I attended a masterclass recently, covering a variety of Italian regions from Abruzzo to Friuli. If you're versed in these areas, the varieties Montepulciano or Ribolla Gialla might come to mind, respectively.

Beyond a few classic descriptors and maybe some methods in which the wines are produced, there likely aren't any other discerning factors you'd care to mention, at least to the average person anyway.

The moderator of the class began to discuss the notion of typicity, or in layman's terms, generalizations.

The commercial world of wine has notoriously been oversimplified, blanketing regions with generic descriptors that aren't entirely accurate of all the tiny micro-regions and communes that exist within them.

Consider the region of Piemonte (Piedmont) in northern Italy – you might pat yourself on the back if Barolo or Barbaresco came to mind – two well-known districts producing famed styles from the much-lauded grape Nebbiolo. But what else exists there?

A locale within Piemonte known as the Marche grows a white variety called Verdicchio, of which few high-quality examples ever hit the Canadian market.

The sub-region of Matelica, for example, is located inland, landlocked and as such sees no marine effect, despite being within 40 miles of the sea.

It is one of the few valleys in the Marche that has a north-south direction, where all the other valleys have an east-west orientation –  meaning they open towards the sea. 

Vineyards here are planted between mountain ridges, making for extreme alpine viticulture. Grapes grow at 400m above sea level and are exposed to very strong winds. Even though they’re made in a theoretically cooler area, they have no problem reaching 14-14.5% alcohol.

The resulting wines are high in acid with lots of freshness and are steelier in general and more riesling like in nature as opposed to the wines from its neighboring subregion Jesi, which are more chardonnay in nature.

Even the most versed of wine professionals struggle to have access to up to date, accurate information on the myriad of wine regions throughout the world, which is why continued education and travel are so integral. 

The same issues exist in the Okanagan – ask outside of BC what the valley produces and at best you might hear "ice wine?" or mentions of a few large scale producers.

While typicity (or generalizations) may give us an overarching idea of what to expect from a wine or region – they can also hinder us from understanding how complex and diverse seemingly small regions can be.

I implore you to purchase an alternate variety, producer or area, next time you head to the liquor store for your favorite bottle. All it takes is one inconsequential shift to expand your horizons in the tiniest of ways.