For those of us who appreciate wine, one bottle most assuredly leads to another.
That is an especially rewarding evolution when it comes to exploring certain regions beyond the grape most associated with them.
Take Sancerre, widely known and loved for its racy but elegant sauvignon blancs. Even aficionados often don't realize that Sancerre's red grape is pinot noir. In fact, about 25 percent of the vineyard turf in the French subregion is planted to pinot noir, much of which is made into rosé for domestic consumption (on these shores, look for Benoît Girard).
It actually makes sense because Sancerre is one of the Loire region's easternmost areas and shares not just proximity but similar soils with Burgundy; the wines' style is similar, but the prices are decidedly friendlier. Of course, this being France, it's unlikely to have the grape name on the label, but if you see "Sancerre Rouge," that's a pinot. Brochard Sancerre Rouge is a fabulous introduction.
Another wine mecca known primarily for sauvignon blanc, New Zealand, produces plenty of pinot, but I'm especially intrigued by its pinot gris these days. These wines tend to be friskier and more balanced than their popular Italian and California counterparts, but also are spicy and vibrant.
These sauvignon blanc stalwarts make marvelous renditions: Sileni, The Ned, Giesen, Brancott and Wairau River. My favorite, though, comes from Kim Crawford, but not under the eponymous label he started and later sold. His Loveblock Marlborough Pinot Gris is a stone-cold, zippy, melony and harmonic delight.
Similarly great whites emanate from Germany, which is about much more than its signature rieslings. While Müller-Thurgau (the base for those saccharine-like Liebfraumilchs of yore) has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts, and scheurebe and elbling are up-and-comers, the pinot blancs are truly world-class wines.
They're usually labeled Weissburgunder because … Germany. Wagner-Stempel is a longtime fave, a refreshing, uplifting mouthful of stone fruit and minerally goodness. Rob Bonelli at 1010 Washington, who has one of the foremost palates in town, raves about the Koehler-Ruprecht Kabinett Trocken Weissburgunder.
