We’ve been doing a lot of very classic wines lately: Sangiovese in its finest forms, Chablis, Rioja, Traditional Red Blends, etc. So by request, we’re going to do some interesting off-beat varietals you may never have had this week. And as we’ve been doing all year, we’re having a live Zoom tasting on Saturday at 7pm for those who pick up any of these wines. You can buy them by the case from Lifford for delivery right to your home, you can grab them by the bottle in Ottawa at The Byward Wine Market or La Bottega, and in Kingston at Pan Chancho. See below for where each wines is available. Then just send me a quick email telling me which wines you’ve picked up and I’ll send you a Zoom link on Saturday afternoon ahead of the tasting! Now, let’s talk weird wines….

When I say off-beat varietals, this is not meant to have any lesser connotation than the expensive, institutionalized classics. These wines can be every bit as interesting, and in fact over the last 7 or 8 years the lesser known grapes and regions have been making their way onto the global stage like never before. Varieties previously relegated to their local villages in smaller quantities are now drawing attention from interested wine buyers all over the world. Many of these have become the most sought after wines in the coolest wine bars and restaurants, leaving behind many of the classic staples only to traditional restaurants and collectors. It’s been quite shocking to many well-travelled traditional wine enthusiasts, going into funky new natural wine bars and literally not recognizing anything on the list.

Here’s a few favourites that you may not have had before that are definitely worth trying out!

VINCENT CAILLE, ‘CORBEAU BLANC’ | LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE, 2019
$23 per bottle at Byward Wine Market, or $19.99 x12 from Lifford Wines
VINCENT CAILLE, CÔT | LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE, 2019
$28 per bottle at Byward Wine Market, or $21.99 x12 from Lifford Wines
This week we have 2 wines from natural wine superstar Vincent Caille, in the Loire Valley! Vincent took over his family's 5th generation Muscadet estate in 1986. The vineyard had been farmed conventionally over the previous decades because the Muscadet area of the coastal Loire Valley in France is extremely humid and very susceptible to mildew. After 10 years of continuing to spray fungicides with conventional farming practices, he was the first in the area to switch back to organic viticulture and is still one of the only ones today. He then went further and began biodynamic farming and became certified by Demeter in 2016. While his main focus is the Melon de Bourgogne variety, Vincent also works with other grapes like Gros Plant and Côt. If you’ve never heard of either of those local grape names, Gros Plant is the same as Folle Blanche in Cognac or Picpoul in Southern France, and Côt is another name for Malbec. But don’t be fooled, Côt drinks nothing like Cahors or Argentine Malbec. When grown in the Loire it drinks more like a balance between Gamay and Cabernet Franc: lighter, earthier, acidic, fresh and fruity. And his Gros Plant ‘Corbeau Blanc’ is meant to be a little different, as the ‘White Crow’ name and label suggests, it’s a bit of an oddball…but a delicious one! This is one of our better selling white wines at the Byward Wine Market, especially in the warmer months and for folks who love very dry, minerally wines. The high acid levels of Gros Plant make this super fresh, citrus, sea breeze, and mineral in profile. A really interesting and easy drinking wine that’s even better with some cured meats, cheeses, or oysters.

A rare plot of Pelaverga in Barolo’s Verduno commune.

TERRE DEL BAROLO, VERDUNO PELAVERGA | PIEDMONTE, ITALY, 2018
$30 per bottle at La Bottega Nicastro in Ottawa and Pan Chancho in Kingston, or $24.99 x12 from Lifford Wines
Don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t Barolo. But it comes from the Barolo region from a Barolo producer. All Barolo wines are made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, no blending allowed. That rule came into effect around the turn of the 20th century, but prior to that more field blends of other indigenous grapes were often included in Barolo…including Pelaverga. But since Barolo’s change to purely Nebbiolo, there has been little use for growing the lesser-known, more obscure traditional grapes on it’s precious soils that are better used growing the much more lucrative Nebbiolo for Barolo production. Almost no Pelaverga exists at all in Barolo vineyards anymore, and it was extremely rare elsewhere throughout Piedmonte in Nothern Italy. It is rumoured that Pelaverga was going nearly extinct until some younger, next generation winemakers of the 2000’s got interested in and started conserving it and planting more. It is still rare, but with more interest it has made a bit of a resurgence. It’s on the bigger side of light-bodied or on the lighter side of medium-bodied. I often think of it almost like a spicy Italian Gamay. Some folks often liken it similar to Pinot Noir. It has some nice earthy, mushroomy, foresty type notes on top of plush strawberry and dark cherry flavours. A really neat and drinkable wine. This one comes from Verduno, one of the northern-most communes that makes up the Barolo region and is made by Terre Del Barolo, an inspiring grower-owned co-op that was started in the 1950’s by the mayor of the town to help regular growers compete with the big wineries and now boasts an outstanding collection of vineyards owned by many small growers with all kinds of hidden gems….like Pelaverga from Verduno. More on that cool story of the mayor and the winery on Saturday’s zoom call!

DOMAINE WEINBACH, SYLVANER | ALSACE, FRANCE, 2019
$50 at Byward Wine Market in Ottawa, or $45.99 x6 from Lifford Wines
Those who know me (or have been on this mailing list for a while) have heard me wax poetic (or attempt to, I guess) about Domaine Weinbach, my all-time favourite winery in the world. They are absolute legends and superstars of Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer from Alsace. An all-female run powerhouse that blew through wine industry glass ceilings in the 1990’s and 2000’s and also pioneered Biodynamics in Alsace and much of France. I featured Weinbach in a writeup a few months ago. Instead of repeating myself, click here to check that out. Weinbach wines are famously expensive, but luckily Sylvaner isn’t as well known or sought after as Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer, so it’s a much better price than their top cuvees that go for $80-$400. But for those in the know, Sylvaner is a delicious, and often less expensive alternative. It’s a bit leaner than the typically luscious round, honied Rieslings and Pinot Gris of Alsace. And here’s what the Wine Enthusiast had to say about this vintage of Weinbach Sylvaner: “Wet earth, straw and white asparagus make for a subtle nose on this wine. The palate amplifies them and adds gentle apple fruit to these textural, earthy but intriguing notes. A bone-dry finish shines with lemony freshness.” I can’t wait to crack a bottle on Saturday!

Grab a few of these bottles, some snacks from La Bottega or Pan Chancho, and join us for more geeky info on all this and lots more on Saturday night at 7pm!

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The Byward Wine Market is fully open for in person shopping, as well as online orders offering curbside pickup or local delivery within Ottawa. And just a reminder that the order deadline for Friday case deliveries is Wednesday at 9:00am. Reach out if you have any questions, and check out the archive of past FEATURES if you’re interested in other recommendations. Lastly, please feel free to forward this to anyone in Ontario who may be interested in home wine delivery and follow us on Instagram for daily wine content at @bywardwinemarket and @capitalwine.ottawa!