Unfamiliar wines offer unexpected pleasures.
Wine drinkers all have those go-to labels, the tried-and-true bottles we pull off the wine store shelf without much thought. But at this time of year, when a host of wines is released in the lead-up to the holidays, why not take a chance on something new?
There’s nothing better than discovering something wonderful when you weren’t really looking, or maybe had hesitations about what to expect in the first place.
I had a very loose plan for this week’s column. Instead of working with wines that had been submitted for review, I’d grab four bottles from the store, each under $15, that looked interesting to me. The only criterion was that there would be at least one thing about each wine that was new to me, whether it was the producer, the varietal or the regions they hailed from. Then I’d write about them regardless of what I thought.
It was an exercise in discovery, an attempt to rekindle moments similar to the one I had traveling to Spain’s Canary Islands a few years ago.
Joe Iurato recommends the following lesser-known, value-priced wines.
* 2009 Alta Vista, “Classic Argentina,” Torrontes, Salta, Argentina
Try if you like: Sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, gruner veltliner
The torrontes varietal is showing up more and more on store shelves, but the quality varies significantly. This is a very good example of what the grape can do. Pretty, pale straw yellow with a tinge of green, like olive oil in a glass. The nose reminds me of Alsatian gewurztraminer, with grapefruit, lychees and roses being most pronounced.
Food pairings: Shellfish, Asian/Thai cuisine
How much: $10
Where to buy: ShopRite Liquors, Rochelle Park
* 2010 Boutari, Moschofilero, Mantinia, Greece
Try if you like: Crisp, medium-bodied, aromatic whites
I’ve got Greek wines on the brain since a recent tasting at Taverna Mykonos in Elmwood Park. Lip-smacking my way through a fantastic selection of bottles, all I could do was keep asking myself, “How do I know almost nothing about these wines? And why isn’t there any buzz, ever, about how good Greek wines can be?”
This wine, produced by the respected Boutari house, is made with 100 percent moschofilero, a varietal indigenous to the Peloponnese region of Greece. It is intensely aromatic, with notes of lime zest, white flowery perfume, spice and an enticing minerality.
Food pairings: Seafood, light Mediterranean fare with lemon, olive oil ingredients
How much: $12.99
Where to buy: Stew Leonard’s Wines, Clifton
2008 Quinta de Ventozelo, “QV,” Tinto, Douro, Portugal
Try if you like: Tempranillo, malbec
A Douro blend of touriga nacional, tinta roriz (also known as tempranillo) and touriga franca. QV tinto displays blueberries, plums, figs, spice box, smoke and mineral. It’s juicy up front and then quickly turns to earth and spice, with structured tannins and the berries repeating on the finish.
Food pairings: Pasta, grilled meats and poultry, semi-hard cheeses
How much: $10
Where to buy: Total Wine and More, River Edge
2007 Val d’Orbieu, “La Cuvée Mythique,” Languedoc, France
Try if you like: Syrah, grenache, Rhones
La Cuvée Mythique is sourced from the “micro cuvées” of 32 different growers throughout the Languedoc. Sure, the name alone strikes a curiosity, but what made me pick this one up is the unique blend of syrah, grenache, old-vines carignane, mourvedre, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.
The nose shows off dark berries, chocolate, earth and leather. Between its dark, ripe fruit and spicy edge, La Cuvée Mythique falls somewhere in between a Rhone and a Bordeaux in style. Full-bodied with velvety tannins and a lingering warm finish. It’s as delicious and interesting as it sounds.
Food pairings: Game, lamb, duck, grilled meat, hard cheeses
How much: $14
Where to buy: Total Wine and More, River Edge
I had just landed on Tenerife – one of the islands — along with a small crew of outdoor enthusiasts. We were all media members, from various outdoor lifestyle publications, and we’d been flown in to test some new gear on a hike up El Teide, an active volcano and the tallest peak in Spain (at 12,200 feet).
Right away I could tell it wouldn’t be a typical backpacker’s kind of trip, though. Upon arrival at our hotel in the high altitude village of Vilaflor, we were greeted with an array of local wines and tapas on a terra cotta terrace overlooking miles of dense pine forest. Unlike my last climbing trip, there wasn’t any tumbleweed, Pabst cans or trail mix in sight.
Not only was Tenerife going to be a new adventure, but only a couple hours into my time on the island it had already become another pivotal moment in my endless journey as an oenophile. It hit me right then and there how almost incomprehensibly vast the world of wine is.
On that terrace alone, I discovered intriguing juice from regions and grapes I knew very little, if anything, about. Most of the wines were from the region of Abona, a classified DO (Denominación de Origen) near us on the southern part of the island. The whites were lively, crisp and floral. The reds were fruit forward and juicy, with hints of pepper and earth, reminiscent of Cru Beaujolais. The wines were good, very good. And in the 785 square miles that make up the island of Tenerife, Abona is just one of five classified DOs.
I’d been told most of the bodegas on the island produce such small quantities of wine that they seldom make it over to mainland Spain, let alone anywhere else in the world. And why would they bother anyway? How can they compete globally with the already popular wines of such blockbuster Spanish regions as Rioja, Priorat and Ribero del Duero, to name just a few? They shouldn’t and they can’t. And so here, on Tenerife, a lesser-known treasure trove of world-class wines is reserved mostly for the locals and tourists.
In the end, the only thing better than the anticipation of cracking open each bottle was the juice inside them. The 10 bucks or so I spent on each one went a long way and left me on new roads to explore.
We don’t have to travel to faraway lands or be forced into discovery to stumble upon something special. Sometimes, all we really need is an open mind and less of a plan in the wine shop.
Joe Iurato is a certified sommelier, wine consultant and lecturer, and a working fine artist. For questions and comments, e-mail him at features@northjersey.com.
Unfamiliar wines offer unexpected pleasures.
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