Learning New Varietals with Schiava

It is difficult to learn everything there is to know about wine. There are varietals that show up only in certain countries or regions. This seems particularly true of Italy. As we explore Italian wines, we come across grapes we have seen nowhere else. A recommendation for "something we might not have seen before" from Union Square Wines led us to the Schiava grape.

Trying a new varietal can be a difficult experience to quantify. Without a base of knowledge, how are you to know if the wine tastes the way it is "supposed to"? Our answer would be, don't worry about that. If you have to compare it to something, compare it to other wines you might know, and see what you can learn.

The bottle of Schiava was something unique. We thought it might be comparable to a cool climate Pinot Noir, but throw in citrus flavors to go along with the light red fruits and earthiness. This one bottle was enough to pique our interest to try more in the Schiava family.