Rare grapes you should discover

I was listening to a YouTube channel, the one from Konstantin Baum Debunking WINE MYTHS from The Drops of God Apple TV Show about the TV Show “The Drops of God”, a fiction about wine based on a manga. Yes, I also learn there is a manga about wine.

One episode was about a rare grape variety, the Lignage, from the Loire Valley, and only a few bottles are left, in a restaurant in Japan.

What is interesting is to talk about wines that are not made with Chardonnay or Merlot. When you think about grapes varieties, we mostly know 8 to 20 of them. In France, more than 200 varieties can be used to produce wines. But only fourteen of them produce 90% of the wine. The rest can be considered rare grapes only wine snobs talk about.

And yes Lignage is not fiction, it exists, it is an ancient variety used in the Loir et Cher to produce red and white wines until 1950. It gives a very acidic red wine with a floral and fruity flavor. It has been authorized by the administration as an experiment and has been planted in April 2022 at the Clos Tue-Boeuf (the plant was still present in a university).

The variety exists and can be used (as an experiment) because it is listed by the Ministère de l’Agriculture. If you open the list (only in French) you will see some poetic words and some barbaric names. Only grapes on this list can be used the produce and sell wines in France, let’s look at some of them.

Gascon

Gascon is a red grape variety known in Orléans and Loire Valley, it was also used in Bordeaux and Perigord blend. It gives very colored wine with a nice acidity with a touch of minerality and flavors like currant, spice, and licorice, the taste is pure and fresh.

Gascon almost disappear after the phylloxera, and today only a few hectares still exist, not grafted (not using an American root). This makes this grape very unique.

No need to book a flight to Tokyo, there are few bottles available in Amsterdam, and the winemaker still has some in his cave.

Voltis

Not all rare grape varieties have a long history tied with a particular wine region. Voltis is a pretty new variety. It is the result of multiple hybridizations of Vitis Vinifera and other Vitis. It is an experimental grape, made to combat climate change and fungus infection in the northern part of France, especially in the Champagne region.

If you think that Champagne can only be made with only 7 varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, Petit Meslier, Arbane, Pinot Blanc and Fromonteau or Pinot Blanc), well is not true anymore, Voltis can be added to the list (but can only count up to 10% of the wine).

The House of Champagne Drappier, famous for its Brut Nature, is one of the first Maison to plant this new variety on a few hectares.

Fer

Back to a historical grape variety known today as Fer but not well known outside the Sud Ouest region. One of the reasons could be, depending on the place the grape grows, it has a different name and different style, Mansois in Aveyrons or Braucol in Gaillac and fer or Fer Servadou (Fer means Iron in French because of the hardness of the vine stock).

The wine is grassy and fruity but in Gaillac, the wine will be bolder than in Aveyron. Bottles are not hard to find, but most of them will be blended with Cabernet Franc.

Romorantin

Last relatively rare variety, Romorantin. The funny thing to say about it is that the name of the grape comes from the name of the city in Loire et Chere; Romorantin. The legend tells us that François the 1st planted the vine here in 1519, but it seems that it was a cross between Gouais Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Romorantin is only planted by 35 producers over 60 hectares in the AOC Cour Cheverny and some other producers outside the appellation.

The fine is fresh, floral, and fruity with notes of honey and citrus.

As you see there is plenty of opportunity in wine, with more than 200 varieties (in France alone) the possibilities are clause to infinite. There are plenty of unique wines to discover and appreciate (with moderation).

Most of these varieties are available in Amsterdam in one or more bottles (except for the Voltis and the Lignage, you will have to wait a few years).