It's a joy to discover new flavors for fall and the holidays

Now that Chicagoland's wine trade is in its busiest wine-buying season, preparing for your busiest wine-buying season, everyone may be interested in new wines with new flavors to jazz up the fall and holidays. The wines below are either new or limited in quantity in our Chicago-area market. Ask for them at your wine merchant or check for them online.

You Don't Have to Be Greek

Italian wine surged into the U.S. in the 1990s and quickly jumped from trattoria and Italian cuisine to mainstream dining. Greek wine has yet to make that leap. This is especially ironic in Chicago-area, home to many Greeks, great Greek restaurants and one of the finest Greek wine importers in the states. So, if you're on the hunt for a unique pinot grigio alternative to serve with taramasalata or deviled eggs, oysters or calamari, Greek or Caesar salad, or grilled seafood, ask your merchant for the grape Assyrtiko.

Assyrtiko (ah-SEER-tee-co) is the pride of Greece's volcanic island, Santorini. (It's even more fun to say if you roll the r.) Winegrowing dates back 4,000 years, but in 1600 BCE, vineyards and most of Santorini were nearly wiped from human history by a catastrophic volcanic event, still considered one of the most powerful eruptions. After 300 years of recovery, the volcanic ash blanketing Santorini turned out to add crucial water retention to the island's parched soil. The bonus is a unique minerality of flavor, nearly saline. Examples of Assyrtiko are available throughout Chicago-area shops and Greek restaurants; I've recently tasted these:

Assyrtiko, Estate Argyros, "Cuvee Monsignor," 2020

Stunning interplay of minerality and fruit. My palate found acidity overly rich until I paired it with seasoned feta and sun-dried tomatoes and dreamed of salted-baked sea bass. The wine evolved overnight in the fridge, hinting at the complexity that will be rewarded with several years of cellaring. Centuries-old vineyards yield minute grapes with concentrated flavors; wine is aged 10 months in stainless steel on fine lees. Established in 1903, Estate Argyros is Santorini's largest private vineyard owner. Distributed by Heritage Wine Cellars (Niles). Available at boutiques, including Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe (Northbrook), for about $69.

Assyrtiko, GAI'A "Wild Ferment" 2021

Mineral and pure, like a sip from a mountain stream, this wine opens with citric-like flavor and acidity. I agree with the website's suggestion to decant the wine; my open bottle in the fridge developed beautifully overnight. Carefully selected grapes are grown exclusively in the Pygos vineyard, endowing extra aromatics and fermented with wild yeast indigenous to the property. (Be certain to ask for the "Wild Ferment" label.) Distributed by Winebow Imports. Available at wine boutiques including Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe, Northbrook (SRP $49)

Take a new look at Oz

Australia released its 30-year plan to become the world's primary supplier of fine wine in 1991, and the rest of the wine world had a good laugh. These were the days with nary an Oz critter label, yellow-tailed or otherwise, and only the majestic (and majestically priced, currently about $700 per bottle) Grange Hermitage to teach us how to pronounce Shiraz. But in Strategy 2021's Phase One - Market Penetration - growers, trade and government united to introduce the world to Australia's plump, juicy and vibrant flavors at extra-value prices. Retailers stacked cases high and watched them fly.

And there's the rub. The Strategy's Phase Two - to attract buyers to Oz's fine wine - hit the speed bump hard, with shoppers questioning why they should pay $20-plus for wine when under-$5 bottles tasted just fine. According to Darren Rathbone of the Rathbone Wine Group, there's an excellent reason: "Our vines are 30 years older." Older vines yield less fruit, but each grape is packed with extra flavor and complexity.

Rathbone's family is now taking a new look at U.S. distribution, making a good opportunity for us to take a fresh look at Australian wines. The wines are just landing in wholesale warehouses, so ask your merchant to check availability with Pure Wine Company (Chicago). My favorites include:

Chardonnay "Reserve," Xanadu, 2021

My candidate for a "Sexiest Wine and Food Pairing" is this elegant, complex Chardonnay paired with grilled tenderloin and truffle fries. The wine is a young stunner but will repay maturation with increased power, beauty and complexity. If your wine budget is plump, ask for it at wine boutiques; it's about $100.

Shiraz "Billi Billi" Mount Langi Ghiran, 2021

This wine is what we learned to love about Oz Shiraz: inky color signaling intensely concentrated flavors, extra-ripe red-black fruit and long, flavorful finish without ponderous alcohol levels. Serve with rich meat and poultry, especially with fruit sauce, such as ribs with blackberry barbecue sauce and turkey with cranberries. At wine boutiques, it's a value at under-$20.

• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and recipient of the Wine Spectator's "Grand Award of Excellence." Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.