Do you eat chicken or steak at every meal? If the answer is no, then you'll see the point of efforts like Secco Wine Bar's ongoing narrative, "Drink Something Different." Wacky wines made from grapes you may not have heard of represent more than the human desire for variety; they bring value to the table. Restaurateurs love to turn us on to wines that complement their menus, even if it means more work to sell them.
Nestore Bosco Pan Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2009 (Italy)
Secco Owner Julia Battaglini suggests this blend of Montepulciano and Cabernet Sauvignon with Secco's house-made smoked pork and fennel sausage. She says the wine has "all the tobacco, wood-smoke and dark fruit notes a cab lover likes, but with a distinctively Italian edge." $9 glass at Secco
Höllerer Gruner Veltliner Kamptal 2012 (Austria)
This Gruner Veltliner comes from a 200-year-old winery in Austria, where the spicy white grape is emperor. If you like crisp Pinot Grigio, then you'll like the white pepper and radish nose on this minerally white wine. $11 glass at The Rogue Gentlemen
Seven Hills Pinot Gris 2012 (Oregon)
Pinot Gris may be the same grape as Pinot Grigio, but this fruity white wine drinks more like a California Chardonnay than an Italian workhorse. A wee bit of oak lends vanilla to the interaction of sweet grapefruit, tangy pear, mint and nut flavors in the glass. $11 glass at Pomegranate
Shooting Star Blue Franc Lemberger 2011 (Washington)
Blau Frankisch, or "blue grape from France," is what the Austrians call the Lemberger grape. This is a low-tannin red grape with little astringency. It's unthreateningly soft in the mouth, like bright red berries. If you like Pinot Noir, you'll get this wine. $9 glass at Lehja
Masseria LiVeli Primonero Negroamaro-Primitivo 2012 (Italy)
Zinfandel or Syrah aficionados will appreciate the fleshy swagger of this Southern Italian pour. A blend of Negroamaro and Primitivo grapes with New York strip-gripping tannins, this wine is stocked with plummy, warm fruit. It's a refreshingly ripe, but not a jam-jar red wine. $9 glass at Flames 23
