Last week I referred to an Italian grape variety that I'd never heard of before - drupeggio. I confess that it wasn't until today that I finally got round to looking it up in The Oxford Companion to Wine.

I now know that drupeggio is the Orvieto synonym for canaiolo bianco, which is the white relation to the red canaiolo that is sometimes blended with sangiovese in the wines of Chianti.

Why am I telling you this one week on? After I'd written last week's column, a friend expressed some surprise that there were grape varieties that I hadn't heard of. When I explained that there were literally thousands of vine varieties and hence grapes, she was more than a tad surprised - and more sympathetic to this gap in my knowledge.

Still, I couldn't help but spend a rather tedious drive along the M4 trying to recite in alphabetical order all the grape varieties I could think of. Keeping count was tricky, but if I got to 150 I'd be surprised.

So, I've set myself a new challenge, which is this - every time I go wine shopping I'm going to make sure that I buy at least one wine that is either entirely or predominantly made from a grape variety I know nothing about.

I'm rather hoping that I can inspire you to do the same, and to help you on your way The Oxford Times Wine Club case this week is full of lesser-known grape varieties that we think should be tripping off your tongue just as readily as chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

Picpoul is a zingy little number, whose home is in Languedoc. The word 'piquepoul' translates as lip-stinger'. Don't let that put you off - it's an indication of the grape's lively acidity and crisp citrus fruit, which make it so appealing.

Every year I take at least one trip to Languedoc for an intensive week of wine tasting and a glass of picpoul is an almost obligatory palate refresher at the end of a long day. Picpoul de Pinet is a white cru of the Coteaux du Languedoc and one of France's very few quality wines that has the grape variety in its name.

Bold, distinctive and powerfully-flavoured, furmint is a grape variety that is most famously associated with Tokaji - Hungary's great sweet wine. Such fame is something of a double-edged sword, leaving as it does many people unaware of the fabulous dry wines of which it is capable.

To deliver the intense flavours that this grape can deliver, the wine-maker needs to be patient, letting the grapes develop as much flavour on the vine as possible and to allow the acidity to mellow. Deftly handled, it's a wonderful and unique wine-drinking experience.

The Portuguese are not dissimilar to the Italians in having a fantastic range of indigenous grape varieties to celebrate.

Touriga nacional is something of a national star, playing an integral part in port and being capable of delivering some of the country's finest red wines.

The grapes deliver flavour-drenched, gripping, punchy reds with great ageing potential. Its full-on personality means that it is at its best when partnered with other varieties such as tinta roriz and touriga franca - particularly good news if you're looking to notch up a few extras in your new grape' experience.

The last variety I'm going to draw to your attention this week is négrette.

You need to travel to the vineyards around Toulouse in France's south-west to find it. Of all the red wines made here, the wines made from this variety are endearingly soft, fruity and floral. The wines may not be for long-term cellaring but are enormously enjoyable in their youth.

So, there you have it - four good reasons to join me on my journey of unexplored grape varieties.

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