I first encountered Montepulciano about six years ago.  I had never even heard the name, and had trouble remembering it after first tasting the wine at Ponte in Temecula.  It was love at first sight – well, actually first taste.  I have selected this grape variety and the varietal wine made from it as my second to review because it was this wine that made me realize that there are very good red wines not made from Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir grapes.
So, another rare Italian red grape variety?  Not exactly.  I mean, it is an Italian red grape variety, but not quite a rare grape.  Uncommon, then?  No.  In fact, it is quite common in Italy -- Montepulciano is the second most grown red grape grown in Italy.  So, wines made from the grape must not carry the varietal name, yes?  No, actually the grape is commonly used to produce a wine called Montepulciano.  So why hadn’t I run into it before?  While I might have but not remembered it, fact is that after we first tasted this very nice wine, we began looking for it.  Did not find it at the supermarket, Costco, Trader Joe’s, or any restaurant wine lists.  Lots of Chianti, Barbera, Valpolicella, Chianti Classico, and Barolo, but no Montepulciano.
One explanation that I have read is that the while the grape has its origin in Montepulciano, it is now grown extensively in Abruzzo.  Abruzzo is not an area of Italy that gets a lot of tourists, hence, few outside of Italy know of its existence.  Not sure if I buy that explanation.  My view is that the Italians drink the better wines made in Italy and export the ones they don’t particularly care for.  The answer may be in the numbers – while Montepulciano plantings cover less than half the acreage of Sangiovese, much of the Sangiovese crop is used to make cheap Chianti for sale to America.
Now for an anecdote.  One of the restaurants we frequent is Pernicano’s (on Mercy Road just west of Interstate 15).  Our standard fare always included a glass of Chianti.  Then, one night not too long ago, a new wine appeared on his wine list – Montepulciano.  We had it that night, and our next visit as well, but on the subsequent visit he had sold out.  It has become very popular, and is now near the top of his wine list.
As a final note, we did order Montepulciano at a restaurant in Rome.  I am happy to say it was as delicious as any produced in our area of the world.
My next wine to be reviewed was going to be another red wine.  News of this blog somehow reached the white, sparkling, and dessert wines in my wine chiller, setting off protests and even threats of violence.  Other grievances came to the fore, such as always being put in the bottom of the chiller and seeing the reds come and go while they remain untouched.  This latter complaint died quickly when they were informed of what happens to wines that leave the chiller, as we demonstrated by uncorking their leader, a wonderful Viognier from Europa Village.  While the white and sparkling wines will remain at the bottom of the chiller, I have decided to meet them part way by making Viognier the subject of my next blog.

​I’ve mentioned a number of grape varieties that are relatively rare, or at least uncommon, that you can find at the wineries in Southern California.  I have decided to educate you on some of these with the hope that you will try them, and also because the wineries are all shut down and I need to write about something.
The first grape variety that I would like to feature is Lagrein.  My first post on this website was in December, 2017.  Now my first blog was about Orfila Vineyards.  An easy choice, as they are a very popular winery with a great location and some very nice wines.  I also like the fact that their tasting room is their barrel room, hence even the red wines are served at a reasonable temperature.
With this in mind, I took an afternoon trip to Orfila to get some pictures for the blog, and, of course, do some wine tasting.  On the wine tasting menu was this very strange name – Lagrein.  So I asked if this was a blend, not ever hearing about a grape named Lagrein.  Well, the wine on the menu was not a blend, which I should have known since it says so on the menu.  Hey, I’m old and have trouble reading the fine print and the sun was in my eyes and I was distracted by a naked woman running through the tasting room…  OK, the last two are out-and-out lies.
Anyway, turns out Lagrein is a grape variety, but, despite its seemingly French name is actually from Italy.  It is a medium-bodied red wine, a bit on the level of Cabernet Sauvignon, but to me seemed a bit drier with a great finish.  So why have you not heard of this grape before?
Well, for starters it is pretty rare.  It is grown mostly in the Italian Alps, though according to Wikopedia is also grown in Australia and in California.  It likes cooler temperatures and ripens slowly, although I have read that it also really produces, i.e., it is a very high yield varietal, and often has to be pared down.  I have also read that the wine should be aged a bit before drinking but starts going south in five years or so.  I love some of the write-ups about this wine, that it is a Teroldego cross and is similar is many respects to Teroldego, as if Teroldego you are going to be able to get a good idea of what the wine is like by comparing it to another wine that might be even rarer.
Back to my story.  So, there I was with this great discovery.  I bought a bottle, brought it home, and used it as the cover bottle for my first blog.  As for the wine itself, turns out my wife was on antibiotics at the time so could not drink.  I had to drink the entire bottle myself – the things we have to do….
The Orfila grapes come from San Luis Obispo, and that is where it is grown in California.  Not sure how the grape would do in our part of the state.  Anyway, Robert Renzoni also has a version, though it is not 100% Lagrein and goes by some strange name that I never remember because I really don’t like it.  I also had the wine in Italy, and truth-be-told, it was just as good as the Orfila version.  I should add here that I did not see the word Teroldego on a single wine list in Rome but did find Lagrein and also found Lagrein in one of the shops at the highway stops but never Teroldego so they really need to say that Teroldego is related to Lagrein and not the other way around.  Just saying…
 I also tried some in Paso Robles.  I won’t mention the winery because my wife tells me I shouldn’t say bad things about a winery so let me just say it was not quite “up to snuff” and leave it at that.
Lagrein has become our “go to” wine – indeed, this summer for the first time since the days when we thought Two-Buck Chuck was drinkable that we purchased a whole case of one wine.  The vintage I first tasted was 2016.  I am happy to report that 1) 2017 is just as good, 2) they still have some of each left though they are not on the tasting menu, and 3) they will soon release a 2018 version.  This is a wine you should at least taste, so I will let you know when Orfila releases this 2018 vintage.
Next up:  Montipulciano