April Wine Club: Underdog Grapes
You know us here at Jet – we seek out the forgotten, the overlooked, the underestimated… basically, we are champions of the underdog. This month we are offering two wines that are delicious and that include grapes that deserve much more recognition than they receive.
Poderi Roset Verduno Pelaverga DOC
Pelaverga, like so much of my Italian “finds”, came out of visits to Torino and to my friend, Andrea. One such visit back around 2004 led us on a road trip to La Morra, with its abundance of deep, dark Barolo. Fortunately, there was also Pelaverga, a much-needed, lighter-bodied, fresh wine. I have liked every Piemontese grape I have ever tried, bar none. I especially appreciate the distinctive nose that each grape seems to impart – both red and white. Even within this region of amazing grapes and wines, Pelaverga felt like something special that I wanted to drink again, and again, and again.
There are two varieties of the grape: Pelaverga Grosso and Pelaverga Piccolo. Both have their only home in Cuneo Province; neither is produced in abundance, nor is particularly well-known. I have only ever tasted the Piccolo variety, and that is the one I have come to know and love. This is the variety used in the Verduno Pelaverga DOC (denominazione di origine controllata), which covers a cultivated area of less than 30 hectares within just 3 villages: Verduno, Roddi, and La Morra. The bulk of that is found in Verduno. La Morra, where I first tasted Pelaverga, accounts for less than 10% of all plantings at less than 2 hectares worth. The small amount of the grape under cultivation pales in comparison to the area’s other red – Nebbiolo. Cuneo and surroundings are also the land of Barolo, whose prestige and renown overshadows this lighter-bodied neighbor. Comparison to Barolo has given Pelaverga a reputation as a less-serious wine. That is a shame. While it is eminently drinkable, it is also refined and complex and has the benefit of working well with- or without- food. Verduno Pelaverga is notable for its white pepper and light strawberry, but I also love the aromas of violet, verbena, and rosemary. What really stands out, though, is a decided crunch of texture to these wines; it can be overt or subtle, but it is always there. The result is that the wine always has a counterbalance of “green” to its red fruits. I find it very compelling.
Poderi Roset has owned its vineyards in Verduno since 1985 – 10 years before the Verduno Pelaverga was formed. Their Verduno Pelaverga is 100% Pelaverga Piccolo. This is a fresh feeling wine that spends 8 months in stainless steel, followed by another 3-4 months in bottle. It is classic Verduno Pelaverga: light and bright cherry, pickled strawberry, white pepper, field herbs. Bellissimo.
Edoardo Miroglio Thracian Valley Mavrud & Rubin Bio
Everywhere I travel, I enjoy learning about a new world of wine, or different view on wine I already thought I knew. Travels to Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, and Georgia really expanded my understanding of wine, its history, and its myriad forms and styles. I did not foresee adopting kids from Bulgaria, but trips there led to my exploration of Bulgarian wines, and a quick education on their strengths. I was blown away by their aromatic whites, which include the grape varietals Dimyat, Misket, and Tamianka. I was also introduced to a larger variety of red grapes than Mavrud and Melnik; I met Gamza and Rubin!
Rubin, like my kids, was created in Bulgaria. It is the product of an intentional cross between Nebbiolo and Syrah. The grape is extensively grown, and can be found in Moldova, Romania, and Slovenia, in addition to Bulgaria. The grape produces wines of a deep-red color, juicy red berries from the Nebbiolo, and pepper and earth from the Syrah. It is fruity, spicy, and aromatic.
In Bulgaria, the biggest wine producing area is the Thracian Lowlands. I have always been fascinated by Thrace – the modern contiguous area across southeastern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece, and northwestern Turkey from which these lands derive their name. Ancient Thrace encompassed numerous tribal groups whose fortunes and borders ebbed and flowed along with their interactions with contemporary superpowers (like Greece, Rome, Byzantium). Orpheus was Thracian, and so was Spartacus. The wine culture of the Thracians was noted by Herodotus, and Homer suggested that it was Thracian wine on which the Cyclops Polyphemus got drunk, allowing Odysseus to escape him. Perhaps that wine came from the Thracian Lowlands, which teems with cultivable land. Bulgaria’s famous rose (actually the Damascene Rose) is grown here, an 75% of Bulgarian vineyards are located here. About half of that number comes from the Thracian Valley PGI (EU-recognized Protected Geographical Indication).
Edoardo Miroglio came to the Thracian Valley from Alba – in Italy’s Piemonte. Alba teems with Nebbiolo, so perhaps it is no surprise that the Rubin – born of Nebbiolo – tastes so good in his hands. This wine has Mavrud in its blend, as well, all from certified organic vineyards. The wine is aged 6 months in French and Bulgarian oak. The result has all the dark red berries, plus some forest-floor notes. Вкусно.
