Carménère
Carménère originated in Bordeaux, France but now is grown mainly in Chile. It was hard to grow in France, and when it died out due to the phylloxera plague in 1867, it was considered to be extinct. Meanwhile, in Chile, it was growing well, but was thought to be Merlot – it wasn’t until 1994 that the earlier ripening vine was actually Carménère.
Food pairings: Carménère goes well with grilled or roasted meats, some spicy dishes and strong hard cheeses.
Interesting fact: Carménère is so popular in South America that International Carménère Day is celebrated on November 24th.
Shiraz
Shiraz or Syrah originated in France, the combination of two largely unknown grape varieties, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche (neither of which are widely grown any longer). Shiraz is one of the more widely planted grapes and is found in vineyards around the world.
Shiraz wines tend to be full bodied and powerfully flavoured, often with aromas of dark berries, chocolate, black pepper and espresso. For the health nuts out there, Shiraz has the one of highest levels of anti-oxidants.
Although the name is similar to the city of Shiraz in Iran (where wine was made wine prior to the Iranian Revolution) there is no connection either to the grapes or the flavour of the wine).
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot (pronounced peh-tee vur–doe) originated in Bordeaux, France and is very popular as a grape for red Bordeaux blends due to bold flavours, good tannins and deep colour. Expect flavours of plums, black cherries and aromas of lilacs and violets.
Mourvedre
Mourvedre (also called Monastrell) originates in Spain and is common as a blending grape with Shiraz and Grenache. It makes full-bodied wine that tend to be tannic and high in alcohol. A tricky grape to grow, it likes warm weather and lots of water (sometimes referred to as “its face in the hot sun and its feet in the water”).
Cool fact: Legend states it was brought to Spain by the Phoenicians around 500 B.C.