5 Under the Radar Wines to Break Out of Your Wine Rut
Shake up cocktail hour with one of these under the radar wines.
by Erin Henderson
We’re now in Week Six of the Covid quarantine. And judging by your Instagrams, I’d wager most of you are also on Wine Case Six.
Props to you for doing your part to keep your favourite winery in business. You are helping the greater good and contributing positively to the economic engine and for that you deserve a glass of wine. Seriously, give yourself a top up. Hang on, I’ll give myself one as well. Cheers.
But just between us: tell me honestly, is your wine routine becoming a bit of a wine rut?
Hey, I’m not saying you need to break up with your favourite bottle. But after weeks of staying true, maybe Old Faithful just doesn’t hit like it used to? (And let’s not even talk about those PJ’s).
Yeah, you’re in a wine rut and it’s time to spice things up a bit.
About a year ago, The Wine Sisters rolled out a new tasting for corporate groups called “alternative wines.” It's been very successful (well, until, you know...) and we’ve made it part of our regular service options.
The below list is certainly not exhaustive – I can easily think of four or five wines for every one of the tried-and-trues noted here. But this is a good place to start. Maybe when I feel that itch to break free once again I’ll round up a new list of exciting new bottles to try.
If you like Pinot Grigio...
Try Soave. The crisp, white, Italian wine from the lush, hilly region of the same name is made with the indigenous Garganega grape. With flavours of fresh minerality and subtle notes of almond and citrus, it's a terrific pairing for fresh pastas and light seafoods. Soave, the region, is located in the Veneto, about an hour's drive from Venice, in the staggeringly beautiful foothills of the Dolomite mountains (Pinot Grigio also hails from this area). You will find both regular Soave and "Classico" – the latter meaning the grapes were grown on those precarious volcanic slopes (as opposed to the flat land at the bottom) and have had the good fortune to suck up that gorgeous saline and mineral terroir.
If you like Sauvignon Blanc...
Albariño is the name of the zesty white grape in the Rias Baixas region of southern Spain, while just south of the border in Portugal’s Vinho Verde, it goes by the name Alvarinho. Light, fresh, and crisp, there’s delicate notes of white peach, citrus, and crunchy yellow fruits. And don't forget about that racy, mouth-watering acidity. A fantastic option to sip poolside with a mountain of fresh seafood.
If you like Chardonnay...
Marsanne has been used for eons in the Northern Rhône as a blending partner with Rousanne (and other grapes as well.) Very much an under-the-radar grape, rarely does Marsanne make a solo appearance, but it’s a wine worth seeking out. Young Marsanne is vibrant with stone fruit and mineral-edged flavours. And they age beautifully, darkening to a shimmering gold colour, with weighty, oily texture and flavours of honeycomb, jasmine, poached pear and even quince.
If you like Pinot Noir...
Dolcetto is a grape that hails from the prestigious northern Italian region of Piedmont. It's often overshadowed by its legendary neighbours of Barolo and Barbaresco. But if you’re looking to try an excellent new (and affordable) wine to bust out of your wine rut, then look no further than this joyous red. Dolcetto means “little sweet one” in Italian, but make no mistake, this is a dry, mid-weight wine with character. It bursts with flavours of maraschino cherry and dark chocolate, and has that classic Italian acidity. So drink this like the Piedmontese do – casually gathered over weeknight meals of meat pizza, sausage ragus, and mushroom lasagna.
If you like Cabernet Sauvignon...
Touriga Nacional is the star grape of the blend for Port, has impressive flavours of plum, cassis, violet, earth and spice. It’s nearly a dead ringer for Cabernet in its youth. However, it can be a bit powerful, and often requires a blending partner or two to wrestle it down. Pair this with roast game or robust ribeye, and you’ve got a very fine match indeed.
If you like Shiraz...
Shortly before the lockdown, I hosted a tasting where the guest of honour only drank rich, robust, New World reds. My job was to show him some options that he’d love just as much as his beloved powerhouse wines of familiar grapes and names. I brought a Portuguese red blend made predominately of Alicante Bouschet. It’s a weird little grape that almost no one has heard of. Alicante Bouschet is a Teinturier grape which means it has both red skin and red flesh (use that little tidbit at your next zoom cocktail hour to really impress people), and is seriously robust with ripe flavours of plum, black cherry and pepper spice. Oh – and everyone at the tasting loved it.