Gourmet Hunters or how to get an education in obscure grape varieties.

Some websites give you a lot of information and others, practically none. We'd much rather know what grapes are used in a wine and its alcohol content than in what soil it was grown and what closure its bottle has. We can even assume bottles are 75cl unless told to the contrary.

Gourmet Hunters' website is not the last word in ease of navigation but its list of grape varieties is a goldmine and that is in no small way thanks to Gourmet Hunters' eclectic choice of wines. The name of this companymay not trip off the tongue but they are Gourmets for sure and have certainly done some hunting.

To prove the point, there are 8 varieties unknown to Wine Grapes, Galet and D'Agata. We are talking super-obscure. Let's see them right away:

Parida Creus Garrut

Calabres (Sierras de Salamanca) Red

Fartapobres (Tarragona) Red

Garrut (Catalonia) Red

Jaque (Catalonia) Red

Molinillo (Vinos de Madrid) Red

Petino (Lazio) White

Ranzelinho (Douro) White

Romanesco (Lazio) White

Gourmet Hunters' speciality is Spain but they sell French and Italian wine too. Their wines are as eclectic as you could wish for. We are for diversity but somehow, as we have mentioned before, Spain is reluctant to give up the names of its native grape varieties. We are beginning to think there may be as many of these as in Italy but it's difficult to know because they remain dwarfed by the ubiquitous Tempranillo etc. from which it is difficult to prise people other than in Catalonia and Galicia.  

The list of grape varieties on Gourmet Hunters' site is a good deal longer than the ones below but we have not included those already discussed in this blog and the more familiar native varieties such as Bobal & Co.

Here are some of them - Iberian unless mentioned otherwise:

Albillo

Aubun (France)

Beier

Bianchetta Trevigliana (Italy)

Boschera (Italy)

Buera (Georgia)

Cardinal (N. America)

Fogoneu

Giro (Italy)

Gros Beclan (aka Peloursin) (France)

Gueuche (France)

Jaque

Lado

Marmajuelo

Maturana Blanco

Minella Bianco (Italy)

Moll (aka Prensal)

Noir Fleurien (France)

Pardina (Italy)

Perera (Italy)

Perruno

Petit Beclan (France)

Peurion (France)

Rosette (France)

Silverina

Tortosi (= Rosal Blanco)

Tsitska (Georgia)

Vidueno (= Viduno? Vidonho?)

All of these are stand-alone varieties. There were many other names that turned out to be synonyms for better known varieties. You want them? OK;

Agudillo = Chenin Blanc

Albarin Tinto = Alfrocheiro

Argant (= Gansfuesser)

Baboso Negro = Alfrocheiro

Borracal = Caino Tinto, Espadeiro and Redondo

Carabunera = Touriga Nacional

Diego = Vijariego

Gordo = Muscat d'Alexandrie

Gual = Malvasia Fina

Juan Ibanez = Moristel

Malvar = Lairen

Merenzao = Trousseau

Mouraton = Juan Garcia, Negreda

Mulata = Negramoll

Pardina = Cayetana Blanca

Prieto Picudo Blanco = Godello

Terret Bouret = Terret Gris

Tortosi = Rojal Blanco

Verdiell = Tempranillo