In the 2012 edition of their seminal work Wine Grapes, experts of the vine Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, and José Vouillamoz cataloged no fewer than 1,368 unique grape varieties. The authors specified that these represent only those cultivated on a large enough scale to be commercially available; in reality, they estimated there to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of additional types of wine grapes in existence. Other research has shown that, of these myriad specimens, only a dozen or so make up roughly 90 percent of the surface area planted to wine grapes worldwide. What, then, of the countless others?
     There is no doubt that certain grapes are inherently “nobler” than others—the finest expression of Gros Plant, for example, will never come close to rivaling the finest Chardonnay on the planet. But that is not to say we shouldn’t place value in other varieties outside the tried and true classics such as Pinot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Riesling, Barbera, and the like. Numerous lesser-known, less-cultivated grape varieties are more than capable of yielding wines that are at the very least interesting, and occasionally downright superb. The globalization of the wine world and the emergence—and subsequent domination—of commercial trends in wine consumption have all but eradicated a great number of the viticultural gems once found tucked away in all corners of the Old World. Many of these, as it turns out, have something unique to say, offering new flavors to curious drinkers while embodying a rare link to a region’s history and culture.
     Luckily, there are still vignerons eager to protect and preserve these traditions. Aware that they possess something special and rare that deserves to be perpetuated, they proudly wave the flag for their region’s heirloom varieties instead of letting these grapes, and the wines made from them, go completely extinct. The choice is not always an easy one: commercial pressures and other socioeconomic factors often favor uprooting these old treasures in favor of more recognizable, more marketable, or higher-yielding vines.
     Here you will discover twelve examples from Italian and French vignerons who have resisted the tendency to globalize their vineyards, honorably sustaining the varieties native to their respective terroirs. Some represent the last remaining ambassadors of an otherwise lost variety, while others have gone out of their way to revive a grape from near-extinction. And though we will never come close to acquainting ourselves with all of the 1,368 wine grapes in cultivation, perhaps we can be enriched and inspired from tasting and savoring something other than yet another Sauvignon Blanc.