Know Your Grapes

White Varietals

Chardonnay
One of the most popular and multifaceted white wines, chardonnay originated in Burgundy but is now produced widely in the U.S. and Australia. The grape is so sensitive to climate conditions, soil and production techniques that these variables will alter the end result. Chardonnays often display apple and citrus aromas and tropical fruit flavors. Depending on the aging process, there can be undertones of butter, vanilla, oak or spice. These grapes are susceptible to the elements, making the wine difficult to produce and as a result, expensive.

Chenin Blanc
This grape is indigenous to the Loire Valley, but it is mainly planted in South Africa, California and South America (where it is called pinot blanco). It typically has a spicy aroma with a semisweet flavor, balanced by high acidity. Many of the wines made outside of France tend to be mass-produced and unremarkable, but the French are still producing some complex and desirable chenin blanc wines.

Gewürztraminer
The pinkish-hued gewürztraminer, mainly an Alsacian grape, makes for a golden wine with more discernable flavors than most whites. With floral aromas and lychee flavors, gewürztraminer can range from dry to sweet. The former can be served with chicken or fish while the latter is often paired with fruit and cheese.

Grüner Veltliner
It may not be well known, but grüner veltliner is the most widely planted grape in Austria. It’s fairly adaptable, producing either citrus and pepper-laced wines when minimally tended or tropical fruit and green vegetable flavors when pruned more aggressively. Like rieslings, fine grüner veltliner has a high acidity and ages quite well.

Pinot Blanc
Closely related to pinot gris, pinot blanc is a high acid grape with very subtle aroma and flavor. It is grown in Italy (under the name pinot bianco) as well as California, where chardonnay techniques (such as barrel-aging) are used to enhance the flavor of the wine.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
Pinot gris and pinot grigio are French and Italian names, respectively, for the same grape. Pinot gris typically makes for a dry, crisp and acidic white wine, often with a light musky aroma, well-suited to seafood and fish. It is common in Alsace, northeastern Italy and in Oregon, where it goes by its French name.

Prosecco
Italy’s answer to Champagne is prosecco, a sparkling wine made from its namesake grape. It has a delicate, apple-like flavor that can be made into sweet wine though it is more often dry. Unlike Champagne, prosecco is consumed in its youth when its fine flavors are strongest.

Riesling
Though it originated in Germany, riesling is produced in Austria, Alsace and California (authentic varieties are found under the name Johannisberg riesling). Rieslings can be dry, but true German varieties are sweeter, with floral aromas and fruity, peach-like flavors. High in fruit, sugar and acidity, rieslings are highly drinkable, age well and pair nicely with fish entrees and more pungent dishes from Asia.

Sauvignon Blanc
Produced in France and California (where it is often called fumé blanc), sauvignon blanc boasts some of the most distinctive flavors among white wines. Herbal aromas reminiscent of grass and bell peppers often dominate. Like chardonnay, it responds to climate and production. More sunlight creates grapefruit flavors; oak aging leaves its mark on the finished product, too. When left on the vine into late harvests, winemakers use sauvignon blanc (with semillon) to make the lusciously sweet Sauternes.
Red Varietals

Barbera
A red wine grape grown primarily in the Piedmont region of Italy, barbera also appears in other Italian regions and California. The grapes produce a wine high in acid yet relatively low in tannins, making the fruit flavors difficult to discern. When blended with other red varietals, it has a subtle currant flavor and a smokiness developed from barrel-aging.

Cabernet Franc
The genetic parent (along with sauvignon blanc) of the cabernet sauvignon grape, cabernet franc is used in blends more often than on its own. Its flavors are often reminiscent of plums and blueberries, though it has a distinct violet aroma as well.

Cabernet Sauvignon
This popular red wine grape was originally grown in Bordeaux regions but is now harvested in California and, to a lesser extent, Australia, Chile, Argentina and South Africa. It is bottled as a 100 percent varietal or in blends with merlot, malbec and cabernet franc. Cabernets are generally rich, full-bodied and complex, with fruity, cassis-like flavors and oaky undertones from processing. Cabs age well, producing more nuanced flavors and a smoother finish.

Grenache
Grown in France, Spain (under the name garnacha), Australia and California, grenache produces easy drinking red wines with strong berry flavors. Although appreciated as a young wine, grenache tends to break down with age and is most often used to tone down more severe reds.

Malbec
Though malbec has recently gained a reputation as a varietal, its deep color and substantial tannins are usually used in blends. Its flavor falls between a bold cabernet and the more mellow merlot, with
aromas of plum and anise.

Merlot
In some ways, merlot is very similar to cabernet sauvignon. It has rich, fruity flavors, but it is more mild — some say more approachable — than cabernet, with decidedly more herbaceous aromas. It also has less acidity and matures more quickly in the bottle than cabernet, making it a favorite among wine consumers. In layman’s terms: it’s an easy wine to drink. Grown in California and the Northwest as well as its native France, merlot is used in red blends as often as it is served on its own.

Nebbiolo
The name may not sound familiar, but nebbiolo grapes are the foundation of Italian wines such as barolo and barbaresco. As young wines, they are sometimes overpoweringly astringent with floral and tar-like qualities. With age, however, flavors become more manageable: deep and spicy with great intrigue. Nebbiolo grapes are very finicky on the vine, and though other countries have begun to experiment with them, the most prized wines are the small batches produced in Piedmont.

Petite Syrah/Petite Sirah
Although the names suggest otherwise, petite syrah and syrah are only distantly related. The former is nearly synonymous with French durif, a grape eschewed in the past for its lack of distinction. Petite syrah, however, has flourished in Napa Valley, though it often shares vineyard space with at least one or two other grapes that may find their way into the finished wine. It continues to be used as a blending grape, but winemakers have begun to highlight its slightly peppery flavor, dark color and strong tannins (astringency).

Pinot Noir
Notoriously finicky on the vine, pinot noir is prized for its smooth texture and complex aromas full of berries, spice and earthy characteristics. It was traditionally grown in Burgundy, but vineyards in California and Oregon have dedicated themselves to producing good pinot noir as well. It pairs well with many foods, especially simply prepared meats and mushrooms (which pick up the wine’s earthy elements). It reaches its peak sooner than some other reds and is best consumed five to eight years after the vintage.

Sangiovese
While it doesn’t always offer a strong aroma, sangiovese has a full, fruity flavor and naturally high acidity. It is the principal red wine grape of Tuscany and the main ingredient in Chianti (75 to 90 percent). Recently, winemakers have taken to producing “Super Tuscans” by blending sangiovese with other wines, such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot, in nontraditional (that is, unregulated by the strict Italian laws) ways.

Syrah
Commonly thought to have originated in Persia, DNA research has proven that the syrah grape is actually indigenous to France. Though still grown there, it is also a popular grape in Australia (under the name shiraz), California and South Africa. Young syrah is characterized by spicy, pepper-like aromas, but as the wine ages, lush plum and cassis flavors emerge. It has a decidedly dark color and often a silky but toothsome texture.

Zinfandel
Grown primarily in California, zinfandel has many characteristics of other reds, all packed into one heady wine. Generally very fruity with a good deal of spice, zinfandel also has the thicker characteristics of a cabernet (as opposed to a pinot noir). Unlike cabernet, however, zinfandels do not age well and are often at their peak within five years of vintage; much older and they begin to lose their fruity characteristics. White zinfandel wines, which are fermented with the grape skins for a short time, are sweet and lack the complexity that defines their red cousins.