The Grapes Less Drunken By
Two grapes were stocked in a CHEERS, and I --
I took the one less drunken by,
And that has made all the difference.
Apologies to the poet Robert Frost, and for equating major life decisions with picking a bottle of wine, but once in a while it's fun to try a grape less famous, a grape 'less drunken by', no? Here are three.
01
DORNFELDER
German Grape
Dornfelder is a fairly new variety, created in Germany in 1955 when scientist August Herold crossed two grapes -- Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe. And yes, that last grape does sound familiar -- Herold created it and named it after himself. Cheeky!
Dornfelder ripens early and is quite dark -- in fact, it was created to help add color to lighter red wines. It can result in juicy, even velvety, wines. The Vogel Dornfelder sold by CHEERS is a semi-sweet option, although it is light at just 10.5 percent alcohol.
Fun fact: this wine hails from the Pfalz region, which hosts a huge wine festival, with a history of more than 500 years, in a town called Bad Durkheim!
Tap the picture to view details
02
NERELLO MASCALESE
Italian Grape
Across the border, and far further south, the grape Nerello Mascalese is best-known for growing on the slopes of an active volcano--Mount Etna--on the island of Sicily.
Nerello Mascalese has been compared favorably to Pinot Noir from Burgundy and to Nebbiolo from Barolo -- that's some pretty impressive company -- and can carry a wide range of characteristics, from ripe red berries to herbs, spices and flowers to tar, smoke and pepper. Sounds like you'll need some time to appreciate all that.
CHEERS includes a dry Nerello Mascalese from Contrade Bellusa, with 13.5% alcohol, in its portfolio.
Tap the picture to view details
03
ANCELLOTTA
Italian Grape
Our final grape, Ancellotta, also hails from Italy though it has become more traveled during the past century.
Ancellotta has a long history in the Emilia-Romagna area, in northern Italy, including as a blending grape for the famous red Lambrusco sparkling wines. Like Dornfelder, its deep color makes it useful for darkening lighter red wines.
CHEERS has a few options, from the Mendoza region of Argentina, for those who wish to taste this grape. One is a single variety -- 100% Ancellotta -- from Pixels and is fruity and aromatic. The other is a blend, using both lesser-known Ancellotta with Argentina's flagship grape, Malbec, for a richer product.
Either one is worth a try. And a good first step down that grape road less traveled.
Tap the picture to view details
Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城
Tap here to learn more about grapes and wine-drinking.
Besides the three rarely drunken wines above, have you ever tried red wine with a coffee note? Pinotage from South Africa is a niche kind of grape and six months of fermentation in barrels creates a tinge of coffee and cocoa flavor. It'd be your cup of tea if you enjoy both coffee and wine – pair it with food of rich taste such as pasta, blueberry and even chocolate.
GIF source：giphy.com
Throughout December, 3 bottles of the coffee pinotage wine just costs ¥256. Tap the picture below to get this deal!
If you're after the drinks more drunken by, then here you go – popular beers from Appenzeller in Switzerland. This pack comes with 6 different styles, including ale, lager-ish, ginger beer, honey beer, passion fruit-flavored and alcohol-free beer made from 17 apples and 11 pears.
Tap here to get a six pack of these, or tap the picture to grab two light "full moon" beers plus a Christmas bottle warmer for just ¥39.99.
Editor's Picks