One of my New Year’s resolutions was to try a new grape at least once a month. This month was a great one: Romorantin!

hi new buddy! let’s hang out again soon

Maybe the dead of winter in NYC isn’t the time you normally think about eating oysters, but not us. We started out with a bottle of Muscadet, a crispy and briny Loire white that’s pretty much a go-to wine for oysters. But the bottle was just ok so we asked the waiter what else he’d recommend and he said this other bottle from Cour-Cheverny which is also in the Loire. We had to look up what grape it was (I was with grapefriends) and it was this grape we’d just barely heard of.

Apparently, Romorantin’s rarely made outside of the Loire’s Cour-Cheverny AOC, but it’s so worth seeking out. Very crisp and lemon/limey with a little almond thrown in to balance out the acid. Extra bonus: most places where I’ve seen it sell it for about $15 retail. Try one out and make a new grapefriend the next time you have oysters!