Wine, like many other pursuits, can slip into the mundane on occasion but you can remedy that by expanding your viniferous horizons and delving into the…
When we think of old-world wine regions, it’s France, Italy and Spain that comes to mind, but Georgia is widely considered to be the birthplace of wine with evidence of its production dating back to 6000 BC. Eastern European countries, in general, have a long history of wine production but the volumes are small relative to the big three. We don’t see much wine from Czechia, for example, but a young winemaker named Milan Nestarec has built a cult following for his natural approach.
Italy is home to hundreds of grape varieties that stretch well beyond what we tend to see on our shelves. Take the white pecorino grape for example. It may share its name with a famous sheep’s milk cheese but the similarities end there. Its beginnings likely originate in the Marche and Abruzzi regions, but plantings extend beyond those zones. It’s an ancient varietal that typically displays a nice vein of salinity through its minerals/citrus core, making it ideal for seafood.
Hungary has a vibrant wine culture but outside of their famous sweet wine – Tokaji – we don’t see much other than some dry versions of the furmint grape . Earlier this month, I tasted a delicious red made from kadarka, an indigenous red grape found in both Hungary and Bulgaria. It’s estimated that there are only 700 hectares of this grape grown in the entire world, so a rarity to be sure.
Spain has become a reliable source for high-quality wines that won’t break the bank and some favourites of mine lately are courtesy of mencia, a grape indigenous to the Iberian Peninsula . Mencia develops high levels of terpenoids that lend it an intense aroma of red fruits and licorice. The wine – which heralds from Spain’s Bierzo region – can be fashioned into powerful reds with lots of concentration and grip making them ideal for cellaring, or as a partner to beef and game meats.
The wine route less travelled can be rife with tasty viniferous discoveries, so hop off the highway and check out those side roads. Getting lost isn’t always a bad thing. Cheers!Geoff Last is a long-time Calgary wine merchant writer, instructor, and broadcaster. He can be heard every Friday on CJSW’s Road Pops program between 4 to 6 p.m. He was awarded a fellowship at Napa Valley’s Symposium of Professional Wine Writers for articles that have appeared in this column.
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