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The Grapevine: Step past the ordinary to explore a wide world of whites

Alas, warm weather has arrived.

The change of seasons not only brings green grass, blossoms, allergies and flip-flops but the opportunity to explore an array of new wines.

We’ll always love our chardonnays, pinot grigios and sauvignon blancs, but this is the time for you to blossom and experience some new white wines.

Let’s start by focusing on a few esoteric varietals that produce delightful, inexpensive wines that are worthy of a try. To do so, we will immerse ourselves in the old world wines of Europe. 

To begin, we travel to northwest Spain to the region of Galicia, where the obscure and almost-forgotten grape, Godello (pronounced go-DAY-o), is grown. Revitalized since the 1970s, this grape can appeal to those who like chardonnay and crisp white wine.

These wines offer notes of green apples and minerals with a slight salinity to the finish. They can range from light and crisp to denser richer versions that spend time in oak barrels. White Burgundy lovers will appreciate both styles.

Because of their fresh and vibrant acidity, these mineral-driven wines make excellent food partners. They’re always comfortable with seafood, dishes rich with olive oil or semi-hard aged cheeses.

Another great wine that always pleases its newcomers is Falanghina. This grape is grown in Campania in southern Italy, where it thrives in the warm climate and porous volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius.

The wines offer notes of fresh pears and flower blossoms. These wines typically appeal most to fans of clean and crisp, because they are never oaked, resulting in a brisk, light to medium body with a clean finish and subtle minerals.

These wines work great alone but also accommodate various dishes ranging from pesto pizza with walnuts and pears to fruit salads or herb-roasted chicken with red bell peppers. 

Melon de Bourgogne is a grape variety from the western edge of the Loire Valley in central France. More people are familiar with the wine made from this grape, muscadet, which should not be confused with muscat.

Wines made from melon de bourgogne must be harvested early in order to retain its vibrancy and freshness. If harvested too late, the acids quickly fall, and you end up with a flabby, lifeless wine.

In order to enhance their body and fruitiness, these wines need to spend time on their lees, or sediment, which adds weight and flavor.

Without this “sur lie” aging, the muscadet would lack any fruit, leaving it lean, acidic and unappealing. Good producers, however, create delightfully ripe and fresh wines that are always affordable.

Because of the close proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, these wines are always best with seafood and simple cheeses.

Given the number of grape varieties in the world and a lifetime to explore them, this should be a fun and affordable place to start.

Alan Cuenca is an accredited oenophile and owner of Put a Cork in It, a Durango wine store. Reach him at info@putacorkinit.org.



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