I’m so lucky to live in Washington, DC with so many educated and engaged wine fans. I am constantly pleased and excited when my customers are willing to take the plunge and try new wines from local indigenous grapes with strange names and surprising aromas and flavors. These authentic wines seem exotic or odd, but when people to try them, they instantly fall in love.
Drinking these hard to pronounce yet easy to love wines will make you feel as though you’ve been transported to the Alps of Northern Italy, or sunning on the beaches of Santorini. During these uncertain times while we’re stuck at home, it can be considered ‘self-care’ to take a moment to drink well and explore classic wines made by ancient traditions.
Discover four indigenous grapes; Schiava from Alto Adige, Montepulciano from Abruzzo, Monastrell from Jumilla, and Assyrtiko from Santorini, all available at Schneider’s.
Native to Alto Adige, the Schiava grape produces a fresh red wine with low tannins. Schiava wines also have refreshing acidity, notes of white pepper, and a soft mouthfeel. Serve it with a slight chill and Schiava explodes with notes of strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and zesty citrus. On a wine label, Schiava is also sometimes referred to by its appellation St. Magdalener or Kalterersee.
2017 Loacker Morit St. Magdalener Classico Schiava $29.99 - VIEW PRODUCT
Light ruby in color with deliciously juicy red berry aromas of strawberry, raspberry, and red cherries. Intense flavors of orange peel, red currant, snappy white pepper and baking spices.
Another wonderful indigenous grape is Montepulciano from Abruzzo. Montepulciano d ’Abruzzo wines are an excellent value for the money. There are two very different styles. The first sees a shorter maceration time of juice on the skins, only 4-5 days for a simpler easy drinking style. The second has a longer period of around 20 days’ maceration for rich full-bodied wines with firm tannins and concentrated black fruit flavors. Oak aging is also used to impart toasty and savory flavors.
2018 Testa Family Montepulciano D'Abruzzo $19.99 - VIEW PRODUCT
Soft, fruity and very easy to enjoy. This lovely red is approachable and yet not at all simple. Juicy red fruits and cinnamon spice with racy acidity make this an ideal pairing with pizza or pasta in marinara sauce.
Next journey to Spain with Monastrell from Jumilla. The Jumilla region is located in Murcia between Alicante in the east and La Mancha in the west. During most of the 20th century, Jumilla was known for only producing bulk wines of low quality, However, in 1989 after the region was devastated by phylloxera (a vine pest), most of the vines were pulled up and replanted. This was an opportunity to plant healthy, higher quality Monastrell clones. The result, along with modern winemaking techniques, has led to a quality revolution that is apparent in your glass today. Red wines from Monastrell are full-bodied with high alcohol and ripe flavors of blackberry and cherry along with savory spice from oak aging.
2019 Finca el Lince, Jumilla, Spain $15.99 - VIEW PRODUCT
Big, ripe, red cherry and holiday spice aromas explode from the glass. Mostly Monastrell with a touch of Syrah in the blend, this velvety red offers sophistication and finesse. Monastrell is the same grape as Mourvèdre, popular in France, known for producing big and full-bodied wines with lots of lush dark red fruits and spicy, earthy, and gamey notes.
Greece’s wide assortment of indigenous grape varieties is another incredible category to discover, most notably, Assyrtiko from Santorini. Today, there are a number of quality minded producers in Greece making beautifully complex and delicious wines. Assyrtiko is Greece’s most well known and most loved indigenous white grape.
Assyrtiko offers aromas and flavors of lemon, peach, nectarine, and pineapple, with a flinty mineral backbone. Some producers will employ partial oak aging adding fuller body and savory toasty aromas to complement the primary citrus fruit. Today, modern winemaking techniques and equipment are used, but several young and innovative producers are also returning to the ancient and traditional methods like using natural yeast and maturing their wines in clay amphorae like the Ancient Greeks. Producers are also experimenting with lees contact for Assyrtiko to give texture and weight.
2020 Karamolegos Feredini Santorini Assyrtiko, Greece $24.99 - VIEW PRODUCT
This crisp and complex white offers stony minerality, juicy acidity, and a hint of smoke which is typical of Santorini’s Assyrtiko. Tropical fruit flavors linger on the long finish.
