The best varietal in life comes in bottles of red & white

I love variety.  If variety is the spice of life then I’ll have mine muy picante.  I only buy cereal in variety packs; I’ve lived in more places than I have fingers; but the real variety, the best varietal in life, comes in bottles of red and white.  For those of you who think cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay is the only way to drink – don’t read any further, the following may upset you.

Multiply the vast number of varietals that vintners are growing by the array of methods they are using, and there is simply no question that the varieties of wines have never been better or more fun to play with. Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has documented over 350 grapes and granted them “authorized” status, though there are more than 500 other documented varietals in circulation as well.  In Greece: about 400 different varietals; over 600 varietals planted throughout Spain.  And that’s only three of the wine-producing countries I could name.  Today, the styles and tastes of the wines are limitless.

Listed below are a few varietals that you should be able to find at your better wine shops.  Try them out.  Savor them.  Expand your comfort zone—go beyond your run-of-the-mill Cabs and Chards.

Arneis from Piedmonte.  Literally translated “little rascal” in the local dialect, these grapes tend to be dry and full-bodied, with notes of pears and apricots.  Try some from producers Vietti or Bruno Giacosa.

Nero d’Avola.  The “Black of Avola” is the most important red wine grape in Sicily and is one of Italy’s most important indigenous varieties.  Its sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavors are compared to Australian Shiraz.  Try some from Duca di Salaparuta or Valle dell’Acate.

Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety whose name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, “the blood of Jove.”  This grape is probably the most underrated grape in all of Italy even though it is the top producer in Italy.  Chances are you’ve heard of it but its name conjures up the image of a straw-covered fiasci with a very low price tag.  Just as the California bulk wines which masqueraded as “Chablis” damaged the popular perception of the wonderfully pure examples Burgundy’s chardonnay grape, the use of the word “Chianti” has similarly besmirched the Sangiovese.  It’s high time to give it another try. Producers Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi or Felsina will not disappoint.

Tempranillo from the Spanish temprano, or “early,” this dark beauty earns its name because it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes.  Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain.  Theseo wines can be consumed young, but the most expressive ones are aged for several years in oak.  They pour out ruby red, mesmerizing, with aromas and flavors of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and herb. Try some from producers Lopez de Heredia or Bodegas Muga.

Zweigelt.  A cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, this is a red wine grape variety developed in 1922 at the Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology in Austria, by, you guessed it, Fritz Zweigelt. Because of its fruity characteristics, it has been compared to the wines produced from the Gamay grape, like the red wines of Beaujolais.  Producers Geyerhof and Tegernseerhof are worth trying.

- Josh Goldman, Sommelier at The Dining Room