About Varietals
White Wines
Riesling
Another one of the noble grapes. The grape excels in Germany, the Alsace region of France, Austria, and the Clare Valley of Australia. Its characteristics are unique to the area where it grows. Germany produces fantastic sweet and dry examples while Alsace is know for their dry Rieslings. With lower alcohol levels and high acid levels, Riesling is a great wine for the adventurous wine lover.
Sauvignon Blanc
Also known as Fume Blanc in California, South America, and Northeastern Italy, it is a light body, high acid wine that is herbaceous, minerally and fruity. New Zealand produces fantastic, fresh, flavorful examples of the grape. Two regions in France grow Sauvignon Blanc; Bordeaux and the Loire. In Bordeaux the grape is often blended with Semillon to produce some of the best white wines in the world. Wines from the Loire often offer flavors of mineral and chalk.
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
A descendant of the Pinot Noir grape, the wine is medium to full-bodied with little oak and low acid. Alsace is the region in France where Pinot Gris is grown and excels. Oregon has had a lot of success with the grape and California is beginning to produce high quality wines. Northern Italy is the other area where the wine is produced.
Chardonnay
One of the noble grapes, Chardonnay is used to make White Burgundies, is a main grape in Champagne, and is grown from Australia to Chile to California. The grape is classically dry, creamy, medium to full-bodied, with good acidity.
Red Wines
Sangiovese
This is the king of Tuscany and shows best in Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. The grape offers medium to high acid levels and firm tannins. The nose offers good fruit and floral notes.
Sangiovese
Burgundy, France is the standard bearer for the Pinot Noir grape. Wines are produced from tiny plots offering unique characteristics from each plot of land. Oregon comes closest to mimicking the successes of Burgundy when it comes to the grape. Other regions that are having success with the grape are California, New Zealand, and Australia. The grape is lighter than Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, has medium to low tannins and ranges from a wealth of berries to earthy and woodsy depending on where it is produced.
Merlot
A grape that is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon due to its low tannins. It produces full - bodied wines with fruit and chocolate characteristics. Merlot grows well in many of the regions that Cabernet Sauvignon does. It is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux.
Tempranillo
A grape that is vying for greatness in Spain, it offers low alcohol, medium body and low acidity. It is often blended with Grenache in the regions Ribera del Duero and Rioja.
Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the red noble grapes, it grows well anywhere it is not too cold. The grape is most famous in the Medoc district of Bordeaux were it is a major grape often blended with Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon makes wines that are medium to full-bodied with high tannins. California has become just as important to Cabernet Sauvignon as France, and the grape is also producing great wines in Washington, Australia, Italy, and South America.
Syrah/Shiraz
The Northern Rhone is home to this full bodied grape with firm tannins. Just as Pinot Noir the grape offers distinctly different flavor profiles depending on its place of origin. In France the grape often offers smoked meat, tar, and black pepper and in Australia (where the grape is called Shiraz) you often find a more fruity, vibrant wine.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is one of the oldest grapes grown in California and for many years its origins have been unknown. We now know the grape originated in Croatia. The grape makes ripe rich wines with lots of fruit and high in alcohol.
Nebbiolo: This grape calls the Piedmont region home and produces fabulous wines from Barolo and Barbaresco. The grape has both high tannins and acidity which makes the wines big and aggressive at a young age. The wines offer a beautiful balance of fruit, earthy, floral flavors. Many of these wines have a life span of greater then twenty years.