grape called Muscat of Alexandria.
Then Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon continued their march all over the world. That’s not a bad thing, since they are classic grapes and grow well in many regions, but they didn’t leave much room at the table for little-known, unusual grapes. In the past few years, the pendulum has swung back a bit, and now we are seeing more interesting, different wines on shelves.
One of our favorite American labels, Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, consistently makes thoughtful, food-friendly wines from lesser-known Rhône grape varieties like Bourboulenc and Clairette Blanc. We recently had a bottle from Bouchaine Winery in Napa called, simply, “Alsatian blend.” To us, that’s a sign that wineries believe consumers are ready to experiment – and, by the way, it’s not only dry, crisp and delicious but better than many actual Alsatian wines we’ve tried recently. It’s a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer and costs $50, which is not inexpensive.
The next couple of months are high season for wine. As you entertain and gift, keep this shift in mind when you’re buying a bottle. New and different is fun. When you’re giving or serving, you don’t have to geek out about the history of the region and the grape and the percentage of malolactic to make the wine special. You can just say, “Hey, I saw this and it looked interesting, so I thought you’d enjoy it.” The wine will speak for itself.
To give you some ideas, we have been trying some unusual stuff for the last couple of weeks, all sent by winery representatives, and have reached back over the year for more examples. We are going to go through these quickly so you can get a quick overall sense of the cool stuff that’s out there now. Many of these specific bottles are hard to find, but our point is that there is so much interesting wine out there that you can move beyond the same-old same-old, ideally with the help of a good wine merchant.
Blaufränkisch from Weingut Esterházy in Austria. This is a specialty of Austria and produced a bit in the U.S., where it is sometimes called Lemberger. (In the 1990s, we thought Lemberger might especially catch on in Washington, but it didn’t.) The 2021 Esterházy is outstanding, with an elegant pepperiness and the kind of restrained loveliness we expect from a good Pinot Noir. “Great balance, but nicely shy and a bit haunting,” we wrote. This seems to cost about $60.
Gemina Blend from Massican Wine in California, blended from Greco, Falanghina and Fiano. Massican made a name for itself by offering only white wines, made from traditionally Italian grapes, in Cabernet Sauvignon-centric Napa. This is a “who wouldn’t like this” white, crisp and focused with an underpinning of minerals. It’s $38. In general, we’d say that anytime you see a Massican wine, with its distinctive blue and white labels, get it.
Saperavi dry rosé from Konstantin Frank Winery in the Finger Lakes of New York. This is a great example of how new things are happening, because the government only recently allowed wineries to use it on labels as an officially recognized variety. Its country of origin is Georgia. This, at around $25, reminded us of an orange wine from Greece, which is another category to keep in mind.
Rkatsiteli from Blenheim Vineyards in Virginia. This is a subtle white with tastes of roasted lemon and beeswax. It’s $21. We list it here because, wherever you live, you will likely find new and different wines from local wineries that are trying hard right now to figure out what grapes make the best wines in their region. Try them. (Konstantin Frank makes one, too, and it was the first we ever had.)
Donauveltliner from Winzer Krems in Austria. For centuries, winemakers have created new grapes by crossing existing varieties to solve various issues, such as resistance to pests or diseases or inclement weather. Keep this in mind because it is likely to happen more and more with climate change. In this case, Donauveltliner is a recently developed cross between Grüner Veltliner and Seyval Blanc to have the charm of the former and the heartiness of the latter. This tasted almost like a light Sherry to us. We had never seen or heard of this. Don’t be shy to ask a wine merchant or restaurant, “What in the world is this grape?” The story is likely to be worth the price of admission.
As climate change grows ever more evident, interest in wines from hybrid and native grapes is growing. These are varieties that have thrived in the wild. They are a special interest of Jahdé Marley, who we met a few years ago in Atlanta at a Hue Society gathering. Marley, who founded a nonprofit events and wine education organization called ABV Ferments (anything but vinifera), is a sales and portfolio manager at Zev Rovine Selections, a well-regarded natural wine importer and distributor, based in Brooklyn. You want new, check this category out.
Aligoté “Sous les Roches” from Domaine du Cellier Aux Moines in Burgundy. Aligoté is hardly obscure – it’s the second most-planted white in Burgundy after you-know-what and is a classic blending partner. But when was the last time you walked into a store and saw a wine with that on the label? In a sense, it is being rediscovered as a stand-alone, not just in France but in the U.S., where Lumos Wine Co. in Oregon makes an excellent example. This Burgundy is a good deal at $65 because it’s so elegant.
Lighea from Donnafugata in Sicily, made from the Zibibbo grape. No wine region is more exciting right now than Sicily, which is rediscovering its indigenous grapes and producing stunning wines. Donnafugata is a leader in the effort and we are long-time fans. We recently had its Sul Vulcano Etna Bianco, made from Carricante, and it was soulful, with some citrus and honey (it was great with salmon). But Zibibbo? This wine, which costs a miraculous $25 or so, was simply beautiful. It was so bright, it seemed to actually sparkle when we poured it. The nose was clean, fresh and mouthwatering, with some fleshiness, like lychee. It was at once floral and luscious. It was fruity but not sweet. If it were blind, we might have guessed many things, from Spanish Albariño to Loire Valley Chenin Blanc.
We finally looked up Zibibbo. It has a long, fascinating history. Jancis Robinson wrote in “Vines, Grapes, Wines” that Zibibbo is “an exceedingly ancient vine, one of the most ancient cultivated plants we know.” And in the U.S., it is known by another name: Muscat of Alexandria.
Wine is a journey. This took us right back to Hanns Kornell. Find something different and let it take you somewhere special.
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher conceived and wrote The Wall Street Journal's wine column, "Tastings," from 1998 to 2010. Dorothy and John have been tasting and studying wine since 1973. In 2020, the University of California at Davis added their papers to the Warren Winiarski Wine Writers Collection in its library, which also includes the work of Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. Dottie has had a distinguished career in journalism as a reporter, editor, columnist and editorial writer at The Miami Herald, The New York Times, and at The Journal. John was Page One Editor of The Journal, City Editor of The Miami Herald and a senior editor at Bloomberg News. They are well-known from their books and many television appearances, especially on Martha Stewart's show, and as the creators of the annual, international "Open That Bottle Night" celebration of wine and friendship. The first bottle they shared was André Cold Duck. They have two daughters.
