White wine is, in the minds of most Americans, made up of two categories: Chardonnay, and everything else. In California, for example, about 172,000 acres of white wine grapes were bearing fruit in 2012, and over 93,000 acres were Chardonnay. But every time I shop for wine, I like to try and buy at least one bottle of a lesser-known variety, which I can almost always find for less than $20.

One such wine is Torrontés, a refreshing white from Argentina. (Another torrentes, from Spain, is actually unrelated.) Torrontés is extremely aromatic, with signature floral and citrus fruit on the nose. Pour a little in the glass and sniff and you’ll likely find aggressive aromas more like perfume than wine.

Salta and La Rioja are the premier regions for Torrontés, with San Juan and Mendoza generally producing lower quality. (In the case of Mendoza, perhaps the lower quality is because of the strong focus on Malbec, an “undiscovered red,” in that region.)

The Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés is a great offering, from the Salta region. The Crios de Susana Balbo shows beautiful aromas of melon, lime, roses, and white flowers and an enjoyable balance of floral, citrus, and herbal flavors on the palate. The 2012 is good, but not as intense as the 2010 or 2011.

The 2011 Urban Uco from O. Fournier is outstanding — rated 91 points by Wine Advocate and available for only $10 to $14. With grapes grown in the Salta region, there are plentiful aromas of tart apple and melon. The palate is more heavily tropical, with grapefruit, pineapple, and kiwi flavors along with melon and a vibrant, acidic finish.

While Torrontés is quickly becoming the dominant white wine from Argentina, another “undiscovered white” is making an impact a few thousand miles away. Grüner Veltliner is the premier wine grape grown in Austria. The wine is typically made dry, and styles vary from clean, with lots of mineral notes from vines on the steep, gravely hills along the Danube, to more fruit-forward bottles. A signature note of Grüner (as it is commonly shortened) is a hint of white pepper. For those that really like to hunt for the better wines, Grüner from the Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, and Wagram regions of Austria are considered the best, though there are plenty of tasty offerings from other areas as well.

Adolf & Heinrich Fuchs is a great, inexpensive example to try — light-bodied and refreshing. Grüner does not typically have strong aromas: you’ll have to put your nose into the glass to find notes of citrus and spice. But the palate is delicious, with grapefruit, lemon, melon, and that zing of pepper at the end.

I’ve also enjoyed some of the wines from Laurenz V, who make strictly Grüner Veltliners. At $12 to $15, the Singing Grüner Veltliner is heavy on tropical aromas like pineapple and tangerine, with interesting hints of honeysuckle and herbs. On the palate, it is not as light as the Fuchs, but by no means full-bodied, with flavors of pineapple, pear, and pepper.

Grüner is grown almost exclusively in Austria, though it is being planted in the United States. A few wineries in California are giving it a try, as well as Galen Glen in Pennsylvania and Black Ankle in Maryland. Dr. Konstantin Frank has brought Grüner to the Finger Lakes as well. Torrontés is even more rare outside of its native soils, though California wineries Wise Villa and Forlorn Hope (a winery that focuses on unusual grapes) are both producing the Argentine white.

Get out of your comfort zone and try a bottle of something other than the California Chardonnay you buy all the time. Argentina and Austria may not have the popularity of Bordeaux or Napa, but they do produce excellent whites.