Wine Varieties.

I was thinking: What was one of the biggest issues I came across when I first started drinking wine a few years ago? Wine varietals. Varietal is just a word that means "wine made up
of a type of grape." For example, a cabernet sauvignon is made of mostly, if not 100%, cabernet sauvignon grapes.

I wanted to list some of the most common grape varieties here with some general notes about their flavor:

Barbera - An Italian grape from the Piedmont area that tends to have a fuller body and often has chocolate notes in my experience. Often blended with other grapes. Red Wine.

Brunello - A clone of the sangiovese grape that is used to make very expensive wines in Tuscany. Medium-to-full bodied accompanied by a silky smooth mouthfeel. Red Wine.

Cabernet Franc - A French grape most often used in Bordeaux blends. When tasted alone, it is medium bodied and often has a lot of red fruit notes. Red Wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon - A French grape that has been planted around the world to produce a very popular, full bodied wine. Common tasting notes are cherry, raspberry, strawberry, and cassis. Possibly the most popular wine in the world. Red Wine.

Chardonnay - A grape that is also heavily planted throughout the world that produces a fuller bodied wine. It's difficult to associate any specific tastes with chardonnay, but I've noted butter, green apple, mango, lemon, pear, and other fruits in my tasting of Chardonnays. Napa Chards tend to carry vanilla and butter notes while the Chablis I've tried were more apple and pear. White Wine.

Gamay - The grape used to make Beaujolais, a light bodied French wine. It often carries with it red fruit tastes and is hardly ever harshly tannic. I'm told that the more expensive bottles tend to be a bit more tannic, but this grape is good for people that don't normally like red wine. Red Wine.

Gerwurtztraminer - Primarily a grape used in Germany to make a crisp, spicy wine. I've noticed a lot of floral notes in the nose and in the taste. One of the few spicy white wines. White Wine.

Grenache - A grape used primarily in the production of Chateneauf-Du-Pape and wines in Australia. Often blended with Syrah and/or Mourvedre. Often quite spicy and earthy. Medium to full bodied in blend. Red Wine.

Malbec - Most often associated with Argentina, this grape makes a spicy, full bodied wine. It is also used in blending Bordeaux wines. Dark fruits (plums, dark cherries, etc.) are what I most often taste in Malbec. Red Wine.

Merlot - A grape that produces a soft, medium bodied wine. Often notes of cherry, plum, and other fruits are found. Used in Bordeaux blending. Tannin levels vary, but tend to be on the lighter side. Red Wine.

Nebbiolo - An Italian grape from Tuscany used to make Barolo and Barbaresco wines. The wines tend to be very tannic and need time to calm down. I've noticed a lot of tobacco and red fruits. Mostly medium bodied. Red Wine.

Pinot Grigio - The grape (also known as Pinot Gris) makes wines ranging from light to full body, much like the Chardonnay grape. Often high in acid and pear, apple, and lemon notes tend to dominate. Very popular and meant to be consumed soon after bottling. White Wine.

Pinot Noir - A grape made famous in the Burgundy region of France, makes a light-to-medium bodied wine with notes of soil, cherry, and often vegetables. Very popular in the US. Good Pinots are coming out of California, Oregon, and New Zealand. Red Wine.

Riesling - A grape used to make dessert wines. Often exhibiting pear, peach, apple, and honey flavors, it is my favorite dessert wine. Late harvest rieslings have been attacked by the Botrytis fungus causing the water to be removed from the grape, resulting in a sweet, complex wine. Can be cellared for many years in most cases. White Wine.

Sangiovese - A grape that is used to make Chianti, as well as used in numberous Italian blended wines. Highly versatile, it makes a full bodied wine that exhibits dark fruit and tobacco flavors commonly. Red Wine.

Sauvignon Blanc - A grape used to make a light bodied wine. Common to California, France, and New Zealand, it often has flavors of grapefruit, green apple, and other acidic fruits. Grass is another common smell to this wine, especially those from New Zealand. Consumed young. White Wine.

Syrah - A grape that makes spicy, sometimes floral, very full bodied wines. Also known as Shiraz in Australia, this grape has grown in huge popularity in the US due to the Yellow Tail brand as well as the very high critic ratings given to Australian varietals. Often blended with grenache to add backbone and tannin content in France. High tannin levels allow for aging. Red Wine.

Zinfandel - A grape that makes a spicy, fruity wine. Medium-to-full bodied often showing cherry and other red fruit flavors. Black pepper is often a component associated with zinfandel. Sometimes made into a white wine, known as White Zinfandel - this is a light-bodied rose wine that has little in common taste-wine with the red wine. White or Red Wine.

I hope this can act as a useful reference for those just getting into wines.

-TG