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There are so many choices involved in starting a winery. One of the most fun decisions you’ll make is choosing the different varieties of wine, and then growing grapes vines for the wines you want to produce, to be able to sell wine by the glass.
This is a decision you’ll need to make before you buy grape vines, learn how to plant them, and start winery design and finding wine tasting room ideas. It’s both fundamental and delightful.
We’ve covered the different vines and grapes you can buy previously on the BinWise blog. However, we’re yet to explore how creative you can get with varieties of wine. It’s not just about the grape types; there’s a real science to mixing up interesting wines. We’ll take a look at some unique wines and several wineries experimenting with making new classes of wine.
Different Varieties of Wine
When it comes to learning about the different varieties of wine, specifically the unique varieties, it’s important to think outside the box. Yes, there are uncommon varietals like Solaris or Nebbiolo, but that’s not what we’re talking about. The truly unique wines are the ones you mix up with ingredients besides grapes.
Mixing up wines with other ingredients is a combination of chemistry, cooking, and creativity. You need to have an idea of what will taste good together and what quantities to use. Most importantly, you need to be willing to take a leap of faith. It could turn out different than you expected, but some of the best wines are the unexpected ones.
5 Unique Wine Varieties
There is so much you can do to create a new type of wine. You can mix together tea ingredients or coffee. You can also utilize herbs or berries. Heck, if you know what you’re doing you can mix in gold flakes. To channel Lady Marmalade, you can–to paraphrase–mix wine with diamonds in the glass (that probably won’t change the flavor, though).
For these five unique wine varieties, we’ll take a look at wines that bring together great flavors and ingenuity in the winemaking process. There’s something on this list for anyone interested in something new to sip. As you’re setting up your winery business plan, you can draw from these wines for ideas on what you might create to work with your wine marketing.
5. Rose Wine
You might think, “Is that a typo?” It’s not! While we’re fans of rosé, this unique wine is a mix of wine and actual rose flowers-it's perfect for Valentine’s day promotion ideas for restaurants. One of the best rose wines is created from rose petals at Lurgashall Winery in the UK. A flavor reminiscent of the scent of roses makes for an extraordinary wine.
4. Gik Blue Wine
When it comes to unique wines that grab your attention immediately, the blue wine, crafted by Gik, is the ultimate attention-getter. It’s a lovely, soft, yet bold shade of blue. The flavor is described as slightly citrusy with fruity notes. We haven’t tasted it, but we can’t help but imagine a delicious candy with the delightful color and flavor notes.
3. Jalapeño Wine
When you think of complimentary wine flavors, you might not immediately think of jalapeño. At Potter Wines in Boise, ID, those flavors are brought together to create something unique and delicious. We spoke with Crystal Potter, co-owner of Potter Wines, and asked her specifically about the reason behind their chosen flavor profile.
Crystal said that the winemaker, her husband Von, said to her, “I want to make jalapeño wine.” She originally said, “Please don’t.” She’s glad he took that as a challenge to ferment wine with jalapeños and create the wine that brings tasting crowds to Potter Wines. You might think, as Crystal originally did, that jalapeño wine wouldn’t be a great flavor. However, the jalapeño gives both a kick of spice and a well-rounded flavor to the wines they mix it with. The jalapeño wine can be enjoyed on its own, in Sangria, or mixed with other drinks. They also have a jalapeño wine lemonade, which is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy.
2. Coffee-Infused Wine
Some of the wines on this list can be hard to get a bottle of. Some are limited editions that won’t necessarily be produced again. For coffee-infused wine, however, there’s a brand you can always turn to.
The Apothic line of wines has an Apothic Brew, which pairs red wine with coffee for a unique flavor profile. If you need a coffee pick-me-up with your wine, this is the one to try.
1. Meteorite Wine
If you’re familiar with the TV show Smallville, you’ll be particularly interested in our top choice for unique wine. Meteorite wine, produced at the Tagua Tagua Observatory in San Vincente, Chile, is Cabernet Sauvignon, with a meteoric touch. The winemaker, Ian Hutcheon, lowers a piece of a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite into the barrels of his wine. His signature Meteorito wine is the product of this space-age wine wonder.
Types of Wineries
Similar to wines outside the range of what you might expect, there are wineries that exemplify the idea of doing something completely different. There are wineries all around the globe that bring creativity to the world of wine with each vine, brick, and bottle of their business.
Often on the BinWise blog, we stick to talking about US wineries, since they’re often the most accessible for visitors. For this list, we’ve branched out across the world, to the best wineries in this category. We couldn’t limit ourselves to the US with so many unique spots across the globe.
5 Unique Wineries
The wineries which are responsible for the unique wines in this article certainly fall into the unique winery category. For this specific winery list, outside of the wines list, we’ve focused on wineries that are doing something notable outside of the wine they create.
Yes, the wine is exemplary. However, that's just as much because of the specific circumstances of the winery as it is because of the practice of wine production. These five wineries show what you can do to make a memorable winery space.
5. Bodegas El Grifo
Bodegas El Grifo, on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, is unique due to being alongside a volcano. The wine flavors are dictated by the temperatures, weather, and volcanic rocks from the time the grapes begin to grow each season. You might not think of a volcano as the best climate for growing wine grapes, but the Bodegas El Grifo proves it’s a great location for wine.
4. Vegas Valley Winery
Vegas Valley Winery, located in Henderson, NV, is unique in its location of Las Vegas and the hot desert temperatures. Braving the heat of Las Vegas takes a strength of character. The wines produced at Vegas Valley Winery show that strength of character in their strong hard cider flavors and exciting live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
3. Edivo Vina Winery
Edivo Vina Winery, on the Pelješac peninsula in Croatia, boasts itself to be an underwater winery. Of course, the tastings don’t take place underwater, but the wine is aged in the water. To achieve this feat, the wine bottles are sealed in a clay amphora. They're then corked and sealed with two layers of wax, and taken down to a sunken boat. They’re stored underwater around 18-25 meters down, for over 700 days.
2. Birthday Cake Vineyards
Before you get too excited, we have to note that the original Birthday Cake Vineyards no longer produces wine for sale. However, they belong on this list because they sparked a revolution in making wines that taste like different birthday cakes.
These days you can hunt around different winemakers for birthday cake-flavored wines. The original Birthday Cake Vineyards, however, is still a fan favorite online.
1. Chillon Castle Winery
The Chillon Castle Winery–also known as Château de Chillon, on Lake Geneva near Veytaux, Switzerland–takes the number one place. It doesn’t get much more unique than being located at a castle. Of course, the architecture of the castle doesn’t influence the taste of the wine, but the wine is exceptional. It’s well-suited to a wine pairing with some quality Swiss chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Different Varieties of Wine
The world of different varieties of wine is vast. There are so many grapes you can grow. On top of that, there are berries, other plants, and additives you can use to make your wine truly unique. There is always more to learn, and our answers to these frequently asked questions will help you along.
How Many Varieties of Wine Are There?
There are around 10,000 varieties of wine in the world. That doesn’t account for the unique wines being mixed up and experimented with in different wineries. That number may be daunting to consider. However, it’s a stepping stone into a wide world of wine that you can discover more about as you start producing wine.
What Are the Four Classifications of Wine?
The four classifications of wine are white wines, red wines, sparkling wines, and rosé wines. There are many types of white wine, red wine types, sparkling wines, and versions of rosé, but those four are the basics. If you’re looking not sure what type of wine you want to produce, settling on a classification will help.
Which Type of Wine is Best?
There isn’t one best type of wine that applies to all circumstances. The best type of wine is different for every person of the legal drinking age. It’s all about personal preference in wine sales. If you’re looking to produce some of the best wines, you can go with classics, like Cabernet and Merlot. However, if you want something special, choosing the best wine for you is sure to draw out like-minded wine lovers.
Different Varieties of Wine: Vine Varieties
There will always be a place in the wine world for classic varieties. From Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Gris to Merlot, the market will always be open to great all-around wines. That said, the wine world is open to innovators. If you have an idea of a wine that will bring a new flavor to your customers, you should go for it.
You can always test out new wines at winery wedding events or happy hour tastings. You don’t have to stake your winery on something brand new, and taking the leap will help you learn more about wine.