When we think of French wine, our minds will often go to Bordeaux. With Argentina, it’s Mendoza, and in Australia, the spotlight is commonly on the Hunter and Barossa valleys. This week, we’re taking a detour as we toddle around wine country, looking at alternatives to the big, flashy regions but places that are every bit as exciting and worthy of that spotlight, whether it’s shining on them or not.

Alliance Loire “De Chanceny” Crémant De Loire Rosé Brut NV

Loire Valley, France; $25.99, B.C. Liquor Stores

If you take a two-hour drive east along the Loire River from the west coast of France, you’ll find yourself in the commune of Saumur. Just south of there are the clay and limestone soils where this sparkling wine’s Cabernet Franc grapes grow. It’s made in the traditional method (just as their colleagues in Champagne make their wines), with a second in-bottle fermentation bringing the fizz, and a minimum of aging before disgorgement bringing a nice creamy texture. Pink sparkling can be fun and frivolous, but this wine is also a wonderful study of the Cabernet Franc variety itself. Vibrant red berry fruits like raspberries and cherries mingle with marjoram, thyme, and rosemary, with a kick of white pepper on the fairly dry finish.

Alliance Loire Cave de Saumur “Saumur” Lieu-dit Les Épinats 2016

Loire Valley, France; $20.99, B.C. Liquor Stores

Let’s double down on the region and the variety, except look at a “regular” red table wine made from Cabernet Franc. Black cherries, red currants, and mulberries lead the way with the first few swirls of the glass, but then we step into another dimension on the palate. That’s when we start to get more complex savoury-ish components like sun-dried tomato, dried plum, notes of tangy barbecue sauce, and a strip of fresh leather. If you like your wines with a little wildness to them but still polished and bright, put the smallest bit of a chill on this and giddyup!

Closson Chase “The Brock” Chardonnay 2016

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario; $23.49, B.C. Liquor Stores

With the massive success and local support of British Columbian wine during the past couple of decades, it can be easy to forget that Ontario’s wines are every bit as quality-driven and delicious as the output of many of our top producers. Granted, there’s hardly any Ontario juice in our market, so that doesn’t help much either. This is why I love the wide availability of Closson Chase’s Chardonnay on local liquor-store shelves. This elegant take on the grape comes from alluvial soils and is barrel-fermented, allowing toasty ginger and roasted almonds to frame an orchard of apples and pears with grace. There’s also a light briny note—a hint of salinity, if you will—which should make this sing alongside a wide array of seafood dishes.

Humberto Canale Estate Pinot Noir 2015

Patagonia, Argentina; $18 to $22, private wine stores

I visited Patagonia in southern Argentina fairly recently and can attest that it’s a far cry from the hot and sunny high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza. The breezy, cool-climate nature of its wine country lends itself well to Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs that are light on their feet. This is quite a crisp and lively Pinot Noir. Rose petals and orange blossoms make for intoxicating aromatics, while crunchy red berry fruit and cola flavours coast cheerily across the palate. Recently spotted at Legacy Liquor Store in Olympic Village.

Garagiste Le Stagiaire Chardonnay 2017

Mornington Peninsula, Australia; $49.99, Kitsilano Wine Cellar

While we’re on the subject of cool climates in hot countries, Australia’s Mornington Peninsula (south of Melbourne) enjoys both Antarctic breezes coming up across the Great Southern Ocean and a maritime climate, creating a perfect storm for stylish Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Well-balanced, with juicy acidity, this small-batch, wild-fermented Chardonnay loaded with Honeycrisp apple, yellow plum, lemon curd, and pineapple is a fantastic intro to the region. A mix of new and older oak aging gives it all a solid pedestal upon which to stand.

Garagiste Merricks Pinot Noir 2017

Mornington Peninsula, Australia; $64.99, Kitsilano Wine Cellar

A fine example of “good value can come at any price” (seen the prices of red Burgundy lately?), this geeky Pinot Noir is made from half whole berry and half whole cluster fruit, fermented naturally with indigenous yeast, and aged unfiltered in small barrels. Autumnal forest-floor character and a generous lashing of cardamom infuse blackberries, mulberries, and Italian plums, all balanced with fine tannins and a good mineral component, too. Although it’s incredibly enjoyable now, I can imagine it’ll get better and better with age.