The Underdogs in My Cellar: Wines You've Probably Never Tried (and Should)

Here's a pattern I only noticed when I looked back through my own tasting notes: almost every wine I rated highest came from a place nobody talks about. Not Napa. Not Bordeaux. Portugal, Georgia, Armenia — countries that have been making wine for thousands of years and still can't get a word in at the dinner table. That's the whole idea behind Wine Underdogs, and it turns out I've been living it without realizing.

So let me start where the brand started: a red grape that bleeds.

The signature: Alicante Bouschet

Alicante Bouschet is one of the only grapes in the world with red flesh, not just red skin — slice one open and the juice runs crimson. For a century it was treated as a blending grape, a way to deepen the color of weaker wines. In Portugal's Alentejo, it became a star. And the bottle that made me a believer cost me less than a sandwich.

Tasting Review

Aluado Alicante Bouschet

Alicante Bouschet · Lisboa, Portugal · 2020

91/ 100

Definitively fruity, with a touch of sweetness, mild spice, and a warm finish. An excellent wine — and remarkable for the price.

$Buying link coming soon

That's the thing about underdogs: the value is absurd. This is a wine that punches so far above its price tag it feels like a secret.

The surprise: the Caucasus

Then there's the part of my cellar I didn't expect to love so much — the wines of the Caucasus. Georgia is the oldest wine region on earth (8,000 years and counting), and its grapes have names most sommeliers can't pronounce. Armenia is right behind it. These were some of the highest scores I've ever given, and they share a signature: bright fruit, a little sweetness, and zero pretension.

Review Roundup

Three Caucasus underdogs worth chasing

1. 1

   Marani Khvanchkara

   Alexandrouli & Mujuretuli · Khvanchkara, Georgia · 2019

   95/100

   Excellent — naturally semi-sweet with a little citrus on the finish. A wine that makes you grin.

   $
2. 2

   Armenia Wine Semisweet Red

   Indigenous Armenian blend · Aragatsotn, Armenia · 2018

   93/100

   Crisp, and it holds up days after opening. A whole basket of red fruit — cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry.

   $
3. 3

   Marani Gemieri

   Saperavi blend · Kakheti, Georgia · 2017

   90/100

   A deep, sweet-edged Kakhetian red from Georgia's heartland — easy to love, hard to find.

   $

Why this matters

None of these wines are hard to enjoy. They're just hard to find — because the wine world is built to sell you the same dozen grapes over and over. Every bottle above came from a country with a deeper wine history than France, and every one cost less than a mainstream bottle I'd rate lower.

That's the bet behind everything here: that the most interesting wines are the overlooked ones, and that a little curiosity pays off in your glass and your wallet. I'll keep pulling the corks. You bring the curiosity.

— Chris Berry