James Ratcliffe, Co-Owner of The Black Bull, Champions “Godforsaken Grapes”
With over 1,300 grape varieties in the world, only a handful dominate our glasses. James Ratcliffe of The Black Bull looks beyond the familiar to champion a few of wine’s overlooked “Godforsaken Grapes” — distinctive varieties well worth discovering:
It might surprise you to know that the world of wine consists of well over 1300 varieties of grapes. So why is it then that only seven of those are considered to be what are known as ‘noble grapes,’ and it’s only 20 in total that make up nearly 80% of the world’s production?
Italy alone has 590 recorded varieties. Jason Wilson, in his brilliant book of the same name, coins the phrase for these out of favour wines as “Godforsaken Grapes.’ Documenting his travels around the world, learning about each of these lesser-known heroes of wine. So, I hear you ask what’s wrong with these so-called Godforsaken Grapes?
Is it that they don’t produce the same quality of wine as the 20 favourites? Of course, they do, many in some cases are even better, but as with many things involving modern-day marketing, we just don’t get exposed to them in the way we should be.
Which is why I’ve decided to briefly touch on a couple of varieties that I’d certainly recommend that you explore for yourself.
I’ll start with one of my favourite grapes, Blaufränkisch, possibly not one of the most obscure grapes, but certainly one that doesn’t command as much attention as it should.
Blaufränkisch is its Austrian name, but it’s also named Kékfrankos in Hungary, Lemberger in Germany, and Franconia in Italy. It’s also often known as the ‘Pinot Noir of the East,’ and until recently, it was considered almost the same grape. It’s certainly a great alternative to Pinot Noir, but it also has its own unique flavour profile. Condensed, thick, rich black fruit, spice and pepper, and a good boisterous acidity. Some naturally produced wines can have a slightly ‘green’ leafy flavour with a unique tartness, which personally I’ve begun to crave. However, like Pinot Noir, it can be used to produce some rounded, well-structured wines that can age well.
Going slightly further East, Hárslevelú is a grape variety mainly grown in Hungary, but also in Austria and Slovakia. Hungary was once one of the greatest wine producers in the world, and certainly, in recent years, more great wine is now being produced. Furmint, once a forgotten grape too, has become more prominent in recent years, once known as the grape in sweet Tokaji but now championing dry wines too. Hárslevelú produces rich and full-bodied white wines with a distinct honeyed character with notes of stone fruit, orange blossom, and a hint of spice. It’s a versatile wine that can be paired with a variety of foods, great with fish, it can handle some spice and good with lighter meats. Interestingly, it also has an unusually high number of female producers.
Sticking with the tongue twisters, Aglianico (alli-yawn-nico) is a lesser-known Italian grape that produces some great wine. Produced mainly in Basilicata and Campania, it’s rare to find it on most wine lists or on the supermarket shelf. The grape produces beautiful full-bodied wines, young wines known for savoury flavours, leather, pepper, dark black fruits, smoked meats, and cured sausage. With time to develop, dried fig, aged balsamic and suntanned leather start to appear. For those loving rustic, full-bodied wines, Aglianico is a perfect choice. It’s also used in rosé and white blends, too.
Finally, for now, looking at an under-the-radar region of France, Savoie and one of its lesser-known grape varieties, Altesse. It yields small harvests and ripens late, but it produces generous, full-bodied wines which some compare to the afore-mentioned Furmint. It can produce wine that offers an alternative to Loire Chenin Blanc or Savagnin from Jura. Wines that have more weight and spice to many, but are still lifted, fresh and elegant at the same time. You can find it in still, sweet, and sparkling wines, so its versatility is very apparent, and it ages beautifully. Flavours include exotic fruits, velvet honey, mountain herbs, bergamot, and hazelnut. It really captures the alpine climate it’s grown in.
This really is just a tiny snapshot of a couple of the lesser-known grapes available to us. If anything, they’re just a start, and I encourage you to explore further. We know the grapes we already know and still love can produce some great wines, but by not exploring beyond them, we do risk losing some. Luckily, the wine world is changing; mass-produced wines are still popular, but with an increased awareness of providence, people are becoming increasingly supportive of small producers and their lesser-known grapes. I will come back to this topic several times during this column, and hopefully you’ll find something you like.