The Grapes Less Drunken By

Two grapes were stocked in a CHEERS, and I --

I took the one less drunken by,

And that has made all the difference.

Apologies to the poet Robert Frost, and for equating major life decisions with picking a bottle of wine, but once in a while it's fun to try a grape less famous, a grape 'less drunken by', no? Here are three.

01

DORNFELDER

German Grape

Dornfelder is a fairly new variety, created in Germany in 1955 when scientist August Herold crossed two grapes -- Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe. And yes, that last grape does sound familiar -- Herold created it and named it after himself. Cheeky!

Dornfelder ripens early and is quite dark -- in fact, it was created to help add color to lighter red wines. It can result in juicy, even velvety, wines. The Vogel Dornfelder sold by CHEERS is a semi-sweet option, although it is light at just 10.5 percent alcohol.

Fun fact: this wine hails from the Pfalz region, which hosts a huge wine festival, with a history of more than 500 years, in a town called Bad Durkheim!

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02

NERELLO MASCALESE

Italian Grape

Across the border, and far further south, the grape Nerello Mascalese is best-known for growing on the slopes of an active volcano--Mount Etna--on the island of Sicily.

Nerello Mascalese has been compared favorably to Pinot Noir from Burgundy and to Nebbiolo from Barolo -- that's some pretty impressive company -- and can carry a wide range of characteristics, from ripe red berries to herbs, spices and flowers to tar, smoke and pepper. Sounds like you'll need some time to appreciate all that.

CHEERS includes a dry Nerello Mascalese from Contrade Bellusa, with 13.5% alcohol, in its portfolio.

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03

ANCELLOTTA

Italian Grape

Our final grape, Ancellotta, also hails from Italy though it has become more traveled during the past century.

Ancellotta has a long history in the Emilia-Romagna area, in northern Italy, including as a blending grape for the famous red Lambrusco sparkling wines. Like Dornfelder, its deep color makes it useful for darkening lighter red wines.

CHEERS has a few options, from the Mendoza region of Argentina, for those who wish to taste this grape. One is a single variety -- 100% Ancellotta -- from Pixels and is fruity and aromatic. The other is a blend, using both lesser-known Ancellotta with Argentina's flagship grape, Malbec, for a richer product.

Either one is worth a try. And a good first step down that grape road less traveled.

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Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

Tap here to learn more about grapes and wine-drinking.

Besides the three rarely drunken wines above, have you ever tried red wine with a coffee note? Pinotage from South Africa is a niche kind of grape and six months of fermentation in barrels creates a tinge of coffee and cocoa flavor. It'd be your cup of tea if you enjoy both coffee and wine – pair it with food of rich taste such as pasta, blueberry and even chocolate. 

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Throughout December, 3 bottles of the coffee pinotage wine just costs ¥256. Tap the picture below to get this deal!

If you're after the drinks more drunken by, then here you go – popular beers from Appenzeller in Switzerland. This pack comes with 6 different styles, including ale, lager-ish, ginger beer, honey beer, passion fruit-flavored and alcohol-free beer made from 17 apples and 11 pears. 

Tap here to get a six pack of these, or tap the picture to grab two light "full moon" beers plus a Christmas bottle warmer for just ¥39.99.

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