There are seventy wine-producing nations in the world, so none of us can be surprised if we haven’t tasted every wine that the planet has to offer. I recently tasted some of the more unusual wine varietals, and they came from Italy, France, Croatia, Georgia, Austria, and Greece.
Blanquette de Limoux Brut, Esprit du Sud NV – if you’re paying attention to the name, it gives you some information right away. It is French, “Brut” indicates that it’s a sparkling wine, and there is no particular vintage year for the wine. Remember, the only sparkling wine that is called “champagne” comes from the champagne region of France. This wine came from Languedoc-Roussillon, outside of champagne. 85% of the grapes are Mauzac, and the reason you may not know this grape is that many of the French replaced it with Chardonnay, a more popular grape for today’s wine drinkers. The wine was not too dry and a little bit fruity, with a heavy syrupy smell. It’s a very acidic wine, which made it tart, and it tasted like Processo but is drier. It would pair well with salad, pasta, cheese, and shellfish. If you’re an adventuresome drinker of sparkling wines, I recommend trying this one.
Timorasso “Sassobraglia”, Fontanassa, Val Borner NV – this is a white wine made from the Timorasso grape. It had a citrus and floral odor, and the taste was sweet and herbal. I’m not much of a white wine fan, so it was hard for me to like this one – even though it’s different from any white I’ve ever had. It would go well with “charcuterie” (ie: sliced sausage and other meats you’d have as a snack), turkey, and salty aged cheese. The idea is to have something savory to balance the flavor of this wine.
Ribolla Gialla, Dorigo 2010 – another white wine, this is made from the Ribolla grape in Croatia near the Slovenian border. It had a cheese and licorice odor, and a good balance between the fruit and dry flavors you get in white wines. It was highly acidic and tart; which means that lighter flavored fatty foods would pair well with it for an even balance. Suggested foods are shellfish, cream sauces, and duck.
Cote du Jura, Chateau d’Arlay 2005 – the last white of this event, it had a chocolate-cherry odor and yeasty flavor. It has high acid, low alcohol content. It is made from the Savagnin grape in Jura, France and would pair well with rich soup and nuts.
Lirica, Plavac Mali 2008 – this is a red wine who’s Plavac Mali grapes grew on steep hillsides of Croatia, on the Dalmatian coast. It had a blueberry and alcohol odor. It’s a lighter bodied red with high tannin and a dark fruit flavor. Dark fruit refers to darker red fruits such as cassis, blackberry, plum, and other dark red/purple fruits. This wine fell flat on my tongue, and didn’t have much of a finish. It would pair well with oysters and mushrooms.
St Laurent, Wimmer-Czerny 2009 – this is an Austrian red made from the St Laurent grape. It had a cherry odor and a plummy, medium bodied flavor. It was also quite tart, and would pair well with duck, rabbit, or cheese.
Estate Red, Domaine Mercouri 2007 – made from the Greek Refosco grape, I finally tasted a red that I liked. Although it had a leathery odor, I could also smell dark fruits. It had a lot of tannin, but was also fruity and acidic. I think of this wine as one that pairs well with sources of iron: red meat, beets, kale, and liver. Of all the wines so far, this one would age well because its strong flavor would mellow a little over the years.
Mukuzani, Eniseli 2007 – A Georgian wine! A real first taste for me; and made from the Saperavi grape, one used in wine ever since the ancient times. This was another wine with an earthy, leathery, and plummy smell. It had high tannin and tasted of dark fruits. The grape’s flavor is so strong that it is usually blended to give other grapes’ wines flavor and color. This was my favorite wine, and I bought a bottle to take home. It was also compared to Sangiovese, so I bought a bottle of that for comparison.
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