Index of Grape Varieties


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Index of Grape Varieties

Pinotage
South Africa's famous red wine is in fact a man made strain, created in 1925 by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsaut (known locally as Hermitage). It had received some bad press for its quality levels but in recent years has produced some stunning wines from the top growers, with huge fruit concentration and ageing potential. Be prepared to pay for the quality but it's worth it.

Pinot Blanc
Known as Pinot Bianco in Italy and Weissburgunder in Germany this white grape produces fresh varietal wines with apple and citrus aromas for early drinking. It performs well in cooler climates with medium to high yields and good sugar levels.

Pinot Gris
Known as Pinot Grigio in Italy and Rulander in Germany it is believed to have mutated from the Pinot Noir. Widely grown throughout Europe but particularly in Alsace and northern Italy it produces relatively full- bodied wines with a slight yeasty aroma. It is highly thought of in Alsace where it is known as Tokay d'Alsace or Tokay Pinot Gris and is permitted for Grand Cru wines. Here it is also used to produce the luscious 'vendange tardive' or late harvested sweet wines.

Pinot Noir
The classic red grape of Burgundy and responsible for some of the world's most expensive and sought after wines. Packed full of juicy strawberry fruits when young, at its top level it matures into a complex masterpiece with vegetal and farmyard tones. It is, however, a poor traveller and difficult to cultivate in hot climates. Purists will argue that its home is Burgundy and that is where it should remain - doubtless producers in Oregon and Carneros will differ. Pinot is however capable of producing very mediocre wine, at worst thin and acidic, and many people buying at the lower Burgundian levels have been disappointed. Good Pinots are available and worth seeking out, the best are sublime but sadly, out of reach for the average pocket.

Riesling
Germany's 'noble' white grape and revered the world over. It produces a diversity of wine styles from sweet to dry, from fresh and youthful to mature and mellow - Riesling has enormous ageing potential and takes on the character of the various regions in which it is planted. It is a grower's dream in view of its versatility and can flourish from the cool slopes of Germany's Saar region to the warm valleys of California. It is responsible for the luscious and rare Beerenauslesen and Trockenbeerenauslen (T.B.A) which retain freshness, high acidity but low alcohol and intense fruit ripeness. A true aristocrat of a grape.

Sangiovese
The red grape of Tuscany and notably, Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, it is second only to Barbera as Italy's most planted red variety. It is a thin skinned grape that gives medium body but high acidity. Cherry like when young, it develops into a mature wine with black cherry and liquorice aromas. It blends very well with Cabernet Sauvignon as witnessed in the great Tuscan 'Vini da Tavolas' but has not proved too popular outside Italy. Some plantings are found in California, Australia and Argentina but its home is very much in the Tuscan hills.

Sauvignon Blanc
Synonymous with fresh gooseberry and green apple aromas in its varietal form, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most travelled white grapes in the world. Its home is certainly France where it bends with the 'fatter' Semillon to make white Bordeaux wines from the dry Graves style to the luscious botrytised* Sauternes. In the Loire it is responsible for such famous marques as Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé where it is found in its purest form. The New World has adopted the grape with great acclaim (and success), notably New Zealand, Argentina and Chile where its crisp fresh acidity and citrus fruit character are to the fore. As a dry wine it is best-drunk young and fresh.

Sémillon
A thin skinned grape producing wines of high extract and flavour but soft acidity. In France it combines with Sauvignon Blanc to make the white wines of Bordeaux, most notably the sweet dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Its thin skin leaves it susceptible to the fungus botrytis* the much sought after 'noble rot' in these sweet wine regions. As a varietal it has fared best in Australia, notably the Hunter Valley, where it produces well-rounded wines with lots of tropical fruits and honeyed tones. Here too it is blended with Chardonnay and oak aged to give an added dimension.

Syrah (or Shiraz)
The classic red grape of the northern Rhône where it produces such wines as Hermitage, Côte Rôtie, Crozes Hermitage and St. Joseph to name but a few. It produces intense inky purple coloured wines when young with a distinctly spicy tone. As it matures it turns to deep garnet with evolving earthy, stewed blackberry and damson flavours. It gives huge extract and tannins and is capable of great ageing. As 'Shiraz' in Australia it presents a more approachable nature, more plummy and elegant when young but still retaining that spicy character and intense colour. Often blended in the New World with Cabernet Sauvignon for added complexity. It is best suited to hot climates and granite soils.

Tempranillo
The Tempranillo is to Rioja what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy. By far Spain's most noble indigenous grape it has similar characteristics to the Pinot - strawberries when young, earthy vegetal when mature - and it ages very well. It ripens early ('temprana' is the Spanish for 'early') is thick-skinned and gives good colour and extract but low alcohol and acidity. In Rioja it is blended with the more fiery Garnacha and a little Mazuelo and Graciano. It is grown throughout Spain but very much as a grape for blending as opposed to a straight varietal. Outside Spain the grape is quite prolific in Argentina and to a lesser extent in California.

Viognier
A relatively obscure vine, difficult to grow and cultivate and capable of only tiny yields, Viognier owes its reputation to the fine wines it produces in the northern Rhône, namely Condrieu and Château Grillet. It has a distinct orange blossom and apricot aroma together with a golden yellow colour, huge weight of tropical fruits with a broad weighty structure and quite high in alcohol. It is produced to a lesser extent as a Vin de Pays in the Languedoc and there are also some plantings in California. Its low yields and associated difficulties are unlikely to elevate it to the commercial status. Worth seeking out though!

Zinfandel
Known simply as 'Zin', this is California's most common red wine grape. It produces all styles of wine - red, white and rosé from bone dry to sweet, even a port style from late harvested grapes. For years it was dismissed as a quaffing jug wine not to be taken seriously. Things have changed, however, and we are now seeing some pretty serious offerings coming from the better producers. It is rarely blended and is at its best as a dry red wine with aromas of ripe strawberry fruits and a whiff of spice. It prefers cooler climates, as it can tend to over ripen.

WineOnline Winery / Varietal Index
Overview | A-C | D-N | O-Z

Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Carignan
Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
Cinsaut

Gamay
Gewurztraminer
Grenache

Malbec
Marsanne
Merlot
Muscat

Pinotage
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Gris
Pinot Noir

Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Sémillon
Syrah (or Shiraz)


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