Rare Grapes Make Great Wine

Rare grapes make great wine. Not because scarcity guarantees quality, but because the grapes that survived phylloxera, wartime neglect, and economic pressure to plant Cabernet Sauvignon or more profitable grapes did so for a reason—they deliver something you can't get anywhere else. Pinotage thrives only in South Africa's granite slopes. Moneu grows in Catalonia's ancient vineyards. Gamay Saint-Romain exists exclusively in Loire's volcanic granite. Pelaverga Piccolo clings to 30 hectares in Piedmont's clay-limestone marls. Each grape represents a distinct expression of place, surviving because individual winemakers refused to let them disappear. This week's selections offer the chance to taste varieties that grow nowhere else on earth.

The Simonsig Pinotage Pick of the Bunch 2023 comes from one of Stellenbosch's pioneering estates, where the Malan family has cultivated vineyards since French Huguenot Jacques Malan arrived in 1688. Stellenbosch professor Abraham Perold created Pinotage in 1925 by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsaut to produce a grape that could thrive in South Africa's warm climate. The Malan family released their first Pinotage in 1970, making it Simonsig's inaugural red wine when the estate was formally founded in 1971. Third-generation winemaker Michael Malan farms 210 hectares spanning 50-280 meters elevation across sandstone, granite, and weathered shale soils where Atlantic Ocean winds moderate summer heat. The estate holds IPW certification for sustainable farming practices including solar energy, water catchment systems, and biological pest control. This vegan-friendly wine delivers juicy cherry and bramble berry flavors with liquorice and sweet spice hints in a silky, fruit-forward style with soft tannins and zippy acidity.

The Familia Torres Penedès Clos Ancestral Tinto 2023 showcases Moneu, a pre-phylloxera variety indigenous to Penedès that vanished after the pest devastated vineyards in the early 1900s. Brothers Jaime and Miguel Torres Vendrell founded Familia Torres in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1870, and five generations later the family rediscovered Moneu near Querol in 1998. They planted the grape at Castell de la Bleda in 2016, a 19-hectare estate with archaeological evidence of viticulture dating to the 5th-3rd centuries BC. This organic blend features rescued indigenous Moneu blended with Tempranillo and Garnacha from calcareous clay soils high in calcium carbonate. Sixty percent of the blend ferments in second-fill barrels for 10 months while Moneu ages in amphorae. The wine shows raspberry jam, toast, and baking spice with fine-grained tannins and robust structure from limestone-rich terroir that provides natural acidity and mineral backbone characteristic of this maritime-influenced Mediterranean region.

The Domaine Sérol Côte Roannaise Perdrizières 2023 features Gamay Saint-Romain, an indigenous variant that grows exclusively in Côte Roannaise with smaller, looser berries than standard Gamay. Fourth-generation vignerons Stéphane and Carine Sérol farm 38 hectares on granite slopes at 400-550 meters elevation above Renaison, achieving organic certification in 2014 and biodynamic certification in 2016. The Perdrizières vineyard spans 1.5 hectares at 380-415 meters on an east-facing slope planted in 1988 after lying fallow for decades following the removal of hybrid vines. Iron oxide and manganese-laden porphyry granite retains water well, making this the estate's latest-ripening site. Indigenous Gamay Saint-Romain at 8,500 vines per hectare density ferments with 20-50% whole clusters using ambient yeast and ages 11 months in wood and concrete. The wine yields spicy, moderate-alcohol expressions with red fruit, blood orange, tapenade, and granite minerality with fine structure.

The Comm. G.B. Burlotto Verduno Pelaverga 2024 represents one of Italy's rarest grapes, with only 30 hectares planted in the entire Verduno Pelaverga DOC established in 1995. Giovan Battista Burlotto founded the estate in Verduno in 1850, pioneering bottled Barolo when most Piedmont wine sold in casks. Third-generation Ignazio Burlotto preserved Pelaverga Piccolo during wartime by buying grapes from neighboring farmers when others abandoned the variety for more profitable Nebbiolo. Fifth-generation Fabio Alessandria farms 16 hectares across 14 crus in four municipalities, including 2.54 hectares of Pelaverga Piccolo in Verduno, Roddi, and La Morra. Hand-harvested fruit undergoes temperature-controlled fermentation in oak and steel vessels before brief aging in stainless steel until spring bottling. The wine delivers elegant, mysterious aromas of wild strawberry, white pepper, and rose with delicate flavors marked by indigo and purple reflections, high acidity, and soft tannins in a light-bodied, aromatic style.

These wines offer new names but familiar flavors. Pinotage recalls Syrah's dark fruit and spice. Gamay Saint-Romain shares Beaujolais' bright red fruit and granite minerality. Pelaverga Piccolo echoes delicate Pinot Noir aromatics. Moneu blends deliver Mediterranean warmth with structured acidity. For wine drinkers ready to step beyond the predictable lineup of Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay, rare grapes provide the adventure of discovery with the comfort of recognizable profiles.