We order a glass or a bottle of wine in a restaurant, based on what the Restaurateur has to offer and if we like it we purchase it in a wine shop and enjoy at home and share our new finding with friends. Our friends in return also make and share recommendations and before we know it, our wine knowledge / spectrum has broadened.

Most of us drink, Whites: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Reds: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Malbec, Rose’: Rose wine or a White Zinfandel and Sparkling: Champagne and Prosecco. But there many wines that are not as popular that we may like. Rather than being a taste follower, you can be drinking wines which are as unique as you palate. And also by tasting a wine varietal from another part of the world, you may just find a new favorite. Just keep in mind that value is determined by the taste and the price. We can all have a great bottle of wine that is very popular and costly, but the idea should be to please your pocket along with your palate.

For instance, Cabernet is produced throughout the World and while some prefer a Cabernet from California, others may praise a Cabernet from South Africa, while others may have discovered a great Cabernet from Spain or Chile, maybe Oregon or Italy and lets not forget France or Patagonia that has been putting some great wines into the market place which are a true representation of value. All of these Cabernets are somewhat similar but geographical location/position, weather patterns, soil, altitude and vineyard orientation are contributing factors on how the fruit will develop because a good glass of wine comes from good grapes.

Not all palates were created equal

Whatever you choose, remember to be innovative and take a chance on a varietal that appeals to your taste buds or try new wine from a new region, you may just discover a hidden gem. Most important consideration is to keep in mind that millions of wine lovers are influenced by scores assigned by wine critics, in spite of the factual knowledge that wine scores are affected by how well the wine critic or the wine writer knows the producer, his affiliation in most cases is not known and the next question is if the wine evaluated by the critic is the same one you’d find on the shelf. The more wines you taste, the more your sensitivity to tastes will develop along of course with your sense of smell.

Throughout the World, sugar concentration in beverages and food is perceived differently, and formulas for beverages and food items are adjusted according to the Country they’re being marketed in. The same goes for the levels of acidity in wine, which are also perceived differently. Therefore one must conclude that the average wine drinker is unable to discern the nuances that the acute palate of a wine expert can sense and describe. In essence, there are also biological and geographical aspects that need to be considered when following expert recommendations. Robert Parker, definitely has a different palate than Antonio Galloni although they’re both critics for Wine Advocate, a well respected publication in the industry where once too often you hear that wines are created for Parker’s palate.

Organize a winetasting event

Discover your perfect wine, so next time you order in a Restaurant or Wine Bar or when you purchase wine in a wine shop, you’ll order or bring home the perfect wine time after time, all of the times. The winegeeks scorecard below is designed to help you discover your palate by exposing it to a new varietal or a modern wine making technique that revamped an old favorite. In so doing, the innovation will broaden your wine palette and consequently your sight, smell, taste and intellect will broaden while your palate will want to know more about your new taste sensation. I used the format below for the score card but you can make up your own, the most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that the participants cannot see the labels or the palate will be influenced.

The winegeeks scorecard

I removed all the labels and numbered the neck of each bottle but you can make it easy on yourself by using a brown bag or foil. The wines are placed in ascending order from 1 through 8, the first three are white and the next five are reds. The ascending order is based upon complexity, varietal and wine making styles.

Once your preferred varietals have been identified, you’re ready to buy a bottle, take it home and read all about the varietal on the Internet or in your favorite wine publication.

The wines that I personally selected are shown below, along with winemaker’s notes and technical specifications. They represent some old favorites, that have been forgotten, like the Orvieto and some new to the novice varietals like the Arneis or Gaglioppo and the generic Nebbiolo which in most cases is a great substitute for the Barolo and lets not forget the Aglianco from Campania that in its aged version has nothing to be envious of when placed next to a Barolo.

So by tasting new varietals as well as new styles in wine making we have discovered some new wines for our palate and since some of these wines may not be as popular as the old favorites that one may find in the “by the glass category” at a local Restaurant we may find value and by using the char below, we can also describe to our favorite wine shop owner or Restaurateur the definition of the type of wine that we like.

Now you are harmed with many new descriptions of wines that are favored by your palate, or you can go directly below and read all about the specific wine that was selected for the wine tasting event with winegeeks.

All about the wines from 1 through 8

Originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. The Chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as terroir and oak.It is vinified in many different styles, from the lean, crisply mineral wines of Chablis, France to New World wines with oak, and tropical fruit flavors.

1 – Chardonnay Salento IGT

Orvieto is an Italian wine region located in Umbria and Lazio, centered on the comune of Orvieto. It is primarily known for its white wines made from a blend of mostly Grechetto and Trebbiano, which is sold under the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) Orvieto and Orvieto Classico.

2 – Orvieto DOC

Arneis (literally: little rascal, in Piemontese) is so called because it is regarded as a somewhat difficult variety to grow. It is a crisp and floral varietal, and has been grown for centuries in the region. The white wines made from the Arneis grape tend to be dry and full body with notes of pears and apricots.

3 – Arneis

Nero d’Avola (Italian pronunciation: [ˈnero ˈdavola]; “Black of Avola” in Italian) is “the most important red wine grape in Sicily” and is one of Italy’s most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily and its wines are compared to New World Shirazes, with sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavors.

4 – Nero D’Avola

Most Dolcetto is found in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, where many of the top estates produce Dolcetto on less favored sites as an “early to market wine” to generate some income for the winery while the Nebbiolo and Barbera are being matured.  It is particularly associated with the towns of Dogliani and Diano d’Alba in the province of Cuneo, although the greatest volumes come from around Alba and Ovada.

5 – Dolcetto

Gaglioppo is a red wine grape that is grown in southern Italy, primarily around Calabria. The grape produces wine that is full-bodied, high in alcohol and tannins with a need for considerable time in the bottle for it to soften in character. It is sometimes blended with up to 10% white wine. As with so many “ancient” grape varieties, especially ones that are situated in Southern Italy, there is some notion that Gaglioppo is originally Greek, but thus far there is no proof for this assertion. Recent genetic studies however do suggest a strong relationship to a rare Sicilian variety called Frappato.

6 – Gaglioppo

Nebbiolo (Italian), or Nebieul (Piedmontese) is a red Italian wine grape variety predominantly associated with the Piedmont region where it makes the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Ghemme. Nebbiolo is thought to derive its name from the Italian word nebbia which means “fog.” During harvest, which generally takes place late in October, a deep, intense fog sets into the Langhe region where many Nebbiolo vineyards are located.

7 – Nebbiolo

The vine is believed to have first been cultivated in Greece by the Phoceans from an ancestral vine that ampelographers have not yet identified. From Greece it was brought to Italy by settlers to Cumae near modern-day Pozzuoli, and from there spread to various points in the regions of Campania and Basilicata. While still grown in Italy, the original Greek plantings seem to have disappeared.In ancient Rome, the grape was the principal component of the world’s earliest first-growth wine, Falernian. Along with a white grape known as Greco (today grown as Greco di Tufo), the grape was commented on by Pliny the Elder, the maker of some of the highest-ranked wines in Roman times.

8 – Aglianico

My name is Raffaele De Gennaro and I work as a wine consultant for Vias Imports, in the Hudson Valley area and sell to Restaurants and Wine Shops. If you can’t find the wines in your neck of the woods, just have the Restaurateur or Wine Shop contact me via email: rdegennaro@viaswine.com. I can also help you by hosting a wine tasting event or arrange for case discount purchases the wine shops listed below: