Grapes you probably haven't had yet, from Merwah to Xarel·lo to Marquette, at the same price as a bottle you already know. This is our favorite shelf to shop from, because natural wine is really about discovering native grapes, old places and growers doing their own thing.
Cremisan Cellars' Baladi and Hamdani-Jandali are made from indigenous Palestinian grapes, and Mersel Wine's Phoenix Field Blend Rosé is built on Lebanon's Merwah. Kyra Winery's Sev Areni is Armenia's Areni grape, and Vino Magula's Modrý Portugal comes from Slovakia. Closer to home, American Wine Project's Sympathetic Magic Marquette and Pleb Urban Winery's Shuffle V.2 show what American hybrid grapes can do. North American Press's Sparkling Catawba “Pariah” is a fun one too.
How to play: pick one grape you've never heard of every time you order. Worst case, you've got a great story.
