You Should Know About These 5 Rare Red Wine Grapes.
The world of wine is a veritable paradise of delights for those of us who are always on the lookout for the extraordinary. There are hundreds of different varietals of wine, the vast majority of which can only be produced in certain microclimates. These varietal wines, despite the fact that they are very scarce, are not out of reach.
Does this seem like a chance to make some mouthwatering discoveries? Absolutely!
If you tried a new sort of wine every week for the next four decades, you wouldn’t be able to sample them all.
The following are six uncommon varieties of red wine grapes that you should be aware of.
Regular Consumers
Because these four uncommon reds are comparable to other wines that you already like drinking on a regular basis, you won’t have any trouble incorporating them into your regular drinking cycle.
Along the Slovenian side of the border with Italy is where refosco is grown.
Refosco
Imagine yourself in the middle of the woods, picking blackberries while sipping coffee from a thermos.
Cherry, dried blackberry, resinous and floral herbs, espresso, and incense are some of the most common tasting notes.
Why Refosco is Such a Great Wine To begin, Refosco (sometimes spelled Refok) refers to a family of grapes; however, for the sake of this investigation, we will focus on only one Italian variety known as “Refosco dal Penduncolo Rosso.”
This grape has been identified as the ancestor of the Corvina variety, which is used to produce one of the finest wines produced in Italy (Amarone della Valpolicella). The acidity level of Refosco is rather high despite its intense and complex flavor profile. Your tongue is going to become tangled up!
Don’t make me go looking for this by myself, please! Okay, okay. Do you want some suggestions to get started? Try out the Refosco offered by Ronchi di Cialla, which can be purchased for about $17.
The one wine, known only as “Calvari” by Miani, is causing a commotion among wine nerds everywhere (good luck locating this… There is no trace of it on the internet.
Frappato is a unique kind of red wine that is produced in Sicily.
Frappato Consuming a Frappato is like to diving headfirst into an enormous pool filled with brilliantly colored plastic balls.
Pomegranate, Sweet Strawberry, White Pepper, Tobacco, and Clove are some of the most common tasting notes.
The fact that Frappato is one of the few red wines on the market that doesn’t take itself too seriously contributes to the awesomeness of this wine. In spite of this, the aroma of the fruit flavors and the color of the wine, which is a light red, are not to be sniffed at.
There is a possibility that Frappato is genetically connected to Sangiovese, which is Italy’s most highly regarded red wine. In addition to this, it has also been seen growing on an active volcano, which is Mount Etna in Sicily.
Therefore, Frappato is the one to go to if you’re seeking for anything to help lighten the weight (or for a red wine that pairs well with salmon).
OMG… What Options Do I Have? Both Planeta’s Frappato (which costs about $20) and Occhipinti’s “Il Frappato” (which costs around $46 and is posh, organic, and biodynamic) did not disappoint when we recently tried them. In no way, shape, or form!
St. Laurent, often known as Sankt Laurent, is becoming more popular in Austria.
St. Laurent
Your companions will insist that you are drinking Pinot Noir.
Raspberry, blackberry, mushroom, baking spices, and cocoa powder are some examples of typical tasting notes.
The reason why St. Laurent is so great is that everything in Eastern Europe seems to be somewhat livelier, if not a little adrift from the norm. (If you’ve been there, you have no doubt experienced firsthand the things I’m describing.) Although St. Laurent is not strictly linked to Pinot Noir, it may be compared to it in terms of its boldness, sexiness, and bodaciousness.
Get yourself a bottle of what we’re dubbing “The Saint” if you’re searching for something that’s “near to home” yet will still make your mother happy. (Just so you know, the Czechs spell it “Svatovavrinecké”; how do you say that?)
I Despise You, You Wine Fool, Where Can I Find You!? If you had to ask us, we would say that Heinrich’s St. Laurent from Burgenland (which costs about $30) is our favorite, while Rosi Schuster’s Sankt Laurent (which costs $20) is a svelte and low-alcohol variant that is reasonably priced.
A variety of the red grape native to Spain may be found growing in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean (off the coast of Africa).
Listán Negro
Have you ever tried any food or drink that was originally from the Canary Islands?
Red Cherry, Banana, and Strawberry are among of the most common flavors, along with Pepper Spice and Flowery Herbs.
Have you ever had ANYTHING from the Canary Islands? If so, then you understand why Listán Negro is so awesome. It didn’t seem likely to me. Enter Listán Negro. This is a wine that is often likened to Grenache, although it has a little less alcohol that really hits you in the face than Grenache does.
It is rather usual to see this grape processed into wine by a process called carbonic maceration, which helps remove some of the herbaceousness of the wine (this is why some wines taste like bananas).
In spite of this, there is an otherworldly quality to this grape (and the island as a whole as well). The flavors appear to strike a balance between being very fruity and being quite earthy. It should come as no surprise that this wine is served at some of the best wine bars in New York City.
I’m Unmotivated, Just Tell Me What I Should Get. I got you dude. There is a winery called Suertes del Marques that produces a variety of wines; however, their “7 Fuentes” wine, which is 90 percent Listán Negro and costs around $20, is an excellent place to begin.
On the more sophisticated side, Sommeliers have penned epics about Envnate’s Tganan (around $33), which will feel like a ton of bricks when it hits your taste (in a good way).
Baga of Collectible Discoveries baga
Baga
When not done correctly, it tastes like a cheap rosé, but when it’s done well, it’s like Portugal’s Amarone.
Notes of dried sour cherry, blackberry, earthy black currant, cocoa, and tar are typical of the flavor profile.
Why Baga is so Awesome: Baga may provide a lot of results. The reason for this is because Baga is the foundation grape of Matteus, which is one of the most widely marketed hipster rosés in the world. Additionally, it is fragile.
People like Lus Pato and Dirk Niepoort, who battle against huge yields (and employ ancient vines) in order to enhance quality, have lately taken this thin-skinned Portuguese variety more seriously. The results of their labor are improving.
Fine Baga displays all the characteristics of the world’s other great collectible red wines after it has been poured into a glass. Baga has an excellent phenolic structure (high tannin, anthocyanin, and so on), age-worthy acidity (with pH levels around 3.5), and the capacity to age gracefully (that is, the wine does not become undrinkable as the volatile acidity and aging compounds like sotolon grow).
What Am I Storing Away? Check out Quinta do Ribeirinho’s “Pé Franco” (about $199) and Neipoort’s Poeirinho (around $52) for some ideas, even if you should be doing your own research on wines suitable for cellaring and investments.
Xinomavro (“ksino-mav-roh”)
If Rioja and Barolo had a kid, it would be this wine.
Notes of Raspberry, Plum Sauce, Anise, Allspice, and Tobacco Leaf are Typical in the Flavor Profile.
The Reasons Why Xinomavro Is So Cool: If there is one thing to learn about collecting wines (to drink), it is that a little effort spent delving into off-the-beaten-path wine countries like Greece and Portugal will result in truly unique discoveries.
This is the case even if there is only one thing to learn about collecting wines (to drink). One of these wines is known as Xinomavro.
Don’t be put off by the difficult pronunciation of this grape variety; all you have to do is pronounce “Casino-Mavro” and you’ll be almost there. This grape means serious business. When it is made well, Xinomavro is quite reminiscent of Barolo, but wine also has a mild savory flavor that conjures up images of old Tempranillo.
At this point, you should definitely give it some time to rest so that the high levels of acids and tannins can settle down and go out of your system.
So, What Should I Purchase? Sheesh! Once again with the reorganization! If you really want to push my buttons, I’ll tell you to investigate these two areas: Naoussa and Amyndeo (aka Amyntaio).
There are probably not more than a few dozen producers in any location. There are not very many producers.
The wines made by Apostolis Thymiopoulos at Thymiopoulos Vineyards in Naoussa (who is making waves with his biodynamic approach) and Alpha Estate, which is clearly a flagship in Amyndeo, are two that spring to mind. Both of these wineries are located in Amyndeo.
Personally, I can down an entire bottle of Diamantakos in one sitting, so I ask that you refrain from purchasing all of it.
The last word: strangeness is admirable
We still have no idea what lies beyond this point. Before the 1990s, there was very little interest in doing DNA tests on wine types. Ampelographers (researchers who study vines), such as José Vouillamoz, continue to make astounding new findings in our day and age.
There are at least 5,000 distinct wine grapes in the globe, according to some estimates, while others place that number closer to 2,000.
No matter how you look at it, it’s better to be open to variety than to be like toddlers clinging to their mother and clinging to the Cabernet.
Keep in mind that even if you tried one new kind of wine every week, it would take you a full four decades to sample all of them.
Therefore, the next time you want to open a bottle of wine, try something completely different.
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