Obscure Italian Wines

First installment of what I hope to make a monthly rotating wine tasting group. Chianti and Pinot Grigio were forbidden. I was hoping for some Lagrein or Teroldego, but what we assembled was a pretty diverse group of wines, including the 2 Sicilian wines I contributed: white Grillo and red Frappato. The lineup also included a Cannonau from Sardinia, a wine I've been enjoying for the past couple years at my favorite restaurant in San Francisco - La Ciccia, a Sardinian family-owned spot in Noe Valley.

We tasted these all blind and everyone stumped everyone. Even when we were serving the wines we contributed we had to look up varietals and locations to get the details right. The group was diverse and delicious.

We could probably do this topic again next time and try another 10 obscure Italian wines, as Italy is known for having many indigenous grapes that are not produced anywhere else. Plus there is always diversity in the Primitivo (Zinfandel), Barbera, Sangiovese, and Vermentino of the country.

The best part was that most of these wines were around $20, making them justifiable any night of the week. I plan on hitting up the nearby wine shops to stock up on some of these affordable treasures.

Cin cin!