In wine, as in life at large, familiarity is a double-edged sword. Stick to the tried and true and you'll be spared the nuisance of surprises. That's one way to live. But it's why God made mega-brand beer, isn't it? Fine wine ought to be about adventure and discovery, at least a good part of the time.
Perhaps you've been sticking more than usual to the tried and true, uncorking the nearest full-bodied red to go with the evening's saucy mid-winter comfort food. Maybe you've been hoarding it by the case because it's too darned cold outside to make frequent trips to the liquor store. Or maybe I'm just talking about myself.
As personal penance, and hopefully for the benefit of a few others, I offer my latest instalment of an occasional series devoted to stepping outside the comfort zone. Each selection is distinctive in at least one way, in some cases two –an offbeat grape, a growing district less travelled or an uncommon production technique. If it's an organic pecorino you seek, or a Tasmanian sparkler, a mevushal syrah or a craft-made B.C. "prosecco," this column – with apologies to a fine beer slogan – is for you.
Tenuta di Ghizzano Veneroso 2012, Italy
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $29.95
Tuscany is not exactly an obscure wine region but this excellent red comes from an unsung corner better known for slanted floors than rolling vineyards. The Terre di Pisa, an appellation created only in 2011, lies near the Tuscan coast, well north of chic wine districts Bolgheri and Maremma and 40 kilometres from the city of the Leaning Tower, an old-timey farm country where they still grow wheat and sunflowers as well as high-priced grapes and olives. Produced from organically farmed vines, this is a blend of mostly sangiovese with a dollop of cabernet sauvignon, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured entirely in used, versus new, barrels. Full-bodied, it shows enticing sweet-tangy tension, with a whiff of funky earthiness, like salted cherry jam consumed while walking through a barnyard. Available in Ontario.
Kew Marsanne 2014, Ontario
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $19.95
Here's a compelling case for greater grape diversity in Niagara. Marsanne, a white variety most closely associated with France's Rhône Valley, including the famed Hermitage appellation, gets a tasty rendition in the hands of distinguished Kew winemaker Philip Dowell. Midweight and silky, it's tantalizingly floral and honeyed, with juicy tangerine, yellow plum and crisp peach flavours softened subtly by smart oak-barrel maturation. Available in Ontario.
Jansz Premium Cuvée, Australia
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $26.95
Sparkling wine from Tasmania – it's a far cry from Champagne but only in terms of mileage. This is bottle-fermented just like true-blue champers and blended from the three grapes for which France's luxury bubbly is known: chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. Bone dry, it's big on lemon and green apple fruit, with a toasty overtone and impressively integrated, elegant acidity. Familiar yet somehow different. Available in Ontario at the above price, $27.99 in British Columbia, $34.95 in Manitoba, $36.79 in Nova Scotia.
Narrative XC Method 2015, British Columbia
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $24.90
A sparkling wine made in the manner of Italian prosecco, only with a twist – or perhaps that should be "with a tilt." Okanagan Crush Pad, the company behind the Narrative brand, completes the secondary, bubble-producing fermentation in large tanks (versus individual bottles) in what's known as the charmat method. But OCP – one of the most pioneering wineries in the New World – has newfangled tanks designed to lie on their sides, just as individual bottles do in the Champagne method. This apparently yields more thorough contact with the flavour-enhancing dead yeast cells. A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, the wine is bone dry and delectably creamy, with ripe pear and green apple notes that mingle with toastiness and what comes across, strangely but wonderfully, as a subtle whisky-barrel note. Adding to the coolness factor, it's sealed with a crown cap. Available direct, www.okanagancrushpad.com.
Domaine Les Pins Cuvée Les Rochettes Bourgueil 2014, France
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $17.95
Cabernet franc may be a mainstream grape but it's generally reserved for blending with bigger names, such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. In Bourgueil in the Loire Valley, where the cool climate favours its early-ripening profile, it gets star treatment. Even here, though, cab franc is made for those who like their reds bone dry and herbal. Medium-bodied, this fine effort delivers a chalky texture that carries bright cherry fruit and a relatively restrained herbal essence. Well done. Available in Ontario.
Domaine Costa Lazaridi Amethystos White 2015, Greece
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $19.95
Amethystos means "not drunk" and is Greek for amethyst, a term given to the prized stone in the ancient belief it would protect against intoxication. Make no mistake, this is full-strength wine, at 13-per-cent alcohol. It's a blend of 85-per-cent sauvignon blanc (of Bordeaux and Loire Valley fame) and 15-per-cent assyrtiko, a native Greek vine. Light bodied and dry, it comes with a pleasantly oily texture and flavours suggesting lemon, tropical fruit and grass, with well-tuned and relatively soft acidity for the grapes in the mix here. Available in Ontario.
Teperberg Impression Sirah 2014, Israel
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $23.95
The label reads "Sirah" but you may know the grape better by its common spellings, syrah and shiraz. This is not your typical example, however. It's from the Judean Hills in Israel and is both kosher for Passover as well as mevushal, meaning it has undergone brief pasteurization and thus would retain kosher status even at functions where the wine is to be poured by non-Jews. Rich and ripe yet structured, it's built around a sweet, almost syrupy core, with a savoury, gamy essence and added notes of mocha, licorice and peppercorn. Imagine a Barossa Valley shiraz crossed with northern-Rhône syrah. Available in Ontario.
Xenysel Pie Franco Monastrell 2015, Spain
SCORE: 88 PRICE: $14.95
Xenysel is the producer and monastrell (a.k.a. mourvèdre) the grape. But what about "pie franco?" It's a qualifier here denoting a "free foot" or, more specifically, a vine grown from ungrafted rootstock, which is rare. This hails from Jumilla in southeast Spain, one of the rising bargain districts of the world. Full-bodied and very ripe and syrupy, it's a strawberry-jam festival. There's some welcome spicy-herbal lift, too, but I'd prefer a lot more acidity. Yet it's impressive for the money, particularly if you throw it at some sticky ribs or spicy chili. Available in Ontario.
Sentieri Pecorino 2015, Italy
SCORE: 87 PRICE: $15.95
It's a cheese, yes. But pecorino is also a grape. The variety is native to the Marche region of central Italy but this organic and biodynamically grown example hails from Abruzzo next door. Light bodied, the wine is dry and crisp, with a flavour that comes across like an apple coated in lemon candy (which, come to think of it, might be a nice twist on the standard candy apple). It's not hugely complex but it's a refreshing alternative to your big-brand pinot grigio. Available in Ontario.