4 Underrated Wine Varieties

Ep 42

Do you find yourself drinking the same wine all the time? 

Even as a wine enthusiast, I’m guilty of this myself! 

And while I know how easy it is to gravitate towards the same wines, I’m here to help you find some fun and interesting new wines to try!

Today, I’m introducing you to 4 of my favorite wines that aren’t quite as well known…but they must go on your list of new wines to try!

From the spicy Grüner Veltliner and refreshing Soave to the fruity Mencia and earthy Carménère - get ready to discover amazing new flavor profiles! Find out what my go-to bottle of wine when shopping at a wine shop or while out to dinner is, how to pair these wines with food, and so much more!

In a world where it is so easy to stick to the familiar, I hope you will try one of my favorite lesser known wines that I mentioned today. When you do, please send me a DM on Instagram and let me know which one you tried!

This episode of the Cork and Fizz podcast is sponsored by Repour - save 10% off your next order with code CORKANDFIZZ and the Cork Crew Virtual Wine Club - grab your free class pass at www.corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass

Episode Highlights:

• My go-to bottle of wine at the store
• What does Grüner Veltliner taste like?
• Where does the Grüner Veltliner grape originate from?
• What food pairs well with Grüner Veltliner?
• What temperature to serve Grüner Veltliner at?
• The wine that blew my mind when I first tried it!
• What does Mencia taste like?
• What temperature to serve Mencia at?
• Does Mencia age well?
• My go-to bottle of wine when out to dinner
• Garganega flavor profile
• What food to pair Soave with
• The wine that was the first topic of my very first virtual wine tasting
• Carménère food pairings
• Carménère flavor profile

Transcript

0:27

There are over 10,000 different styles of wine out there in the world, but it's easy to find ourselves drinking the same wines. I am so so guilty of this even as a wine, like, enthusiast myself. So you've got the most popular styles. Right? Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, just to name a few. You find these the most often and it's easy to gravitate towards these, But since you're listening to this podcast, I have a feeling it means you're interested in trying some new wines. So I thought it'd be fun to to introduce you to 4 of my favorite wines that aren't quite as well known. Now, again, before we get into this, just a quick reminder, if you are not on my mailing list yet, what are you waiting for? I would love for you to join. I would love for you to join. When you do, you'll get a free shopping guide that has 15 of my favorite wines under $15. Head to kork and fizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Alright. Now let's get into the episode. So the 1st wine I'm going to introduce you to is Gruner Veltliner. This is one of the most reliable white wines that I found at both a lower and higher price point. So I say that meaning if you're looking for something tasty at a low budget, try Gruner Veltliner. I found really great bottles as low as like $12. If you're looking to spend a bit more, though not a whole lot, maybe like 30 be prepared to be amazed by the Gruner Veltliner that you can buy. This grape, Gruner Veltliner, is like a spicy sauvignon blanc, like high acidity, light bodied, low alcohol. Your aromas include yellow apple, star fruit, peach, asparagus, or even green beans. I know it's a little weird, but it just adds this, like, little green note to it, and then white pepper. And so if you're curious like me, I don't know if I ever smelled pure white pepper. So just a note on black pepper versus white pepper, all peppercorns are originally green in color, but black peppercorns are sun dried while white peppercorns have the outer layer removed either before or after drying leaving the white seed. So most people will say white pepper smells more pungent than black pepper, and black pepper is slightly fresher and more complex. And that white pepper contains more of this, chemical compound called rotundin. So if you ever heard me talk about rotundin, it might have been when I talk about, aromatics. It's found in people say it's found in Syrah, and it's what gives Syrah that black pepper aroma. White pepper actually contains more, so there's a good chance that our Gruner Weltliner contains more rotunden than a lot of Syrah. And finally, our last aromatic is flint. So, again, think wet rock, minerality, walking by a waterfall, the smell of the pavement after it's just rained, that is that aroma I'm talking about. Gudrun and Weltliner, it originates from Austria, and that's still and that's still where you're gonna find most of it today. Most of it is made in the region of Austria called Lower Austria. This region is broken down into 8 separate wine districts that form a loop around Vienna, but interestingly enough doesn't include it. Vienna is technically its own wine region. It's the only major city in the world to be considered its own wine region. Here you're gonna find 3 climate zones, so here being lower Austria. So you're gonna have the Vintertw in the north, and I'm sorry I don't don't know Austria, so these are gonna be, I might not be perfect on the pronunciation. So is on the same latitude as the Champagne region, so it always makes lighter, easy drinking styles with a lot of freshness. It's a cooler area. Then the Danube River region with its side valleys. This is west of Vienna. This includes Tricen, Kump, and Krumbs. This is home to Austria's most famous vineyards, and this is where age worthy single vineyard Grunerweltliners are grown. You're gonna have a rocky You've got nice quartz, gravel, loch, and sand that dominate those soils. And then finally, the Pannonian region, the Neder Ode district to the southeast. It is a mouthful. But these are equally long lived wines, but they're on lighter feet. So it's got more calcareous soil versus that rocky soil. So, again, the neater odor strike, I would spell it, but it's real long. So just look for a long word that starts with an n, and ends with odor strife. Alright. So those are your 3 regions in lower Austria. Gotherevatliner is also grown a decent amount in Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, though I'm guessing these wines really don't make it out of the country very much. Other than Austria, the other country that I had Gruner Veltliner from is actually the US. I've had 2 really delicious bottles from Santa Barbara, 1 by a winery called to Tomer and one by a winery that you just met a couple episodes ago, Kamin's Dreams. I've also seen a few bottles from Oregon, Washington, and New York, though it's not super common. Gruner Veltliner is incredibly super food friendly. Think of it like a palate cleanser. So with that in mind, you can pair it with creamier, more rich dishes. I'd lean towards white sauce over red sauce, though. The tomato could overpower it or just kind of, like, just not work together, and then lighter meats over red meats for that same reason. And then due to the spice in Gruner Veltliner, it can also pair well with spiced dishes, like tarragon chicken or chicken piccata. I recommend serving this wine cold, but not ice cold. So place it in your fridge for at least, what, like 12 hours, then take the bottle out 20 minutes or so before you plan to drink it. Now some Gruner and Mettlina, remember I said they were ageworthy, can age up to 10 to 15 years, but not all of them. If you're purchasing from a small wine shop or directly from a winemaker, be sure to ask them their opinion on how long that bottle should age or when you should drink it. Okay. Wine number two. I gave a little preview of this in last week's episode. So wine number 2 is, and this Spanish red wine absolutely blew my mind the 1st time I tried it. My first thought was, why did I wait so long to have this wine? Mancilla is a beautiful deep ruby colored wine. That darker color tells us that mencia has high anthocyanin, which often leads to more structured tannins in the wine. It's also what people will say is, like, those are, like, the healthy things in wine. Right? Like, the antioxidants and I mean, kinda, but it's also still wine with alcohol. So I'm never gonna say it's healthy, but it's good for the soul. In terms of aromas, Mencia contains high levels of a subgroup of aroma compounds called terpenoids. These translate into these really lovely floral aromas, some strawberry, raspberry, black licorice, pomegranate, and cherry sauce. So those terpenoids, just think like floral and fruity. You can also find aromas of crushed gravel and blackberry in amensia. Structure wise, you can expect medium plus across the board. So when I say medium plus, like, think on, like, a scale 1 to 5, a medium plus is like 4 out of 5. So 4 out of 5 acidity, 4 out of 5 tannin, 4 out of 5 alcohol, and 4 out of 5 or medium plus body. So this has got a lot going on. Now if you've ever now if you've never heard of Mencia, unless except for on my podcast, not surprising. It's really only grown in Spain and Portugal on that Iberian Peninsula. Mencia grapes are grown in primarily 4 regions on the Iberian Peninsula. So you have ribera sacra, valderas, bierso, which remember bierso was on our last episode last week. Those 3 are all in northwestern Spain, and then it is grown a little bit in the Dhow, and this is in northern Portugal. In my opinion, the Basementia comes from Birzo, but I could easily be convinced to find some more wines. It's it's just a really lovely grape. Bierso wasn't actually a DO status until 1989. We talked about this a little bit last week. Mancilla was originally known as simple regional grape variety grown in volume, used to make table wines, nothing exciting. However, at the end, at the turn of 20th century, it experienced a surge in popularity. This is thanks to that high profile winemaker Alvaro Palacios of Priora fame, so he was first there. Then he went to Bierso. He and his nephew, ended up creating some of the best wine in the region at their winery, the Cindientes de Jose Palacios. Winemakers quickly learned that when done right, they followed the lead of Alvaro Palacios. Mencia could offer this really fascinating wine across a contrasting spectrum of styles. So at one end, you had fruity, like, you know, fruit forward wines with supple tannins and succulent fruit. At the other end, you had more concentrated, powerful styles with this more, like, exotic earthiness, smooth tannins, and just that enviable reflection of, like, minerality that you would find in the Bierso Terreux. Cost wise, I'd say you could find a great for about 15 to $30. I would enjoy this at cellar temperature. So either enjoy it straight from your cool temp cellar, so 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you're drinking it if it's just at, like, room temperature. Some can age up to 20 years. Others are more fruit forward and meant to be drink now. So similar to the advice I gave for the Gruner, just ask when you buy it. Okay. Wine number 3. Goodness. Okay. Wine number 3, Suave. This is, also the wine is called Suave. The grape is called Gadigalaga. And Gruner Veltliner is my go to bottle when grabbing a bottle at the store. Suave is my go to bottle when ordering a bottle of wine at dinner for a group, especially if we're at an Italian restaurant. So unlike the other ones I've mentioned here, Suave is the name of the region in northwest Italy where the wine is made, not the name of the grape. The grape that Suave is primarily made out of is Caraganaga. Flavor wise, you can expect notes of peach, honeydew melon, tangerine, fresh herbs, almonds, and salinity. Think like seashells and ocean breeze. Structure wise, you got medium to high acidity for so very refreshing, light bodied, and low alcohol. So we're very similar structure wise to that, Gruner Veltliner, just different flavors going on. Now while most sources will recommend that you pair this wine with lighter meats, like chicken, turkey, fish, and lighter dressings like citrus or herbaceous sauces. I found that this wine can pair just as well with the Caesar salad as it does with gnocchi and red sauce. So and this is purely from experience. Anytime I order this, for our table at an Italian restaurant, we've got multiple people there all doing a different dish. The soave always pairs with everything. It tastes great no matter what you're eating it with. This wine should be served cold, but, again, not ice cold. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to drink it. I mean, unless, of course, it's the middle of the summer and you need something ice cold and refreshing, this actually works really well for that too. So, I mean, it depends on what you wanna get out of it. More aromas? Get a little warmer. Just want it ice cold and refreshing? Take it right out of the fridge. Price wise, you shouldn't need to spend more than $20 at a bottle shop, and you will likely be able to find them for around $50 on restaurant wine lists. Price wise, you shouldn't need to spend more than $20 at a bottle shop, and you will likely be able to find 1 for around $50 on a restaurant wine list. And while you can drink them young, some, namely those labeled suave superiore or suave classico, can age for 3 to 7 years and develop more aromas and flavors. And finally, wine number 4, Carmenere. I have a soft spot for Chilean wines because it was the topic of my very first virtual wine tasting, and the wine that stands out the most to me is Carmenere. It's the perfect wine to pair with grilled or roasted meats or even grilled bell peppers, that's my favorite pairing. This wine just has so much flavor and aroma. It ranges from medium to full bodied and has lower acidity and tannin levels. Aroma wise, you'll find things like raspberry, black plum, black plum, paprika, vanilla, and green bell pepper. That green bell pepper aroma comes from a specific aroma compound called Methoxypyrazine, often called Pyrazines for short. This aroma compound occurs naturally in the vines developed as a way for the plant to protect itself from pests. If this sounds familiar, it's because we talked about it with our episode as well that also had pyrazines and green bell pepper aromas. Too much Pyrazine can be overwhelming. Think like old asparagus water or, like, mushy steamed green peppers. But as long as the growers are smart in the vineyard, aka they're clearing the fruit zone of leaves so that the grapes get more sunlight, they're keeping the canopy in good order, the canopy again is all those leaves up top, and they're restricting the amount of water that the vines receive early on. Those pyrosine levels should just add complexity and not be overwhelming. As I mentioned before most common year in the world comes from Chile, but it's actually a funny story on how that happened. You see commoner originated in France, in Bordeaux specifically, and it was thought to be nearly extinct when most of the plantings were pulled up and replaced with vines that grafted better to American rootstock after phylloxera. That remember that tiny little aphid bug that destroyed all the vineyards? Yeah. It it you know, they when they realized how to fix it, they had to graft their vines onto American rootstock. Carmenere didn't graft very well, so they're like, get rid of that, we don't need it. Lucky for us though, Carmenere was brought down to Chile by French winemakers escaping phylloxera. However, this is a part where you're like, okay, so why did we think it was extinct then? You see, they didn't realize it at the time. They thought they were bringing down Merlot. When you look at the leaves of the grapes close, if you look at the leaves of the grapes closely, you can only spot a couple differences. They're super similar. So similar that it wasn't until 1994, the year before I was born, and nearly a 145 years after it was brought over to Chile, that a French amphilographer, fancy name for a botanist for grapes, Jean Mitchell, not even gonna try to pronounce that last name, identified Carmenere Vines. So again, the French winemakers went down to Chile to make wine after phylloxera, thought they were bringing Merlot, turns out it's Carmenere. Before then, so before they finally realized it was carmeniere, Chilean winemakers did notice a couple differences between the actual Merlot and this carmeniere that they were calling Merlot. One of the much one of the major differences was that it ripened much later, so they started calling it the other Merlot or Chilean Merlot. And and, you know, who knows? It could have been. Right? We talked about the clones with, I mean, who knows? It could have been. Last week, we were talking about, you know, clones between Rio and Ribeiro del Duero. Right? And, you know, a same variety can end up being slightly different based on where it's grown. So it's not crazy that that could happen. However, it was not just the other Merlot. Turns out it was Carmenere. So this mistake saved the right the variety from extinction because 96% of carmenur vines are grown in Chile. So carmenur is grown primarily in the Valle Central of Chile, but in lots of different pockets, including the Maipo, Male, and Cachapual valleys. I think its finest sites are located in the Colchagua Valley in Valle Central. There's an area that is newly dubbed Apalta and Los Lingues Dios, and these are known honestly, these are the ones to know for Carmenere. So Apalta, apalta, and then Los Lingues, l o s and then l I n g u e s. They achieve this really nice, coveted balance between power and finesse. They've got sloped hillslides, of valleys and then flatter lower ones as well, so you get a little bit of everything with that carmeniere. Cost wise, you can get a great bottle between 15 to $30. I would serve this wine just below room temperature, so maybe put it in the fridge for like 20 minutes before you drink it. And most common year is meant to be drink somewhat young about five to 10 years of age. If you have it a little earlier than that, I don't think you'll have any problem with it. Maybe just decant it, throw it in that decanter for, like, half an hour. Alright, there you have it, there are 4 new wines for you to go out and try. So first we talked about Gruner Veltliner, which you're most likely going to find from Austria. Then we talked about Mencia, a red grape from Bierso in Spain. Then Suave, our lovely fun Italian white wine that's gonna pair well with so many different foods, and finally, carmeniere, which is our Chilean red that has that fun green bell pepper note, but lots of other raspberry, black plum, really rich flavors. It's gonna go really well with grilled meats. Let me know which one you are most excited to try. Send me a message on Instagram at corknfizz or send me an email haley@korknfizz.com. Now, I hope you enjoyed this episode, and if you loved it as much as I did, I would so appreciate it. Take a quick second, leave a review, rate it, and share it with a friend. If you know somebody who needs to try some new wines, they're kind of stuck in a rut, it'd be a great way to say, hey. Why don't we go try one of these wines? Just send them a picture of the podcast or send them a link. And, of course, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. We we release new episodes every Wednesday. In next week's episode, I'll be interviewing David Kong, the founder of Glassfin. Glassfin is a young and vibrant company that is changing the glassware industry. They're offering hand blown glassware at a more accessible price by cutting out the middlemen between the artist and you. I think you'll find David's take on glassware super interesting. I find the glass like wine glasses, it can be a very, like, what do I wanna say? Like, snobby topic. But I think his take on it is super interesting, and it might encourage you to potentially go out and get that 1 fancy glass for you to use basically all the time. You you'll you'll see what he says. Thanks again for listening. As a thank you, I'd love to share my free shopping guide, 15 wines under$15. Simply head to my website, korkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and join the mailing list. Cheers.