Red Reigns

Ready to venture into something new in red wine? Let’s make it something you’ll enjoy.

By Josh Sens

Stop us if you’ve had this experience before: You’re browsing in a wine shop or flipping through a wine list, and suddenly it hits you. You’re dizzied by the options. The shelves are jammed with bottles. The list goes on for pages. Making a selection is a lot more complicated than simply choosing white or red. “There are literally thousands of grape varietals out there, with names that start with every letter of the alphabet,” says Rick Arline, sommelier and wine director of Auburn, a celebrated fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles. “Even if you are pretty well versed in wine, it can be enough to make your head spin.” One way to proceed is to stick with what you know, the triedand-true varietals you’ve long enjoyed. Or you could embrace the spirit of adventure and opt for a wine you’ve never had before. While beloved grapes, such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir, all have distinctive traits, they also share a kinship with other, less familiar varietals.

Up for something new? We’ve composed a list of tempting alternatives, relying on Arline as our guide.

IF YOU LIKE CABERNET SAUVIGNON TRY . . .

ZINFANDEL:

Planted in roughly 10 percent of California vineyards, zinfandel has been around the Golden State so long (its roots reach back to the 1800s) it’s had a chance to become misunderstood. “Some people think of it as a jammy, gloopy wine for barbecues,” Arline says. “But it can be very elegant and nuanced, with the structure and extraction that people like in cabernet sauvignon, but also leaner and fresher.”

Joseph Swan Bastoni Zinfandel, 2013. $29.99

SYRAH:

A wonderfully versatile varietal, syrah, Arline says, can be by turns powerful and savory, or round and fruit-driven. “It’s a little different every time,” he says. “But it’s always unmistakably syrah.”

Central Coast Group Project White Hawk Vineyard Syrah, 2013. $75

RIOJA:

Dark and moody with complex notes of ripe plum, rioja “is for people who love cab and want those qualities without paying extra for the new oak,” says Arline.

López de Heredia Rioja Reserva, 2006. $40

IF YOU LIKE MERLOT TRY . . .

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO:

Produced in the vineyards outside the Tuscan town of Montalcino, some 50 miles south of Florence, Brunello is one of Italy’s most prized wines. Soft and rich, it has a supple beauty that Arline says is reminiscent of the best merlots.

Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Annata, 2010. $125

CARIGNAN:

Fruit-forward with hints of spice, this food-friendly varietal finds many expressions but none better than the wines of the Corbiéres appellation in the Languedoc region of southern France.

Clos de l’Anhel Les Terrassettes, 2016. $17.99

TEMPRANILLO:

Smooth and fruit-forward with a structure that can range from medium- to-full bodied, Tempranillo has a quiet elegance, like merlot, that can take on great complexity as it ages.

Alión Ribera del Duero, 2013. $102

IF YOU LIKE PINOT NOIR TRY . . .

DOLCETTO D’ALBA:

Dolcetto means “little sweet one” in Italian. That doesn’t mean it’s cloying, just often low in acid, light and bright and wonderfully versatile with food.

Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba Tre Vigne, 2017. $19.99

BARBERA D’ALBA:

Deep in color, high in acid and low in tannins, this Italian varietal is often more full-bodied than pinot noir, but makes a graceful dinnertime companion.

Borgogno Barbera d’Alba, 2017. $24

GAMAY:

A close cousin to pinot noir, gamay grows next door to Burgundy, France in a region called Beaujolais. The wines it yields are light-bodied and fruity, often with a refreshing tartness. They can be especially delicious when slightly chilled.

Domaine Marcel Lapierre “Raisins Gaulois” Vin de France, 2017. $17.99

LOCAL TOAST

Having access to the world’s best wines has never been easier thanks to the fine wine stores and distributors in Bergen County. A seemingly endless number of whites and reds, including the above recommendations from Los Angeles restaurant Auburn wine director Rick Arline, can be found in Bergen shops such as:

n Bin52 Wine & Gourmet, 396 Rte. 17, Paramus, 201.701.1910, bin52.com n Carlo Russo’s Wine & Spirit World, 626 N. Maple Ave., Ho-Ho-Kus, 201.444.2033, carlorussowine.com n Englewood Wine Merchants, 1 Engle St., Englewood, 201.568.8820, englewoodwinemerchants.com n Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, 67 Vervalen St., Closter, 201.297.5000, garyswine.com n Mason’s Cellar, 32 Ames Ave., Rutherford, 201.935.1212, masonscellar.com n Super Cellars, 32 S. Broad St., Ridgewood, 201.444.0012, supercellars.com n Total Wine & More, 1001 Main St., River Edge, 201.968.1777, totalwine.com n USA Wine Traders Club, 66 Market St., Saddle Brook, 201.880.9447, usawinetradersclub.com