Summertime–and the drinking can be spritzy, or spicy, or just a little bit saucy. It’s time to toss aside those tried-and-true wines of winter–the stolid cabs, the ho-hum chards, the capable merlots–and experiment with something fresh, new, unknown.
Try playing around with white varietals made from such grapes as moschofilero, verdejo and torrontes. These whites and their other, little-known cousins are the new darlings of a wine world whose mantra has rapidly become “ABC”: “Any-thing But Chardonnay.”
True, chardonnay is still the top dog of white wine in the United States. Some 47 million cases were consumed here in 2002 as compared with 7.8 million cases of pinot grigio, according to Wine Institute, a California wine industry organization based in San Francisco.
Yet, interest is building in a number of once-ignored varietals. “Three years ago you wouldn’t have seen these varietals showing any sales,” said Meredith Elliott, wine director at SushiSamba Rio restaurant in Chicago. “People are learning and it’s catching on. Go to any restaurant and you see the coolest special wines on the list. People are opening themselves up to it.”
Freed from the oaky vice that can turn chardonnay into what Elliott calls “big, robust, slutty butterball wines,” these alternative whites appeal on various levels. The wines are accessible, able to stand alone as an aperitif, and they are adaptable to many of the world’s cuisines.
These varietals “go well with fish, high-acid sauces and fresh vegetables,” Elliott said. “Chardonnays and red wines would be more for rich sauces, pastas.”
The downside of these new whites is that you may have to do some digging to find them or spend a few moments studying an unfamiliar label. You’ll have to recognize names such as marsanne, viognier, verdicchio, albarino, riesling and gruner veltliner.
You may also have to overcome a fear of residual sugar, which is natural to the grape and left over from fermentation. Rieslings have particularly taken a “bad rap” for this, Elliott said.
“People think of the blue bottles they saw on the shelf 15 years ago. They don’t understand the quality of the wines being produced now,” she said.
Peter Marks, wine curator for Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa, Calif., said that pinot grigio, also known as pinot gris, has received a big boost from the ABC attitude. It has become one of the hottest wine imports around, he said.
“Pinot grigio–how it slips off the tongue,” he said. “People are attracted to its vibrancy and the lack of oak.”
Indeed, consumption in the United States of pinot grigio was up nearly 36 percent in 2002, according to Wine Institute statistics.
Mainstream, almost
Consider the growing taste for other white varietals to be an undercurrent to the main market, said Ronn Wiegand, publisher of Restaurant Wine, a bimonthly trade newsletter issued from Napa. He likens the trend to what’s happening in the film industry.
“We think people only watch big Hollywood blockbusters, but peel back the layers,” he said. “A lot of movies are being watched that are not mainstream items.”
Elliott, for one, said that customers are open to wine varietals other than chardonnay. Still, she must talk them through the sale.
Price certainly plays a role. With many of these “newer” white wines, price is not always a barometer of quality because these wines can’t command the higher prices that established or “star” labels enjoy.
“People are hesitant to plunk down $50 on a grape varietal they’ve never heard of,” ex-plained Ray Denton, wine manager of Binny’s Ivanhoe Castle.
Yet Chicago-area merchants agree that lesser-known varietals can compare favorably with pricier wines.
An abundance of riches
Wine consumers may be, in Wiegand’s words, enjoying a “golden age” because of all the choices available, but he admitted that the plethora of wines from around the world can get confusing too.
“I always recommend people ask for help,” he said, adding that prospective wine buyers should arrive at the store or restaurant with a name or two of wines they like. What counts is giving the staff or the server an idea of what types of wine you enjoy so they can recommend something, he said.
Elliott at SushiSamba Rio tries to use familiar wines to introduce unusual ones. She likes a dry Austrian furmint, and compared it to a pinot grigio or a New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
Selecting a strange bottle of wine in a store can be daunting enough; ordering a bottle of wine at a fancy restaurant can seem like agony. No one wants to do something stupid in front of friends, family or, more important, the server or sommelier. That’s why so many smart restaurateurs and sommeliers strive to make it as easy or relaxed as possible.
With some 1,200 to 1,400 different labels on hand at TRU, assistant sommelier Aaron Elliott admitted that perusing the list can seem intimidating at first. He tries to help customers winnow down their choices. He said that some customers prefer to stick with old favorites while others want to experiment. And some may want to try something different but are hesitant, perhaps remembering a bad experience with that wine variety in the past.
“Be honest,” he urged. “Tell me if you like something, don’t like something. Tell me what you’ve had in the past.”
Aaron Elliott is game to go wherever the customer desires.
“I’m a huge fan of having you order the wine that you like or the food you like,” he said. “Who’s to say you’re making a mistake?”
Say it, but don’t slay it
How do you order a wine if you are not sure how to pronounce it?
Here’s a cheat sheet culled from various wine reference sources to help you cope with some of the tongue-tanglers lurking on market shelves and restaurant wine lists.
If you forget to clip this out and memory fails — don’t worry. Many reference works, including Wine Lover’s Companion and the just-published Diana Belluci’s “How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names” (Luminosa Publishing, $30), offer pronunciation guides.
If all else fails, simply grin and point. Your server or clerk will certainly understand, particularly if he or she wants to make a sale.
Chasselas (sha-suh-LA): An ancient white grape variety believed to hail from the Middle East. Grown in Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and New Zealand.
Gavi (GAH-vee): A winemaking district or DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) in Italy’s Piedmont region.
Gewurtztraminer (guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner): White wine grape cultivated around the world but particularly identified with France’s Alsace region and with Germany.
Gruner veltliner (GROO-ner FELT-lih-ner): White wine grape grown primarily in Austria.
Moschofilero (mo-sko-FEE-leh-ro): A pink-skinned grape variety indigenous to Greece used for making white wine. Also spelled “moscophilero.”
Pinot grigio (PEE-no GREE-gee-o): Italian name for the pinot gris grape.
Pinot gris (PEE-no GREE): French name for white grape most commonly associated with Alsace.
Riesling (REEZ-ling): White grape native to Germany that can produce wine in styles from dry to sweet. The grapes are also grown in Alsace, Italy, the United States and Australia, among other locations.
Roero Arneis (ro-EHR-oh ahr-NAYZ): A wine-growing zone located in the southeastern part of Italy’s Piedmont region. The white Roero Arneis wines are made from 100 percent arneis grapes.
Sauvignon blanc (SOH-vihn-yohn BLAHN): White grape grown around the world, notably in France, California and New Zealand.
Scheurebe (SHEWR-ub): A grape that’s a cross between riesling and sylvaner (sil-VAN-uhr) grapes and most widely grown in Germany’s Rheinhessen and Rheinpfalz regions.
Torrontes (toe-ron-TEHS): A white grape originally from Spain, now a top varietal in Argentina.
Ugni blanc (OO-nee BLAHN): A French name for a grape of many names including the Italian trebbiano (treh-bee-AH-noh).
Verdejo (vehr-DAY-yoh): A white grape grown in and around Spain’s Rueda region.
Vinho verde (VEE-nyoh VEHR-deh): The largest wine district or DOC in Portugal, located in the Minho region. The name refers not to the color of the wine but its fresh taste.
Sources: Wine Lover’s Companion; Wine International magazine; “How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names,” Greekwinemakers.com
— Bill Daley
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What we tasted
To open a selection of so-called “alternative” white wines, as the Good Eating staff did for our recent informal tasting, is to savor the oenological equivalent of a mixed floral bouquet.
Some of the wines sampled were elegant, some spritzy, and some had a touch of spice or acid to balance the fruit. Refreshing and light, these wines can stand alone as an aperitif. Many also would ably serve the zesty foods of summer.
We decided to focus on lesser known varietals rather than the more familiar pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc.
Of the 15 wines sampled, we ended up with a list of 10 eminently sippable wines. Our top choice was the cheapest at $7. Although one wine rang in at $29, most were reasonably priced. All stand well on their own, but we also offer some food pairing suggestions.
2002 Domaine de Pouy Vin de Pays des Cotes des Gascogne ($7)
Made with the ugni blanc grape, this wine from France offers plenty of lush fruit– pineapple, peach, melon –capped with a touch of spice. Food pairings: grilled fish, cold meats, shrimp or fennel salads.
(Three corkscrews)
2001 Dr. Ganz Scheurebe Bretzenheimer Hofgut Kabinett ($10)
A long name for a lovely wine made from the scheurebe grape. This golden wine has a scent akin to a mango or ripe melon and has a full, honeylike texture that coats the mouth. Yet the flavor is dry and food-friendly. Pour with chili-glazed pork, spicy bean tamales, roast chicken, foie gras.
(Three corkscrews)
2001 Palacio de Menade Verdejo Rueda ($9)
With a green, herbaceous scent and a fruity flavor offset by an astringent finish, this Spanish wine has the heft to hold up to crab salad, grilled tuna, bruschetta and roast chicken.
(Two corkscrews)
2001 Prager Gruner Veltliner Weissenkirchen Smaragd Achleiten ($29)
Sophisticated yet easily drinkable, this Austrian white offers a slight effervescent spiciness that counters the lingering fruit notes. Asian foods are a natural pairing, but experiment with a pear salad, cheeses and grilled pork.
(Two corkscrews)
2002 Michele Chiarlo Gavi ($17)
Fashioned from the cortese grape, this Italian wine is dry and intriguingly topped with a spicy note akin to incense. Try it with grilled chicken or pork. The more adventurous might try it with a Thai green curry.
(Two corkscrews)
2000 Schoffit Chasselas Cuvee Alexandre ($15)
This chasselas from France’s Alsace drew a mixed response. While one taster spoke of its velvety smoothness and aroma of ripe pineapple, another compared it to “old” fruit salad. Still, the wine made an impression. Try it with grilled vegetables, olives, wild mushrooms, Vietnamese rice noodle salad.
(Two corkscrews)
2003 Grosset Riesling Polish Hill ($26).
This Australian wine underscores the fact that riesling grapes are being grown and bottled around the world, not just Alsace or Germany. Slightly effervescent and just tart enough to be refreshing, this Clare Valley wine is warmed by notes of apricot, honey and lemon. Try with roast turkey, lentil salad, even macaroni and cheese.
(Two corkscrews)
2003 Susana Balbo Torrontes Crios ($14)
Torrontes is the primo white grape in Argentina. Floral and peach notes are pleasing but there’s an odd flavor: “Soapy,” one taster suggested. It’s made for “dirty” rice. Other food pairings: grilled shrimp, cheese.
(Two corkscrews)
2003 Boutari Moschofilero ($13)
A lively rendering of a hairy-chested god on the label hints this Greek wine isn’t your mother’s retsina. Though practically colorless, it is fruit-forward yet with a nice crispness that translates into a little spritz on the tongue. Pair with Thai or Vietnamese food, avocado salad, poached chicken breast.
(Two corkscrews)
2002 Vietti Roero Arneis ($17)
The tasting panel was split on this Italian wine. While one found it “intriguingly floral” with a dry finish, another found little fruit and too much astringency. But the wine has guts, allowing it to stand up to any chili-fueled heat found in Asian dishes.
(Two corkscrews)
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Ratings key:
(Four corkscrews): excellent
(Three corkscrews): very good
(Two corkscrews): good
(One corkscrew): fair
(no corkscrews: poor)
