Lemberger is a varietal widely planted in Central Europe--particularly Austria, where it is known as blaufränkisch. The suffix "fränkisch" implies that the grape was originally of French origin; however, the varietal's true lineage is somewhat murky. Nonetheless, over the years, lemberger has become somewhat of a darling to a handful of vintners in Washington state, as it is quite winter-hardy and offers a measure of insurance against the state's periodic harsh winter conditions.

Washington lemberger tends to be quite dark, with a racy, grapey character. The wines are nearly devoid of tannins, but retain a nervy level of acidity. This leads to the inevitable comparisons with gamay, or perhaps more appropriately, dolcetto. In that it's an early-drinking, zesty red that lends itself to immediate gratification, there is more than a nugget of truth to the comparisons. They have flavors of blackberry and black cherry along with notes of dark chocolate. These wines are ripe and spicy and pair well with grilled meats or game.

John Rauner, the proprietor of Yakima River Winery and a fierce proponent of lemberger, claims that the varietal is one of few that don't contain histamines, a compound to which some people are allergic. Histamines or not, lemberger is an interesting wine in its own right, and one day may deserve to be called the "Nouveau of the Northwest."