Grape Varieties for Wine.

Aligoté. A tart, vibrant grape of Burgundy. Aligoté tends to be underappreciated but it is the ideal white wine to be used for the delightful apperitif, kir (white wine and crème de cassis). Alvarhino. This is the basis for the best Vinho Verde in Portugal and is often found on its own for the best bottlings. It is also grown in nearby Galicia, in Spain where it is called Albarhino, It is rich, dry and tastes of blackberries, even though it is very much a white wine. Arneis. This dry, crisp Italian white is crafted from the Arneis di Roeri grape. Found in the Piedmont region Auxerrois Blanc. This widely-planted Alsatian grape usually composes 50% of the blends known as Edelzwicker. Bordeaux White Blends. Among the dry white wines of Bordeaux, particularly Graves, a blend (varying in percentages) of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is typical, with some 100% Sauvignon Blanc wines produced. Among sweet white wines, namely Sauternes, a typical recipe is 80% Semillon to 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Bual. Lovely, sweet-styled Madeira wine from the grape of the same name. Also known as Boal. Chardonnay. The darling of American palates, Chardonnay is offered in the New World (outside western Europe) as big, creamy and juicy with copious amounts of oak. In Burgundy, it is more complex and long-lived, with less tropical and more mineral and apple flavors reflecting the cooler climate. Chardonnay is an essential grape for méthode champenoise style wine around the world. Chenin Blanc. This grape is grown widely throughout the world (it is South Africa's most important grape) but rarely with the character of the Loire Valley's great Vouvray and Savennieres. Here the wines are powerful, pungent, great whether sweet or dry, and amazingly long-lived. Twenty years or more is the norm for good vintages. Folle Blanche. Grown in the Muscadet region of France, this grape is the heart and soul of traditional Armagnac. It is becoming rare there, and Cognac's easier-ripening Ugni Blanc has taken over. Some Folle Blanche Armagnacs still exist and are worth the search. French Colombard. Traditionally important in Cognac, it has given way to Ugni Blanc. Blended to less distinctive jug wines in the U.S. and South Africa. Garganega. The grape that provides the basis for a great Soave (wines from the Veneto region), the more Garganega and the less Trebbiano, the better the Soave. Gewürztraminer. A friendly and willing grape of the Muscat family with rich, pungent character and a nose like roses and a can of lychee nuts. It is good in Germany and Italy; great in Alsace where even when dry, it is so pungent it seems best with dessert. Good versions exist in the New World, particularly New Zealand. Loueira. A honey-flavored grape used in Portugal's Vinho Verde and sometimes offered on its own as a more expensive Vinho Verde. Malmsey. Madeira's great dessert wine grape. See below, Malvasia. Malvasia. Perhaps the world's oldest grape, this rich and textured dessert wine does great work in Greece, Spain, Italy and Madeira, where it is the brilliant Malmsey. In Italy, it is often blended with Chianti in place of the bland Trebbiano. Malvasia Nera, the red clone, also does good duty as dry wine wine in Apulia. Marsanne. It is the more important of the two most planted white grapes of the northern Rhône (the other is Rousanne) due to its more consistent yields and more predictable vinification and maturation. Its flavors of rich orange and creamy lemon are allied with its waxy texture for a unique experience. The grape is also grown in southern France and in the Côtes du Rhône. Melon de Bourgogne. The grape of Muscadet in France is clean and tart and begs for the region's outstanding shellfish. Some of California's bottles labeled Pinot Blanc are actually Melon. Müller-Thurgau. A pleasant and neutral grape of Germany and New Zealand that produces fairly good wines. Muscadelle. A grape with Muscat-like aromas to enrich and soften sweet (and sometimes dry) white Bourdeaux. A small amount can bring something very pretty to the total wine. Australia produces its great and exotic Liquer Tokays from this grape. Muscat . The finest selection of the Muscat family, and a grape with several incarnations: Muscat Blancs á Petits Grains or Muscat Frontignan, Brown Muscat, Muscat d'Alexandria and Muscat Ottonel. Muscat á Petits Grains is the grape of southern French dessert wines (Muscat Beaumes de Venise), Italian wines (Goldenmuskateller), Italian sparklers (Moscato d'Asti and Asti Spumante), and even great Grecian wines (Samos). Brown Muscat is very rich and full in Australia's Liquer Muscats. Muscat d'Alexandria offers its best work as dessert on the northern Sicialian islands of Pantelleria, in southern France (Muscat de Lunel, Rivesaltes) and with Moscatel de Setubal in Portugal. Muscat Ottonel is a lighter, less-interesting subvariety. Black Muscat also exists as a very dark variety. Palomino. The grape of Sherry is best in its home in Andalusia, Spain. Here it is one of the greatest fortified wines, and Sherry is made dry, sweet and everything in between. Pedro Ximinez. Very sweet grape used for intense dessert wines in Sherry and Montilla-Morales in Spain. It is also used to sweeten the Palomino juice for Oloroso, or dessert Sherries. Picolit. The world discovered this cultish grape a decade ago. It is made into Italian dessert wine with an exotic sweetness and tart finish. Pinot Blanc. Identical to Pinot Gris in all ways except that Pinot Gris has sweet versions and proven greatness in Alsace. Instead, Pinot Gris is merely delicious, with pear and stoniness in the best examples. A few bottlings emanate from Morey-St-Denis is Burgundy that are exciting, and sometimes achieve greatness. Pinot Gris. This pleasant and tasty grape offers good drinkability in Italy, Germany and the New World, but reaches its greatest heights in Alsace. It can taste of cream and apples and exists in well-made versions both sweet and dry. Ribolla Gialla. This yellow (gialla) grape of Fiuli-Venezia in Italy can give honey and orange flavors with delightful results. Riesling. One of the world's greatest grapes, Riesling was treated with the respect it deserved 100 years ago when its finest bottlings routinely were bid for higher prices that Lafite or Latour. Grown throughout the world with mixed results, America offers decent versions and Australia gives the most credible of the New World offerings. Alsace offers the finest outside of Germany, with higher, more obtrusive alcohol levels. All of Germany's great wines (except a tiny portion) are from Riesling. This grape is rich and crisp when young, but can age for ten to fifty years and beyond, depending upon the winemaking style. Rkatsitelu. Widely planted in Russia and Moldova, and therefore the second most planted grape in the world, Rkatsitelu is spicy, floral and citrus, and can be quite interesting. Romorantin. This unusual grape of the eastern Loire produces, at its best, delightfully soft, crisp wines Roussanne. This rich, honeyed grape is quickly disappearing from the vineyards of white Hermitage where it once held sway. It is difficult to ripen, and seemingly oxidizes at every opportunity. Amazingly, even though it appears to be rich and exotic (all the while tasting like it's falling apart!), it can hold that pose for years, even decades. It is allowed in white Châteauneuf-du-Pape but rarely makes an appearance there for the above reasons. Sauvignon Blanc. Blended with Semillon for dry white Bordeaux and used in smaller proportions for Sauternes and other French dessert wines. Grown to greatest effect in the Loire, especially in Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre. Surprisingly, New Zealand has, in scarcely more than a decade, produced wines of equal weight and class. In the rest of the New World, it is a good, and sometimes great, wine. Scheurebe. Invented in 1913 from a crossing of Silvaner and Riesling, this is an exotic and not particularly long-lived wine, with intense apricot aromas and flavors. Sémillon. Blended with Sauvignon Blanc for most dry white Bordeaux and used in larger proportions for the dessert Bordeaux, Sauternes and Cerons. Vinified and aged similar to Chardonnay in Australia with similar results, though a more traditional style of the wine in that country offers little oak and fascinating stony flavors. Sercial. The great dry grape of Madeira is long-lived and firm regardless of age. Seyval Blanc. A French hybrid with crisp citric character and pleasant drinkability, grown in the middle and eastern U.S. England has shown even greater success with this grape. Silvaner. A grape of fairly modest means, except in Franconia, Germany and in Alsace. In those spots, it is textured and full, with cleanliness in the nose, rather than strong varietal aromas. Tocai Friulano. A pretty floral and honeyed wine of northeastern Italy, it also appears in Chile as the Sauvignonasse and in France as Sauvignon Vert. Trebbiano. The ubiquitous grape variety of Italy and the basis for Cognac and most Armagnac. Probably the world's most prolific vine, it is still more often distilled than vinified into wine. Verdejo. From the Rueda in Spain, this variety offers up very good dry and cassis-flavored white wines. Verdelho. This great, somewhat dry grape is closely associated with the Portuguese island of Madeira produces wines with crisp acidity and unusual lime flavors. Verdicchio. A classic Italian variety of the Marche on the eastern coast of Italy, Verdicchio produces bright, lemony wines with high natural acidity. Vermentino. This grape is grown widely on Sardinia and in Liguria on the Italian Riviera, as well as on the island of Corsica. It produces lively, aromatic wines. Vernaccia. Several different grapes (including red) are grown in Italy and bear this name. Although probably not related to the other Italian Vernaccias, the one we tend to see in America is called Vernaccia di San Germignano, named after a town in the province of Siena in Tuscany. It is typically crisp, clean and slightly orange-flavored, and can be Tuscany's best white wine. Vidal Blanc. Orange and peach flavors dominate this Ugni Blanc-based hybrid grown in sweet and dry versions in the United States. Vignoles. Otherwise known as Ravat, this hybrid is offered in dessert styles that are pretty and crisp. Dry Vignoles is gaining importance as a variety in the eastern United States. Viognier. A rare but cultish grape originating in Condrieu in the northern Rhone Valley. It is now being rapidly planted in California where it yields good examples showing pungent Gewurz-like notes and rich Chardonnay-like flavors. The finest Condrieu have not been matched in the New World. Xynestri. Planted on Cyprus, this grape makes a delightful and long-lived dessert wine called Commanderia.

Aglianico. Grape of deep southern Italy that shows thick, chewy cherry fruit and a lively personality. Aleatico. A red grape from the Muscat family, similar to Black Muscat, which produces sweet, but not cloying dessert wines. Alicante Bouchet. One of the only grapes in the world with red, not clear, juice. Pedestrian, it is likely only in blends. Baga. Interesting, yet tannic grape from Bairrada in Portugal Barbera. Italy's most common red grape is also well-known in the new world, especially California, where it is used alone and in blends to bolster acidity. The better versions are deep purple, bone-dry, and mouthfilling, with red and black fruit (blackberry, currant, prune) flavors and aromas of nutmeg, black pepper and smoke. Great, more concentrated Barberas may be aged, but most are medium-bodied with moderate tannins and are drunk fairly young. Barbera makes an ideal partner to pasta and other dishes featuring tomato sauce. Black Muscat. A thick and gooey dark Muscat variety, with intriguing examples in California and Australia. Bordeaux Red Blends. Red Bordeaux, sometimes called Claret, is a wine made from a blend of different grape varieties. Although it varies from Château to Château, a typical red Bordeaux recipe might be 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, while a likely St. Émilion or Pomerol blend might be 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Brachetto. A pretty red sparkler from Piedmont known as Brachetto d'Acqui. Cabernet Franc. This grape is related to Cabernet Sauvignon, with more fruit-basket style fruit and less tannin. Less long-lived than its cousin, Cabernet Franc brings an herbal note ranging from slightly tobacco-flavored to pungently leafy. Used in Bordeaux, especially in Pomerol, but important in the Médoc as a blender. 100% Cabernet Franc wines are offered elsewhere in the world, notably in the Loire Valley where Chinon is the pinnacle. Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the most famed and long-lived of grapes, it is found nearly everywhere in the world, but most famously grown in Bordeaux. In that region, Cabernet Sauvignon is usually blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In Australia, it is often found with Shiraz as the blender. Notes of cherry, cedar and tobacco predominate and the grape's tannins sometimes make the wine tough to drink in its youth. Canaiolo Nero. This is the primary blending grape for Chianti. Carignan. A blending grape in Southern France of sometimes dubious distinction. The exception is at Banyuls, where it yields complex, dry, powerful aged red wines. Can be a major component of many Spanish red wines, increasingly better in quality. Also found in North Africa. Catawba. A simple, somewhat stinky American hybrid. Chambourcin. A hybrid of French origin, with good American examples of its soft and fleshy fruit in Missouri and New York, as well as Australia. Chancellor. An interesting French hybrid, with decent successes in America's east. Charbono. Very small quantities of this red variety, probably the same as the virtually extinct Corbeau or Charbonneau of France, are planted in California's Napa Valley and north coast. Flavorwise, Charbono is the cousin of Barbera, fairly tannic with medium to full body. In a hot climate it may become "cooked," but allowed to ripen slowly it makes a satisfyingly flavorful wine with black fruit flavors, aromas of damson plums, leather and tar, and moderate acidity. It needs only minimal aging. Cinsault. A fine blending agent in southern France, it is an important component in the world's greatest rosés at Tavel. South Africa's own special variety, Pinotage, is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Concord. Native grape of the eastern U.S. suitable only for jam Corvina. The great grape of Valpolicella and Amarone Cynthiana. Thought to be a synonym for the Norton grape, it is America's best native variety. Dolcetto. A juicy, grapey and almost Zinfandel-like variety that achieves moments of great pleasure in Piedmont, Italy. Best enjoyed within five years Freisa. A lovely, thick wine of Piedmont with flavors of raspberry and strawberry. Gamay. Outside of the confines of Beaujolais, France, where in the top crus (Brouilly, Fleurie, et al) it can be rich, succulent and capable of aging ten years or more, Gamay makes a pleasant, simple and fruity wine. Gamay Beaujolais. A lesser clone of Gamay, it isn't quite as tasty as the true Gamay for which it is named. Grenache. This grape has many homes and faces. In Rioja, Spain, it is the grape second in importance to Tempranillo, and can show excellent character just north of Navarro. In southern France and the southern Rhône Valley, it reaches from excellent rosé, to pleasant, fruity drinker to imperial heights in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and, sometimes, Gigondas. Found in North Africa, particularly in Morocco and Algeria. Grignolino. Odd, lightly colored Piedmont wine with terrific drinkability and balance, almost as though a red wine had been designed to be drunk like a crisp white. Malbec. A ripe, lush black grape variety, once popular in Bordeaux as a component, but gaining a modern stronghold in Argentina and Chile. Mavrud. A fruity and powerful variety from Bulgaria with a potential to age fairly well. Merlot. Often considered the "blending" grape of Bordeaux, this grape does offer softness on the Médoc. But it is the heart and soul of many, if not most, Pomerols and St. Émilions. In the New World, Merlot is widely available in varietally labeled offerings and intensely popular for its fruitiness and soft tannins (when grown with that style in mind). This is a grape that has been nearly as successful in its varied and diverse plantings throughout the world as Cabernet Sauvignon. Mission. The original grape brought by the Franciscan fathers to the U.S Southwest, a few bottlings still exist of this sweet wine. Montepulciano. A thick and enjoyable wine from the Abruzzo and Marche regions in Italy. Mourvèdre. Overlooked but great, this grape offers wonderful fruit and earthiness in Provence and the southern Rhône in France. Spain and the U.S. also show exciting versions. Nebbiolo. Perhaps the finest grape of Italy, Nebbiolo offers rather soft versions as well as the monster agers of Barolo and Barbaresco. These tough and unyielding versions can improve for thirty years or more in great vintages, with flavors of cherry, tar and flowers when ripe. Pais. Chile's very widely planted, undistinguished red Petit Verdot. A minor Bordeaux grape, but one by which many first-growth producers swear by. It is lean and leggy, with a good long time required for maturity. Petite Sirah. Often confused with "real" Syrah, most believe it is actually the lowly French grape, Durif. It has, regardless, turned out some good California examples in both dry and sweet styles Pinot Meunier. The most widely planted grape in Champagne, Pinot Meunier is often used to add complexity to the cuvée. In much of the Champagne made and consumed locally (smaller lesser known house and brands) Pinot Meunier can be up to 100% of the cuvée. Pinot Noir. The classic grape of Burgundy, a model that intrigues and tantalizes winemakers around the world. Its rich fruits and earthy aromas combine with low tannins for a wine that is almost always drinkable despite any youth. It is, however, finicky and touchy, and most regions of the world still struggle with the grape in search of high quality. Pinot Noir also is an important component in many styles of sparkling wine and Champagne, adding structure, flavor, and in the case of Blancs de Noirs styles, color. Pinotage . South Africa's cloning of Cinsault and Pinot Noir has yielded a wine of good distinction and friendly fruit. You can consider the wine the Zinfandel of South Africa. Pinotage is also successfully grown in New Zealand and other parts of the world. Plavac Mali. This rarely seen grape from the coast of Dalmatia makes a pretty, expensive wine. Some people believe the roots of Zinfandel lie here. Primitivo. Primitivo is the Italian name for the grape Americans call Zinfandel. Its origin is mysterious; one theory has it originating in eastern Europe as the Dalmatian variety Plavac Mali and brought to California as early as 1834. Despite the name, the Primitivo vines planted today in Italy’s Apulia are almost certainly descendants of a reverse migration from California to Europe. Thanks to its popularity as “White Zinfandel,” this is California’s most planted grape. The white (actually rosé) version is usually a light, slightly sweet wine appropriate for aperitifs and picnic foods. As a dry red or even late harvest dessert wine Zinfandel/Primitivo provides robust grapey aromas and flavors reminiscent of red berries and jam. Moderate to heavy tannins and high alcohol allow it to age fairly well. Ramisco. Vines grown at the beaches of Colares, north of Lisbon produce tart, very long-lived and impressive wines that deserve more attention. Refosco. Deeply-colored Italian red varietal made from Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso and Refosco Nostrano grapes. Sangiovese. The primary grape of Chianti as well as several well-known clones-Brunelli, the grape of Brunello Monalcino; Pignolo, the grape of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the cultish Sangioveto, perhaps the finest of Chianti's clones. Its sweet cherry and leather tones when aged are pure grace at their best and austere and charmless when made poorly. Sargantino. Rich tannic wine grown in Southern Umbria and worth watching. Syrah/Shiraz. The great grape of northern Rhône where some of the world's greatest wines (Hermitage, Cornas, Cÿte Rotie) are straight renditions of the grape. Grown in other countries, Australia has pushed it to similar heights. Ironically, it functions as Australia's cheap red quaff as well. Tannat. The grape that gives good substance to Madrian, the neighbor of Bordeaux and home of Armagnac. Tannic, thick and intriguing. Tempranillo. The most important grape and the soul of Rioja, Spain. It has rich dark fruit flavors and decent ageability. Tiny amounts of Grazuelo used in Rioja bring smoky lushness and ageworthiness to the blend Tinta Negra Mole. This grape of Madeira masqeuraded for many years as "faux" Malmsey, Bual, Verdehlo or Sercial. Some producers insist it is worth bottling alone, but quality tends to be average Tinto Cao. One of the gems of the 34 (legally allowed) grape varieties of Port. It is grown along with Tinta Barroca, a soft and friendly wine grape, Tinta Roriz (also called Tempranillo, and one of Port's finest grapes) and Tinta Amerella, a full but bland variety Touriga Nacional. One of the primary grapes of great Port, it also appears as very good dry red wine. Touriga Francesa is a separate grape variety, but equally as important and respected. Xynomavro. Greece's best red variety deserves more notoriety Zinfandel. This grape is found most often in the pink (or "white" as it's referred to) version. The origins of Zinfandel are subject to much debate. One theory has it originating in eastern Europe (as the Dalmatian variety Plavac Mali), and brought to California by early wine pioneers as early as 1834. A genetically identical grape in Italy it is known as Primitivo and was almost certainly received from America in the late 19th Century. Thanks to the popularity of the white version, Zinfandel is California's most planted grape. Grapey, and bursting with bright raspberry fruit, it is food-friendly and ages fairly well.