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There are wines that play to our expectations (hello, oaky California cabernet or jammy Australian shiraz). Then there are wines with a twist. They may represent a style or grape from a region better known for other things – like sauvignon blanc from northern Italy or tempranillo from the Okanagan Valley. Or they may be crafted using techniques that break from tradition or revive old ones, as in the case of wines fermented in, say, concrete vats versus stainless steel or oak barrels.

Wine enthusiasts sometimes enjoy slipping in such "ringers" into informal blind tastings, where participants are invited to guess either the grape or the regional source of what they're sipping. It may sound like a pretentious exercise, but the point is always educational – to demonstrate that wines don't always fit into tidy boxes.

I've been the target of a few such party tricks, sometimes guessing correctly and sometimes – likely most of the time – not. Conveniently, all I tend to remember are my proud victories. Like the time I sampled a white dessert wine that was a dead ringer for a luscious, botrytis-affected sauternes from Bordeaux. It was, in fact, Noble One from Australia of all places. And like the time I was handed a delicate, perfumed pinot noir that came not from Burgundy, New Zealand nor Niagara, but from Sancerre, a Loire Valley district that most people associate exclusively with sauvignon blanc.

The list of curveball cuvées is enormous, and I don't pretend to do the subject justice with the tiny sampling of new releases below. And in fairness, not every oddity or untraditional wine will satisfy your thirst as much as your go-to cabernet or shiraz. Winemakers can get carried away by novelty, planting new grape varieties on uncharted soils or in inhospitable climates, for example. But occasionally – and notably like the Schiopetto sauvignon in these reviews, which really turned my crank – they can be pleasantly eye-opening, even thrilling.

Schiopetto Sauvignon 2013, Italy

SCORE: 93 PRICE: $32.95

The late Mario Schiopetto is considered a wine visionary of northeast Italy. He founded his winery in 1965, when Italian whites were generally as exciting as stale water with a squirt of lemon. By introducing modern technology, such as temperature-controlled fermentation, he helped ring in a new era for the region. This superb white is made from sauvignon blanc, specifically from vine cuttings that globe-trotting Schiopetto sourced from Bordeaux, which the master planted along with more traditional local varieties, such as friulano and malvasia. Uncommonly smooth for a sauvignon, it is vinified in cool stainless steel but allowed to rest in contact with spent yeast cells for about eight months. That technique adds creamy richness – in this case without compromising the grape's classic zestiness. Light-medium-bodied, it's redolent of plump tropical and stone fruit, with little of the vegetal overtone typically associated with the grape. Even at three years of age, it's fresh and worthy of up to two more years in the cellar to develop added complexity. In two words, it's subtly sublime. Available in Ontario in limited quantities, various prices in Alberta.

Pierre Amadieu Domaine Grand Romane Cuvée Prestige Gigondas 2013, France

SCORE: 92 PRICE: $29.95

A modern-styled red from the southern Rhône, this was matured in new oak vats, not the more traditional used oak vessels commonly associated with the region, which tend to impart little or no wood influence to the fruit. I suspect the new wood is largely responsible for its silky texture and rich espresso-mocha and vanilla overtones. Yet the grape varieties – grenache, syrah and mourvèdre – come through with precision, particularly the syrah, with its classic plum and licorice notes. Drink now with rich stews (even a bowl of chili in front of a football telecast) or hold it for up to eight years. Available in Ontario, $36.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta.

Roger & Didier Raimbault Sancerre Rouge 2013, France

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $28.95

Red Sancerre? It's a thing, though I'd venture to guess that most Sancerre drinkers think only of white wine made from sauvignon blanc when they think of the Loire Valley appellation. Pinot noir is the grape here, accounting for a small fraction of the district's output (and often used in rosés, too). Light and elegant, the wine veers toward the lively cherry-cranberry side of the pinot spectrum, with a gently chalky tannic grip and whisper of earth. Drink it over the next two years. A perfect red for light fish dishes. Available in Ontario.

Thirty Bench Sparkling Riesling, Ontario

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $34.95

Excellent sparkling wine need not be made from the classic Champagne grapes, chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. Riesling can work beautifully in the right hands, as it does here. Very dry, this Niagara wine was made in the exacting bottle-fermented Champagne style and comes through with a heady bread-like yeasty note along with lemon-lime tartness on a chalky texture that reveals mineral-like zippiness on the finish. Available in Ontario.

Foreign Affair Apologetic Red 2013, Ontario

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $69.95

The label of this Niagara offering features a sketch of a moose with the word "Sorry" written across the beast's torso. Owner Len Crispino, a former chief trade representative for Ontario in Italy, intends it as a tongue-in-cheek nod to Canadians' famous reputation for apologizing at the drop of a hat. And I have to say sorry here if you're expecting a bone-dry wine. It is, in fact, sweeter than off-dry, a Canadian cabernet franc crafted in the appassimento style of Valpolicella in northern Italy, with 52 per cent of the grapes left out to dry and concentrate flavours prior to pressing. Think of it as a Canuck Amarone, only with an extra dollop of sugar. Big and thick, at 14.9-per-cent alcohol, it's layered with nuances of spiced plum, raisin, dark chocolate, cherry jam and tobacco. A fine choice for aged, salty cheeses, such as Stilton or Parmesan. Available in Ontario.

Fontanafredda Eremo Langhe Rosso 2012, Italy

SCORE: 89 PRICE: $17.95

Italy's Piedmont region is best known for nebbiolo, barbera and dolcetto, three red varieties that tend to be bottled on their own (as in Barolo and Barbaresco, wines made exclusively from nebbiolo). This offering is a blend, made mainly from barbera and nebbiolo. Barolo devotees might consider it a bargain because it tastes more like decent nebbiolo than the less-esteemed barbera. Medium-full-bodied, it suggests cherry jam, tar and underbrush, set against firm tannins. Drinking nicely at four years of age. Available in Ontario.

Stag's Hollow Tempranillo 2013, British Columbia

SCORE: 89 PRICE: $25.99

Think tempranillo and you think Spain, where the grape shines brightest in the famed reds of Rioja. But a handful of wineries in the Okanagan think differently, including Stag's Hollow, which makes this fine effort as well as an excellent abarino (also of Spanish fame). The wine is mid-weight and bone-dry, with a tangy-savoury profile suggesting cherry, cedar, licorice and tobacco in a style fresher than most classic Riojas. Nice for roast lamb. Available direct from the winery, www.stagshollowwinery.com.

JoieFarm PTG 2014, British Columbia

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $26

PTG stands for passetoutgrains, an unsung Burgundian wine that combines the region's two principal (and typically unblended) grapes, velvety pinot noir and spicy-crisp gamay. This is what you might call an elegant quaffer, light-medium-bodied and juicy, with a plum- and raspberry-like core set against ripe, soft, gently chalky tannins. Perfect for grilled wild salmon. Available direct, www.joiefarm.com.

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