I’m always happy when a good wine garners deserved praise, and even happier when this translates to commercial success. Yet many great bottles fly under the radar. If a winery hasn’t received glowing accolades from a famous critic, or if it has limited resources to invest in promotion, it may remain virtually unknown, no matter how delicious its wines.
While we have a tendency to gravitate toward the known or the safe bet, it’s also human nature to champion the underdog, and there are plenty of these in the world of wine. Supporting them often means venturing off the beaten track. Besides limited marketing budgets or small production, wines made from obscure grape varieties and in eclipsed regions, as well as less mainstream or popular styles, definitely fall into this category.
If your curiosity is piqued, check out local wine festivals like Top Drop (May 23-24) and Garagiste North (Apr. 22). These are geared toward encouraging the underdogs.
Below are a few tasty small-fries for which I’m enthusiastically cheering.
Unsworth Charme De L’Ile ($23 from unsworthvineyards.com; prices vary at private wine stores)
Vancouver Island isn’t usually the first wine destination that comes to mind. The handful of wineries that exist there eke out small quantities. Charme De L’Ile is a burgeoning specialty, and the name can only be used for sparkling wines using island grapes. It’s made in a similar manner to Prosecco, where a second fermentation in closed tanks gives the wine its scintillating sparkle. I can’t help but think of such little-known island wines as David going up against Italy’s colossal Goliath.
2015 Little Farm Mulberry Tree Vineyard Riesling ($25.99 from littlefarmwinery.ca; prices vary at private wine stores)
As the name suggests, this local property is tiny (only four acres of vineyard). Furthermore, it’s in the Similkameen Valley, which is often bypassed by wine tourists racing to the Okanagan. They’re missing out! Little Farm’s cute red barn doubles as a winery and wine shop. I highly recommend making the detour and committing to an appointment to taste their rosé, Chardonnay, and this unequivocally dry, thrillingly piercing Riesling.
Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut ($73.99, BC Liquor Stores)
Famous Champagne house Veuve Clicquot produces about 10 million bottles per year, while the biggest of all, Moët et Chandon, makes upward of 26 million. This affords them a robust marketing budget to keep their Champagnes front and centre. By comparison, Larmandier-Bernier crafts a mere 130,000 bottles made exclusively from their own grapes (thus referred to as a Grower Champagne). They use all of their resources to achieve this complex and refined 100-per-cent Chardonnay Champagne.
Casalone la Capletta Grignolino ($26 at private wine stores, including Liberty Wine Merchants)
Grignolino faces a number of challenges. This little-known grape, in addition to not being the easiest to pronounce, is pale in colour and light in body, which goes against the fashion for red wines. Finally, the acidity is bracing and the tannins are dry. Lean rather than rich, Grignolino’s appeal emanates from its gorgeous scents of rosehip, iris and pepper, and its crunchy red-fruit flavours. Mouth-scrubbing with charcuterie, the Casalone is particularly refreshing when served with a slight chill.
2013 Valdipiatta Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Prices vary, at private wine stores)
I would never suggest that the much-visited region of Tuscany is Italy’s underdog. However, among its three most highly regarded Sangiovese-based denominations, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is far less known than Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico – which is what compelled me to visit the zone this past week. I found that quality varied widely, but I was happy to discover Valdipiatta’s elegant and slyly seductive Vino Nobile, replete with ripe cherry, tobacco and minerals.
Prices exclusive of taxes.
