I asked my valued blogsters to give me their lists of the most underappreciated wines in the market.
Florent Blanchet replied: “Two wines always underappreciated, on wine lists & on wine shelves: Chinon, Loire Valley, France and Cahors, Southwest France. While the first one offers truly unique, benchmark expression for cabernet franc, the second one is almost unknown (true, the production is small & the needs to export, promote & market this appelation are close to none).
"While the consumption of Argentinean malbecs (pictured here in a KRT photo by Diego Guidice) explodes in the states, few seem to recognize the origin of this grape (Bordeaux) and the only French appellation made with at least 70% of malbec, Cahors.
“A good Cahors can offer a complexity of aromas, ranging from lead pencil to licorice to black currant, rarely found in any Argentinean wines. I hope some of you will disagree so we can argue a little.”
Gee, Florent. The only disagreement I can voice is that those French malbecs can be hard as nails sometimes. And so dark that, if you spill them on a table cloth, you’ll never get them out.
Wine fans: Feeling disagreeable? Got some other choices? Let us know. Click on the “comments” icon below.
Vinho Verde from Portugal...I think these are underappreciated great summer quaffing wines because of its low alcohol content (around 8.5-11% alcohol) The wines are light and fresh, semi-sparkling with a definite pétillance, which make them fun too! The whites are lemon or straw-colored, and mostly made from Albariño (Alvarinho), Loureiro, and Trajadura. I like the fresh flavors-citrusy and green apple-great for light sipping on the terrace while watching the sunset over the Miami skyline. And they're not too expensive!
The reds, made from Azal Tinto, Borraçal, and Espadeiro grapes are such a deep red they'll turn your teeth purple, but they're worth the experience.
Posted by: Irene Moore | June 12, 2008 at 05:13 PM