Swap guides
Swap guideWines Like Sancerre: Assyrtiko, Verdejo and Txakoli
You love Sancerre for its acid or its stone. Mainland Assyrtiko carries both, Verdejo carries the citrus and herbs, and Txakoli carries the acid, each for under $25.
Swap guideWines Like Prosecco: Dry Lambrusco, Crémant de Limoux and 2 More to Try
You already know Prosecco's easy fruit. Cava, Crémant de Limoux, German Sekt and dry Lambrusco keep the fresh bubbles and add depth, cut or color, and one of them is red.
Swap guideWines Similar to Riesling: Moschofilero, Furmint and 2 More Like It
You already know Gewürztraminer and Chenin. Moschofilero, dry Furmint, Grüner Veltliner and Torrontés each carry Riesling's perfume or its acid, and one carries both.
Swap guideWines Similar to Gewürztraminer: Moschofilero, the Dry Greek Swap
You love Gewürztraminer's perfume, not the spelling or the sweetness roulette. Moschofilero from the Peloponnese gives you the rose and orange blossom, reliably dry and fresher.
Swap guideWines Similar to Provence Rosé: Xinomavro, Moschofilero and Baga
You already know the pale Provence look and its price. Xinomavro, Moschofilero and Baga rosé each pour the same dry, crisp, coral-pink glass, and each tastes of where it's from.
Swap guideWines Like Merlot: Agiorgitiko and Mencía
Merlot drinkers come for the plush plum or the easy softness. Agiorgitiko gives you both with more perfume; Mencía keeps the softness and adds freshness.
Buying guides
The Best Agiorgitiko Wines Under $40
Agiorgitiko is Greece's most-planted red and one of wine's great soft touches — plush, juicy, and absurdly good value from its home in Nemea. Two bottles were live and price-checked in September 2026, and three that used to be here were not.
The Best Alicante Bouschet Wines Under $35 (In Stock, 2026)
Alicante Bouschet is the rare grape that's red to the core — and Portugal's Alentejo makes the best of it for shockingly little. Five bottles under $35, with a stock check from September 2026 that did not go well.
The Best Xinomavro Wines Under $35
Four Xinomavro bottles under $35, all confirmed in stock, with the honest catch on each. Greece's answer to Barolo, ranked by what I would actually buy first.
Wine Clubs That Send You Bottles You've Never Heard Of
Most clubs send the same dependable Cabernet in a nicer box. Three that don't, ranked by what they actually do well, plus the honest limitation on each.
Deep dives
Deep diveCan Florida Grow Real Wine Grapes? The Disease, the Hybrids and the 13 Cases
A bacterium carried by insects kills European grapevines across the Deep South. Florida bred its own answer in 1987, UC Davis released five more in 2019, and the first Florida-grown wine from them came to 13 cases.
Deep diveSilvaner: Germany's Dry White That Isn't Riesling
If Riesling is too much fruit and too much fuss, Silvaner is the German white to try: dry, quiet, a little herbal, and at its best in Franken's round, squat bottle.
Deep diveLiebfraumilch: The Ghost of German Wine, and the Grape That Outlived It
Liebfraumilch was once half the wine Germany sent abroad. The bottle faded; one of the grapes inside it, Silvaner, is now the wine worth finding.
Deep diveA Chemistry Map of 126 Grapes, Read for the Underdogs
Scientists in Trentino mapped 126 grape varieties by what their berries are made of, not by their DNA. Twenty-one grapes this site covers are on it. Here is what the map says about them, and what it can't.
Deep diveMost Red Wine Is Wearing a Costume. Saperavi Came as Itself.
Squeeze almost any red grape and the juice runs clear: the red is a costume borrowed from the skins. A Halloween guide to the grapes that dress up, the few that don't, and the one worth finding.
Deep diveSaperavi: The Red-Fleshed Georgian Grape, and Where to Find a Bottle
If you drink Malbec for its depth, Saperavi is the darker, wilder red to try next. It's Georgia's signature grape, it has red flesh as well as red skin, and the one pure bottle stocked online right now comes from New York.
Deep diveKosher Wine for Hanukkah: Bring the Petit Verdot Nobody Else Will
Every Hanukkah table gets the same kosher Cabernet. Bring Petit Verdot instead: a Bordeaux blending grape almost nobody bottles alone, made kosher in Israel, where the heat finally ripens it.
Deep diveThe Master Sommelier Cheating Scandal, and 57 Years of the Exam
In 2018 a two-word email cost 23 new Master Sommeliers their titles. Here is what happened, what the exam has looked like since 1969, and whether it has quietly gotten easier. It hasn't.
Deep diveVoskehat and Areni Noir: The Two Grapes Armenia Is Leading With
Armenia has hundreds of grape varieties and is putting two in front of the world. A Concours Mondial de Bruxelles judge explains why Areni Noir and Voskehat are the pair to learn, and why the good bottles cost more than you'd expect.
Every article, A to Z (178)
- A Chemistry Map of 126 Grapes, Read for the Underdogs
- Agiorgitiko: Greece's Velvety Red from Nemea
- Aglianico: The Barolo of the South
- Albania: The Last Undiscovered Wine Country
- Albillo Mayor: The White That Helped Make Tempranillo
- Alentejo: Where a French Reject Became Portugal's Star
- Alicante Bouschet: The Red-Fleshed Grape That Bleeds
- Antão Vaz: The Alentejo White With a Chardonnay's Weight
- Arinto: Portugal's High-Acid Answer to Riesling
- Armenia: They Were Making Wine 6,000 Years Ago. Why Aren't You Drinking It?
- Assyrtiko: The Volcanic White That Out-Crisps Sauvignon Blanc
- Baga: The 'Nebbiolo of Portugal' Nobody Warned You About
- Barbacarlo & the Lost Grapes of Oltrepò Pavese
- Bical: The Bairrada White That Out-Ages Your Chardonnay
- Blaufränkisch: Austria's Peppery Answer to Syrah
- Bobal: Spain's Inky Old-Vine Answer to Malbec
- Bonarda: Argentina's Quiet Number Two
- Cabernet Pfeffer: California's Peppery Red With No Real Name
- Campania: Southern Italy's Volcanic Underdogs
- Can Florida Grow Real Wine Grapes? The Disease, the Hybrids and the 13 Cases
- Carignan: The Bold Old-Vine Red the Wine World Nearly Ripped Out
- Carménère: Chile's Lost Bordeaux Grape
- Carricante: The Volcanic White That Ages Like Great Riesling
- Castelão: Portugal's Everyday Red That Drinks Above Its Price
- Catarratto: Sicily's Workhorse White, Finally Worth Drinking
- Cesanese: Rome's Spicy Red That Drinks Like a Softer Syrah
- Chambourcin: The French Hybrid That Found Its Home in America
- Cinsault: The Featherweight Red That Beats Pinot Noir on Price
- Coda di Volpe: The Campanian White That Trades Bite for Almond
- Commandaria: Cyprus's Ancient Sweet Wine, Explained
- Counoise: The Rhône's Quiet Peppercorn
- Cyprus Wine Grapes: Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and the Rest
- Cyprus's Lost Grapes: Bastartiko, Maroucho, Michalias, Omoio
- Duras: The Peppery Gaillac Red That Isn't From Where You Think
- Elbling: Rome's Forgotten Grape, Still Alive on the Mosel
- Encruzado: Portugal's Finest White, Hiding in the Dão
- Erbaluce: Piedmont's High-Acid White That Outworks Chardonnay
- Every Wine Grape Italy Has Registered: All 640, Searchable
- Falanghina: Campania's Crisp White That Outclasses Pinot Grigio
- Fer Servadou: The Iron-Bled Red That Out-Peppers Syrah
- Fiano: The Ancient White With a Sparkling Secret
- Frappato: Sicily's Pale, Chillable Red
- Freisa: Piedmont's Wild Strawberry Red, and Nebbiolo's Rustic Cousin
- Friulano: The Savory Italian White That Lost Its Name and Kept Its Soul
- Furmint: Tokaj's Dry, Electric White
- Gaglioppo: Calabria's Pale, Savory Answer to Pinot Noir
- Galicia & Bierzo: Atlantic Spain's Quiet Revival
- Georgia: 8,000 Years of Wine, and Another Grape That Bleeds
- Georgian Ice Wine: A Dessert Wine From Wine's Birthplace
- Godello: Galicia's Answer to White Burgundy
- Greco: Campania's Mineral White That Rewards Patience
- Greece: The Old World's Best-Value Underdog
- Grignolino: The Light Red That Bites Back
- Grillo: Sicily's Crisp Citrus White, Rescued From the Marsala Trade
- Grolleau: The Loire's Crow-Black Grape Learns to Be a Red
- Grüner Veltliner: The Crisp White That Grinds Its Own Pepper
- Hárslevelű: Tokaj's Aromatic White, Out From Under Furmint's Shadow
- Hondarrabi Zuri: The Salt-Spray White Behind Basque Txakoli
- How a Qvevri Is Made, and Why It Goes in the Ground
- How American Grapes Saved the World's Wine
- How to Pronounce Wine Grapes: 116 Underdog Names, Said Out Loud
- If You Drink Grenache, You Should Be Drinking Cannonau
- In Defense of Pinotage
- In Defense of Semi-Sweet Reds (Yes, Really)
- Juhfark: The Volcanic White That Out-Ages Most Reds
- Kadarka: The Pale Hungarian Red That Drinks Like Pinot Noir
- Kisi: Georgia's Aromatic White That Trades Sugar for Grip
- Kosher Wine for Hanukkah: Bring the Petit Verdot Nobody Else Will
- Lagrein: The Dark Alpine Red That Out-Broods Cabernet
- Liebfraumilch: The Ghost of German Wine, and the Grape That Outlived It
- Limnio: The Greek Red Homer Was Drinking Before Syrah Existed
- Listán Negro: The Volcanic Red the Canaries Kept for Themselves
- Loureiro: The Floral Vinho Verde That Outruns Sauvignon Blanc
- Low and No-Alcohol Wine: Why the Best Were Never Dealcoholized
- Magliocco: Calabria's Dark, Peppery Answer to Syrah
- Malagousia: The Greek White That Came Back From the Dead
- Maratheftiko: The Cypriot Red That Can't Pollinate Itself
- Mavro: Cyprus's Workhorse Red, and a Second Chance
- Mavrodaphne: The Greek Red That Plays Both Sides
- Mencía: The Fragrant Spanish Red That Pinot Lovers Need to Meet
- Mondeuse: The Alpine Red That Out-Peppers Syrah
- Montefalco Sagrantino Vintage Guide: Every Year From 1975 to 2022
- Morokanella: The 'Little Cinnamon' White Grape of Cyprus
- Most Red Wine Is Wearing a Costume. Saperavi Came as Itself.
- Mtsvane: Georgia's Green Grape and the Aromatic White You Haven't Poured
- Nascetta: The White Barolo Country Almost Forgot
- Négrette: The Violet-Scented Red Toulouse Keeps to Itself
- Nerello Mascalese: Wine Grown on a Living Volcano
- Obscure Wines: 17 Lesser-Known Grapes Worth Switching To
- Öküzgözü and Boğazkere: The Turkish Reds Almost Nobody Is Allowed to Talk About
- Order This Instead: Underdog Swaps for the Famous Bottles
- País: Chile's Old-Vine Comeback
- Passerina: The Coastal White That Out-Freshens Pinot Grigio
- Pecorino: The Abruzzo White That Almost Went Extinct
- Pelaverga: The Pale, Peppered Red Hiding Inside Barolo Country
- Perricone: Sicily's Rustic, Savory Underdog Red
- Piedirosso: The Light Volcanic Red Naples Keeps for Itself
- Pignolo: The Friulian Red That Nearly Died Out
- Pineau d'Aunis: The Peppery Loire Red That Drinks Like Chilled Pinot
- Plavac Mali: Zinfandel's Croatian Cousin, Grown on Cliffs
- Pošip: The Serious Croatian White That Outgrows Chardonnay
- Poulsard: The Jura Red You Can Almost See Through
- Prieto Picudo: León's Fresh, Firm Underdog Red
- Promara: A Rare Cypriot White Worth Seeking Out
- Ramisco: The Sand-Grown Red That Outlived Phylloxera
- Refosco: Friuli's Dark, High-Acid Answer to Cabernet
- Ribolla Gialla: The Friulian White That Reads Two Ways
- Rkatsiteli: The 8,000-Year-Old White That Out-Ages Your Pinot Grigio
- Robola: Cephalonia's Stone-Fed Answer to Sauvignon Blanc
- Roditis: The Pink-Skinned Greek White That Out-Drinks Pinot Grigio
- Rossese: The Pale Ligurian Red That Drinks Like Pinot Noir
- Rotgipfler: The Full-Bodied Austrian White That Out-Textures Chardonnay
- Ruchè: The Perfumed Piedmont Red a Priest Saved From Extinction
- Rufete: The High-Altitude Spanish Red That Drinks Like Pinot Noir
- Sagrantino Is Getting Softer. I Asked Montefalco Why.
- Sagrantino: Italy's Most Tannic Grape
- Sankt Laurent: The Serious Pinot Noir Swap Hiding in Austria
- Saperavi: The Red-Fleshed Georgian Grape, and Where to Find a Bottle
- Savatiano: Greece's Most-Planted White Steps Out of the Retsina Shadow
- Schiava Meaning, and the Pale, Easy Alpine Red Behind the Name
- Schioppettino: The Friulian Red That Peppers Like Syrah and Almost Died Trying
- Sercial Madeira: The Bone-Dry Wine That Never Dies
- Silvaner: Germany's Dry White That Isn't Riesling
- Somontano's Survivors: Parraleta, Moristel & Alcañón
- Spourtiko: The Cypriot White That Pollinates Maratheftiko
- Stanushina: The Macedonian Red That Almost Disappeared
- Sumoll: Catalonia's Reclaimed Light Red
- Tannat: Uruguay's Dark, Muscular Answer to Cabernet
- Teinturier Grapes: The Reds That Bleed Red
- Temjanika: The Frankincense Grape of the Balkans
- Teroldego: The Inky Alpine Red Italy Keeps to Itself
- The $5.8 Million Tuscany Wine Heist, and the Wine Nobody Would Steal
- The Best Agiorgitiko Wines Under $40
- The Best Alicante Bouschet Wines Under $35 (In Stock, 2026)
- The Best Xinomavro Wines Under $35
- The Master Sommelier Cheating Scandal, and 57 Years of the Exam
- The Underdogs in My Cellar: Wines You've Probably Never Tried (and Should)
- Timorasso: The Piedmont White That Beat Extinction
- Torrontés: The Aromatic White Argentina Grew in the Sky
- Touriga Nacional: Portugal's Noble Red Beyond Port
- Treixadura: Galicia's Answer to Textural White Burgundy
- Trepat: The Catalan Red That Spent a Century Hiding in Pink Cava
- Trincadeira: The Peppery Alentejo Red That Fights Its Own Vine
- Trousseau: The Jura Cult Grape (That's Also Hiding in Portugal)
- Vasilissa: The Cypriot White Once Mistaken for Morokanella
- Verdejo: The White Spain Saved from Extinction
- Verdelho: The Island Grape That Learned to Live Dry
- Verdicchio: The Marche White That Ages Like It Has Something to Prove
- Vidal Blanc: Bred for Cognac, Famous for Icewine
- Vinhão: The Inky, Sour Red Portugal Barely Lets Out of the Country
- Vitovska: The Salt-and-Stone White From a Plateau Most Maps Skip
- Voskehat and Areni Noir: The Two Grapes Armenia Is Leading With
- Vranec: North Macedonia's Inky, Full-Bodied Red
- Wild Grapes, Native Ground: Indigenous America and the Vine
- Wine Clubs That Send You Bottles You've Never Heard Of
- Wine Gifts That Aren't Boring: Underdog Bottles to Give
- Wines Like Merlot: Agiorgitiko and Mencía
- Wines Like Pinot Noir: Trousseau, Nerello Mascalese and 2 More to Try
- Wines Like Prosecco: Dry Lambrusco, Crémant de Limoux and 2 More to Try
- Wines Like Sancerre: Assyrtiko, Verdejo and Txakoli
- Wines Similar to Barolo: Three Cheaper Reds Like It Under $30
- Wines Similar to Cabernet Sauvignon: Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional and Baga
- Wines Similar to Chardonnay: Godello, Fiano and Albillo Mayor
- Wines Similar to Gewürztraminer: Moschofilero, the Dry Greek Swap
- Wines Similar to Malbec: Alicante Bouschet, Teroldego and Touriga Nacional
- Wines Similar to Nebbiolo: Underdog Reds for Barolo Lovers
- Wines Similar to Pinot Grigio: Elbling, Verdejo and Godello
- Wines Similar to Provence Rosé: Xinomavro, Moschofilero and Baga
- Wines Similar to Riesling: Moschofilero, Furmint and 2 More Like It
- Wines Similar to Sauvignon Blanc: Verdejo, Albillo Mayor and Godello
- Wines Similar to Syrah: Dark, Savory Underdogs to Try Instead
- Wines Similar to Zinfandel: Bold, Jammy Underdogs to Try Instead
- Xarel·lo: The Still Spanish White for People Who Think Chardonnay Is the Only Serious Option
- Xinomavro: The 'Greek Barolo' That Costs a Fraction of the Price
- Xynisteri: Cyprus's White Grape, and Why Altitude Matters
- Yiannoudi: The Cypriot Red Still Writing Its Rulebook
- Zibibbo: The Sun-Baked Muscat That Drinks Drier Than It Smells
- Zierfandler: Austria's Rich, Spiced White That Isn't Zinfandel