If you learn about wine in any sort of structured way, whether it be via the WSET, the Court of Master Sommeliers, or another organization, it's inevitable that you encounter the so-called “noble varieties” early on. Thanks to its masterclass in marketing back in the 18th century, France has long defined the basis for what we would consider wine appreciation. Of wine’s six  “noble” varieties, five—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc—are from France. The one that isn't—Riesling—still finds a comfortable second home in Alsace. As France exported the concept of luxury and living well, so too did their winemakers export the idea of making wine—the French way, of course. 

A hierarchy of this sort exists everywhere. It isn't an official rule or classification, yet the commercial viability and public recognition of certain grapes is undeniable. In Spain, Tempranillo has long ruled the roost and Garnacha was long described as a  “workhorse” grape for adding heft to blends. It's now making the greatest wines in the country in Catalonia and Madrid. In California, swaths of vineyards better suited to different varieties are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, simply because of the price people are willing to pay for a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Yet, it's in Italy where this hierarchy is arguably at its strongest; often in a subtle, understated way.  Italian regions have naturally leaned towards certain grape varieties, usually indigenous, that take the top vineyard spots and the associated limelight. We rarely had the opportunity to taste what “lesser” varieties may have done in their place. Though there are some notable exceptions.

Take Piedmont. The undeniable king of Piedmont is Nebbiolo; the hauntingly beautiful, late-harvested grape of Barolo, Barbaresco, and the surrounding Langhe region. Given its name recognition going back to the 1200s, it perhaps comes as no surprise to discover that the prime vineyard spots are planted with Nebbiolo. Higher elevation vineyards, or those with poor drainage or aspect are usually planted with Barbera, and Dolcetto takes the least desirable vineyards. Dolcetto has often been written off as a gluggable, simple wine made for easy drinking, with most guides and textbooks suggesting that these wines should be drunk within the first year or two of their release. Which isn't untrue for most examples, but what could Dolcetto be if planted in a premium vineyard spot and given the same opportunities in life as Nebbiolo?

Enter G.D. Vajra. One of the largest producers in the Langhe, yet also one of that’s highly acclaimed, Vajra has been a benchmark winery in Barolo for over 50 years, particularly in the Ravera cru. In the 1980s, Vajra acquired new vineyards in Barolo: the Fossati and Coste di Vergne vineyards, which were historically dedicated to Nebbiolo. Yet portions of those vineyards weren´t performing as well as others. So, after a careful clonal selection throughout the region, Dolcetto was planted in its place. 

40 years on, these vines are coming into a stage of incredible maturity. Now bottled as “Dolcetto Coste & Fossati,” they’re deep, brambly, and densely structured. This wine loses nothing of the grape’s juicy fruit and sappy herbal character, but it takes on a new level of intensity, one rarely seen with Dolcetto. Yet it sells for a little more than half of Vajra's most affordable Barolo, Albe. Given that, it's easy to see why most producers would prefer to stick with their plantings of Nebbiolo. 

To the east of Barolo lies Colli Tortonesi, historically home to a great deal of Barbera production and simple white wines made from Cortese. The altitude and cooling breezes here mark it as decidedly different to the Langhe, yet in the 1980s, the market demand was for red wine production. But Walter Massa, who had joined his family’s Vigneti Massa in the late 1970s, had other ideas. 

In their vineyards was a small amount of a variety called Timorasso, which was not made into its own wines but was sometimes added to Cortese for extra body, flavor, and texture. In 1987, Walter decided to set aside the few Timorasso grapes he had to make a single varietal wine; barely over 500 bottles worth. “I let the grapes ferment and then stay in the tank all winter, after which malolactic fermentation naturally set in. I bottled it in May and knew right away that the wine was way better than Cortese,” he explained to Kerin O´Keefe. After a particularly bad hailstorm destroyed much of the family crop in 1989, the opportunity to replant with Timorasso became more than a dream. The family’s first true Timorasso vineyard was planted in 1990 and vineyard holdings have increased ever since (though Cortese continues to rule the roost when it comes to volume). Massa’s Timorasso is something to behold; deep, waxy, and full bodied, yet with incredible acidity to carry the wine on the palate. Orchard fruited and gently honeyed, there are obvious comparisons to Chenin Blanc, but with a gentle and decidedly Italian bitterness on the finish. From near extinction, so rose a nearly forgotten grape variety. Today, the likes of Roagna are selling pricey bottlings of Timorasso

At the other end of the country sits the beautiful island of Sicily. Home to a number of indigenous varieties that have been planted for centuries—if not millenia— during the 1990s Sicily unfortunately became a hotspot for French varieties produced in large volumes. If there was an indigenous variety that had any recognition, it was the ancient Nero d´Avola, though the early 2000s saw this grape, like many others, over-extracted and heavily oaked in a bid to keep up with market trends. Those looking for lighter, fresher wines to enjoy under the hot Sicilian sun had to look to other regions.

Frappato is one of the island’s most ancient varieties. Its exact origins are not definitively known. Before the 2000s, practically no one had heard of it outside of the region, where it was broadly planted and used to add freshness and florality to blends.It could have remained this way indefinitely had it not been for the work and belief of Arianna Occhipinti. She’s now a superstar in Italian wine, but back in 2004 she had graduated from the University of Milan and returned to Sicily’s Vittoria, to start her own project. (Her uncle was already making excellent wine at nearby COS.) Her first acquisition? A single vineyard of old-vine Frappato, trained as bush vines.

Her best known wine is SP68; an almost equal blend of Nero d´Avola and Frappato, with an incredibly chalky texture and freshness. For me, though, the star in her line-up is Il Frappato, an unfiltered wine made from 40 year old vines on organically farmed, sandy soils. The sheer vitality and life in the wine is something else. It clocks in at a very reasonable 12.5% ABV, though it doesn't sacrifice any flavor in the process. For those who favor elegance and freshness over power and intensity, this is the taste of Sicily that they're looking for. Occhipinti has gone on to produce single vineyard expressions of Frappato in small quantities, which have a tendency to disappear as soon as they touch down in any given market or setting. 

Further north, Tuscany stands proud as the most famous, most visited, and best understood region of central Italy. Tuscany is now well established as the spiritual home of Sangiovese, with which it has a long, storied history and associated controversies (Super Tuscans, anyone?). Superlative examples are made from Chianti to Brunello di Montalcino. Yet the next big thing in Tuscany might, for many, be quietly passing beneath the radar.

Trebbiano di Toscana is a name that is unlikely to set any hearts racing in the wine world. Part of the broader Trebbiano family of grapes, Trebbiano di Toscana has historically been produced in incredibly high yields, to make dilute, uninteresting, and very affordable wines. In France it's known as Ugni Blanc, and considered so uninteresting that it makes the neutral base for Cognac. Is this the quality ceiling for the grape, or is it purely a question of ambition and giving it the opportunity to shine?

Monteraponi are a fairly new outfit by Chianti standards. It was established in 1974 in Radda, and run by Michele Braganti and Alessandra Deiana; two increasingly influential characters in the region. The two have long produced exceptional wines—not necessarily always under the DOCG label—with a strong nod towards tradition, while reserving a little room for deviations and developments. Take their truly superb Trebbiano di Toscana, produced from 50 year old vines—a rarity in the region. Macerated on the grape skins for 48 hours before fermentation, then aged in old Burgundy barrels for eight months, this is a stunning and highly sought-after wine they make in very small quantities.

Hierarchies often exist for a reason, and regions are very slow to change. I'm not suggesting that all the Nebbiolo should be ripped out and planted with Dolcetto. I am suggesting that one should always be on the lookout for quieter projects that focus on any region’s less-celebrated varieties. Many grapes that have been written off as uninteresting are frequently just produced in the wrong place, or with the wrong attention. If Trebbiano di Toscana can rise to such heights, it's unwise to place a ceiling on the quality potential for any grape. As all of the wines below demonstrate, all it takes is the right producer to give it time, energy and belief—and to defy the history and given wisdom of their region to produce something exceptional.

Wines to Try Using Less-Common Italian Grapes

2022 G. D Vajra Dolcetto Coste & Fossati  ($22)

100% Dolcetto from two vineyards in Barolo, this is one of the more structured and serious Dolcettos you're likely to come across. Ripe, dark berry and damson fruits on the nose, with touches of licorice, violets, and breakfast tea. At this young stage it's still fairly chewy, though this resolves with a few years in the bottle. All the juiciness and dark fruit of a classic Dolcetto, yet with layers more texture and depth.

2019 Ronchi di Cialla Schioppettino di Cialla ($28)

Remarkable complexity for such a young wine. If you enjoy wines from the Northern Rhône and Burgundy, grab this to enjoy elements of both. Cracked peppercorns, smoked meat, ripe cherry fruit and dried rose petals, all layered over a light bed of soft tannins. Acidity is the spine of this wine and it lasts well into the mouth-watering finish. Just lovely.

2022 Vigneti Massa Derthona ($35)

A warm vintage for Piedmont—and much of the world—makes for a richer, softer style of Timorasso. Ripe, honeyed orchard fruits with a touch of honeydew melon on the nose, complimented by honeysuckle, jasmine and a light smokiness. Full bodied, soft and mouth-coating, with a little less of the electric acidity common in cooler vintages and more of the generous, sweet orchard fruit. 

2022 Ariana Occhipinti Il Frappato ($40)

Another superb vintage of this  and the sort of wine that is particularly delicious to serve ever-so-slightly chilled. Bright red berry fruits, raspberry, violets, rose petals and crushed rocks. Vivid and fresh, from the nose to the palate. Exceptional finesse here, with the acidity carrying the fresh, fruit flavors into a tapered, dry finish. 

2020 Gulfi Carricante Carjcanti ($42)

Carricante from the original masters and one of the old-school wineries of Sicily. Salty and citric on the nose, with a touch of smoke, before the ripe stone fruits envelop. There's a little more barrel on the palate than on the nose, but this is about brightness and a real sense of place. The salty, briny character is particularly present in the finish, with a real nod to the nearby warm Mediterranean.  

2021 Monteraponi Trebbiano Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT ($88)

Almost a coppery color in the glass, with subtle hints of orange—and what complexity on the nose! Blood orange, white peach, wax, mint, and a touch of lemon peel. Evocative, beguiling stuff. Firm and fresh on the palate, with a gentle tug of tannin with each sip and no shortage of understated power. It's easy to see why this has developed such a following in recent years.

2023 Bosco De Medici Pompeii Rosso ($NA)

Varietal Piedirosso grown nearby Mt Vesuvius; this is a light-drinking, elegant style of wine that I'd love to see more of from the south of Italy. Bright, red fruits, rose petals, subtle earthy spices and a touch of herbal freshness. This is fermented and aged exclusively in stainless steel, so direct from the start to the finish. Simple but delicious!