One of my greatest pleasures when it comes to wine is the exploration of new varieties of grapes and the wines they make. Which is why I’m thrilled that Tyler, who runs the blog Dr. Vino, will be hosting the 37th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, as he has chosen the theme of indigenous varietals.

For those of you unfamiliar with WBW, it is a virtual wine tasting, hosted by a different blog each month. On the appointed Wednesday, bloggers of every stripe from around the world all taste and review a wine according to the theme, and then the host writes up a summary of the event.

Last month’s event, which I missed due to being on a business trip, centered around unoaked Chardonnay. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even had time to post about the roundup of all the wine reviews, which the host, Lenn, posted a couple of days ago.

This month we all get the chance to leave the “safe” grapes behind, and plunge into something different. No “international” varieties (Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir) will be allowed, and if it was up to me, I’d say you should skip Syrah/Shiraz, Malbec, Grenache, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer, too. Instead you want to go for the Moschofileros, the Viuras, the Greco di Tufos, and the Pedro Ximinez’ of the world.

Tracking down indigenous varietal wines is easy. Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Croatia all have a large number of indigenous grape varieties, as does good ‘ol France. Find a local wine store with a good international selection, and you’re sure to succeed.

Then taste the wine and review it on your blog (or send Tyler your review if you don’t have a blog) on Wednesday, September 12th. That’s all there is to it!