The wine sale is a perfect time to stock up on all of your favorites at great prices but why not try something new? It’s a great time to grab something interesting at a lower price like a favorite varietal from a different region of the world,or something quirky and unusual, and even a varietal and region you’ve never come across. Next Saturday is the big wine tasting where you can try over 50 wines but in the meantime here are a couple fun wines we think are worth a try.

Tramin Sauvingon Blanc $17.99/ Sale $16.19

Many of you have had a Sauvignon Blanc and even love them but have you tried one from the the Alto Adige in northeast Italy? The grapes are grown at a high elevation in the villages of Montan and Tramin. This gives the wine a bright and refreshing character along with some minerality. This Sauvignon Blanc is juicy, herbal, and dry. It has similarites with other Sauvignon Blanc from France or South Africa but it is defintly deliciously unique.

La Zorra Teso Blanco $19.99/ Sale $17.99

This wine is from a region and a grape that we don’t come across to often. Teso Blanco comes from the Sierra de Francia, Spain near the Portugese border, an area known for it’s cured pork and it’s beautiful topography which is mostly a protected national park. The Rufete (roo-fehtay) grape grows here in a small wine growing region called the Sierra de Salamanca located in the Sierra de Francia mountains. The Teso Blanco is a blend of Rufete that comes from 60+ year old vines grown on slate, Palomino, and a little bit of Moscatel. Not only are the grape varietals interesting and unusual but the production adds to the intrigue of this wine. It is fermented with indiginous yeast in stainless steel, then aged under flor (similar to fino sherry) for five months in older French oak barrels. On the nose you get white peach and pear with a hint of toast and herbs with a lively fresh palate. This is a really cool wine!

Tami Frappato  $15.99/ Sale $14.39

Fall has arrived, on the calander, but the weather is still warm and many of you are starting to transition from whites and rosés into reds. This is a perfect transition red. Frappato, somewhat reminicient of Gamay from beaujolais, is lighter and fruity  with a lower alchohol of 12.5%,  and if its really warm out you can even chill it down. Tami Frappato comes from the island of Sicily made by Arianna Occhipinti, one of the most influential winemakers in Italy whose other labels are under Occhipinti. She says :

“The Tami project was an idea that came to me a few years ago, and that was to prove that it’s possible to make good, simple, natural wine in Sicily. Tami is something I’ve started with some friends who own vineyards in Contrada, a district close to mine. Three years ago, we agreed we would convert their vineyards to organic viticulture. In 2009, we made the first “all grape” vinification. The goal was to take good grapes and make a simple, every day wine. There is a white, and two reds. The vineyards are about 10 years old. The wine is made with a short maceration (1 week) and then six months in stainless steel. We do filter it because it’s very young. A big part of this project is also to give younger people an opportunity to try something simple but delicious, something that can introduce them to the pleasures of wine.” (http://louisdressner.com/producers/Tami/)