Have I ever shared my strategy for touring big art museums? A place like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York can be overwhelming in its size and variety. My legs ache at the idea of trying to get through all of it. But if I pick just a few small galleries to visit, I know I will leave fulfilled, enlightened and satisfied.
Wine today is a lot like a big art museum.
I’ve written often of the astounding diversity of wines available to wine lovers at this moment. The sheer number of widely available choices is unlike anything in the many centuries’ history of wine.
But the opportunity to drink this vast variety comes with a downside: selection paralysis. It’s easy to be so crushed by the assortment that you either fall back on something familiar — pinot grigio, again? — or turn away from wine entirely.
I have been so focused on the joys of discovery that I haven’t paid nearly enough attention to the dangers of too many choices. But they are real. It seems sad that the glorious opportunity to try wines in so many different styles from so many places should have this pernicious effect. I’d like to propose a solution.
Let’s focus on a small subset of the choices available today. Rather than the hundreds of different kinds of wine that you can find in a good shop, let’s narrow the selection down to, say, those made with 10 grapes. As with the art museum, tightening the parameters comes with a big payoff. Concentrating on a smaller number eliminates the agony of selection and permits clear concentration.
With that in mind, here are 10 grapes to get to know. You don’t even need to try them all. Just pick a few. These are not all esoteric or obscure. You may have encountered them before. But they all promise great pleasure and will reward exploration. Think of this as a treasure map for navigating through thorny thickets to a pot of gold, or 10. Here they are in alphabetical order.
Assyrtiko
Twenty-five years ago, few people outside of Santorini, the volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, knew of this white grape. Now you can find it all over, and not just in Greek restaurants. That’s because its energetic saline and stony mineral flavors can be reminiscent of white Burgundy but with its own distinctive raciness. Assyrtiko is wonderful with many seafood dishes. It’s now made in other parts of Greece as well, and I’ve even seen assyrtiko from California. But the best are still from the Aegean Islands. Look for producers like Gai’a, Argyros, Hatzidakis, Sigalas and Xydakis.
Baga
Portugal has gone its own way with wine. Many of its grapes are found almost nowhere else. Baga is one of them. This red grape is a native of the maritime Bairrada region, where it is considered the natural partner to suckling pig, a regional delicacy. I’ve had bagas in two styles: fresh and graceful, or rustic and tannic. Both have their charms, though I prefer the fresh style. Producers to seek out include Sidónio de Sousa, Casa de Saima, Filipa Pato & William Wouters, Luis Pato (Filipa’s father) and Niepoort Baixo. Excellent sparkling wines are also made from baga.
Blaufränkisch
This is a wonderful grape capable of making wines that range from simply delicious to profound and contemplative. The key from the production standpoint is to treat the grapes gently — the best don’t try to make a powerful, tannic wine or load it up with oak. At its finest it’s graceful yet intense, more pinot noir than cabernet sauvignon. Great producers abound in astern Austria — look for Moric, Meinklang, Gut Oggau, Markus Altenburger, Heinrich, Judith Beck, Rosi Schuster and Straka in Burgenland and Dorli Muhr in Carnuntum. From time to time, I see blaufränkisch from elsewhere, like Germany, where it’s often called Lemberger, and the Finger Lakes of New York, where Red Tail Ridge makes an excellent version.
Carignan
For years, carignan was maligned as incapable of producing good wines. But, as has often been the case, when farmed with care and made with intent, poor old carignan demonstrates how good it can be. It’s a Mediterranean grape and was once ubiquitous in southern France and Catalonia in Spain, but I’ve grown to admire the carignans of California. Often, it’s part of a blend, including California’s classic old field blends. But I see it increasingly as a varietal wine. Among the producers whose carignans I’ve enjoyed are Porter Creek, Sandlands, Lioco, Ridge and Broc Cellars.
Carricante
Like assyrtiko, carricante, the foremost white grape of the Mount Etna region of Sicily, is a saline treat. But where the salinity is subtext in assyrtiko, carricante is for salt fiends. Count me in. The wines, generally labeled Etna Bianco, range from simple and refreshing to among Italy’s finest whites. They are dry and herbal with that salty edge leading the way. The Etna producers will say the saltiness blows in off the Mediterranean. I won’t argue the point, I just love the wines. Some of the best producers include Benanti, I Vigneri (Salvo Foti), Ciro Biondi, Graci, Federico Curtaz, Tenuta Delle Terre Nere and Palmento Costanzo. Kevin Harvey of Rhys Vineyards in California was so impressed with carricante and other Sicilian varieties that he planted a vineyard in northern Sonoma County. His Centennial Mountain carricante is excellent.
Cinsault
Like carignan, with which cinsault was often blended, this red grape is from southern France and the Mediterranean, and like carignan, it’s often been derided and dismissed. Luckily, it’s had its proponents like Randall Grahm, late of Bonny Doon and now of Popelouchum, who believes in its untapped elegance, and the winemakers of the Itata Valley in Chile, who’ve proved the elegance is there. Chilean producers like Rogue Vine, Pedro Parra, Leonardo Erazo, Gustavo Riffo, A Los Viñateros Bravos and De Martino have made lovely, elegant cinsaults, primarily from old vineyards planted on granite soils.
Fiano
I wrote about fiano, an excellent white grape from the Campania region of Italy, early on, just as the region was emerging in the early 2000s with stellar wines. I promptly moved onto other things and am only now rediscovering it. A 2022 Ciro Picariello from the Avellino region of Campania did the trick. I can’t think of the last white wine I had that tasted so thoroughly of almonds. It was also textured, refreshing and delicious, and it reminded me that I had loved fiano and could again. Other producers to try include Mastroberardino, Colli di Lapio-Clelia Romano, Cantina Giardino, Pietracupa, Terredora di Paolo, Antonio Caggiano and Villa Raiano.
Gamay
Of all the grapes on this list gamay should be the best known. It is, after all, the red grape of Beaujolais. It also makes terrific wines from the Loire, the Ardèche and, increasingly, from California and Oregon. Like so many grapes, gamay has been underestimated. Sure, it excels at making carefree, refreshing wines, and that’s a great thing. It also makes ageworthy, complex wines. I won’t give you another list of Beaujolais producers. Keep an eye open for California and Oregon producers as well.
Prié Blanc
Of all the grapes on this list, prié blanc might draw the biggest blank of all. It is the grape of Vin Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle, a wordy name for a pretty white wine from the Alpine foothills of the Valle d’Aosta, a tiny wine region in northwest Italy that borders France and Switzerland. Vin Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle is a wonderful wine for spring and summer. It’s light and dry yet with depth and texture, refreshing without weighing heavily. I generally only see two producers in New York, where I live: Maison Vevey Albert and, more often, Ermes Pavese. They are both good, but I especially like the Pavese.
Silvaner
I love silvaner, sometimes spelled sylvaner. It ranges from light, fragrant and gentle to assertive and profound, depending on the producer, though the profound side is a more recent discovery that is only now being explored. It comes from Alsace, Germany and the Tyrolean region of Italy. For years, it was a commodity wine, and a lot of bad versions soured silvaner in many people’s minds. But more and more producers are taking it seriously. Look for Ostertag, Trimbach, Zusslin and Pierre Frick in Alsace, and for Stefan Vetter, Leipold and Konni & Evi from Germany.
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Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic of The Times since 2004, has been writing about wine, food and restaurants for more than 30 years.
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