Buon giorno! (or buona sera, depending on when you're reading this.) Another month, another wine tasting over the Tubes. This month's tasting, brought to us by good Dr. Vino, focuses on indigenous grape varieties, grown on their native soil.  We're talking about grapes that are not "The Big Six" -- Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. We're talking ancient wines from ancient places.

It's Wednesday, August 8, which means it's the three-year anniversary of Wine Blogging Wednesday (now with its own website). This month is hosted by the originator, Lenndevours, and the theme is perfect for the dog days of summer: Naked Chardonnay.

(As an aside, I want you all to know that I am naked as I am blogging this. Seriously.)

When the latest Wine Blogging Wednesday was announced by the folks over at My Wine Education, I had difficulty restraining my enthusiasm. Not only was the request to find a low-priced wine, but also to delve beyond the two DOCa regions (Rioja and Priorat), and find something more interesting.

The other reason why I was so ecstatic was because I got to say the word "Tempranillo."

I've been thinking for the past month about what to taste for the latest Wine Blog Wednesday. I wanted to do something different this time around, because almost everyone who participates is much more versed in wine than I. Reading the responses last month, I felt like the rookie at his first NFL mini-camp. So I did a lot of thinking and visiting a lot of wine shops. The shop around the corner carried nothing from Languedoc Roussillon. My pickings were slim at some others I visited.

After reading about it at Lenndevours, and then again in Food & Wine, Liz and I decided to throw our collective hat into Wine Blogging Wednesday, hosted this week by the equally great Wine Cask Blog. This week's theme was "Regular vs. Reserve," which ties in nicely with my post on what makes a quality wine: