Walk into Your Wine Shop with a Spirit of Adventure

What’s your favorite thing about wine?  There are innumerable answers to that question but for me the clear winner is that wine presents endless opportunities for exploration.  Wine is fascinating because it is always changing, growing and being driven forward by adventurous growers and up and coming regions.  The last few decades have seen a remarkable expansion of the varietals, styles and regions available.  Just think, who would have ordered Malbec off a menu ten years ago?

The so-called New World of wine has been at the forefront of this expansion, with South America (especially Chile and Argentina) picking up what Australia, New Zealand and South Africa began and now leading the charge.  Several New-Old World countries have also made their presence felt in the US and are adding their unique flavors to the dizzying expansion of wine choices.  Good examples of this include Portugal, Spain and Austria, whose Douro, Rioja and Grüner Vetliner have worked their ways into any respectable multinational wine list.  Many are now looking to Eastern Europe for the next wave of hot-new-regions.

A surprising result of all this growth has been the prolific growth in the number of grapes available from one of the oldest producers of wine in the world – Italy.  Italy has more grape varietals being produced for wine than any other country.  The truly exciting part of this is that more and more of these varietals are becoming available here in the US.  Italy has practically become a world of wine to discover unto itself.  That’s what has made working in Italian-focused wine shop like Potenza Wine such a great adventure.  There always seems to be a wonderful new something for the adventurous soul.

So what about those who have found the vino equivalent of their special someone – whether that be New Zealand Sauv Blancs or California Cabs – and who loathe to move on?  I say, great.  Relish that confidence in your own tastes.  But don’t let that hold you back from exploring.  There just might be something else out there for you.  Within the ever-growing world of wine chances are, there is.

Where to begin?  The NY Times recently had an article on obscure grapes you should know and so much more information exists for the wine lover online.  Books can be helpful as well – anything from Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson or Matt Kramer is a good bet.  However, the best and most straightforward way is to go to your local wine shop and ask a wine seller you trust.  Let them know what you like and then tell them you are feeling adventurous.  If they are worth their salt they’ll love the opportunity to introduce you to the next special someone.