As the core ingredient of wine, the grape varietal used largely defines the appearance, aroma, and taste of a wine. As an aid for learning, comparing, and a cheat sheet for your next friendly blind-tasting, we’ve developed a comprehensive list of wine grape varietals in every dimension – their aromas, tastes, regions, and descriptions. The aromas and graphs produced come from our innovative wine review technology that helps break each wine down to its core elements.
Page 1 – Barbera, Bordeaux Blends, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, & Chardonnay
Page 2 – Chenin Blanc, Dolcetto, Gamay, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Gruner Veltliner
Page 3 – Madeira, Malbec, Merlot, Mouvedre, Muscat, Nebbiolo
Page 4 – Nero d’Avola, Petite Sirah, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinotage
Page 5 – Port, Primitivo, Rhone Blends, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc
Page 6 – Semillon, Sherry, Syrah/Shiraz, Tempranillo, Viognier, Zinfandel
Semillon
| Pronunciation: | (sem-eel-YHON) |
| Top Regions: | Bordeaux, Australia, California |
| Pairing Type: | Food with medium weight and intensity. High acid or spicy dishes. |
| Suggestions: | Fish, pork chops and apples, chicken |
| Cooking Method: | Grilled, sauteed, roasted |
| Aromas: |  |
| Taste: |  |
| Description: | An essential white grape of Bordeaux, Semillon is a golden-berried goddess, producing some of the longest-lasting white wines ever made. It’s the pride and joy of areas like Sauternes and Barsac for its ability to incur botrytis, or noble rot. The grape takes well to the fungus and in turn produces rich, golden, nectar-like wines that are truly decadent. |
| Notable Info: | The grape is a heavier grape, with low acids and an almost oily texture. It’s easy to grow and high-yielding, although in Bordeaux, the vines are older and produce less fruit so that the grapes on the vine have more flavor. Semillon can in fact produce a dry wine of high quality. The great dry white wines of Bordeaux are made with up to 100% Semillon, although Sauvignon Blanc is often a blending partner. Semillon has also found a happy home in the Hunter Valley region of Australia, where it is sometimes blended with Sauvignon Blanc. |
Sherry
| Pronunciation: | (Sherry) |
| Top Regions: | Jerez, Spain |
| Pairing Type: | Food of medium weight and intensity |
| Suggestions: | Mussels, shrimp, chicken, tapas, ham, tortilla, manchego cheese |
| Cooking Method: | Steamed, sauteed, roasted |
| Taste: |  |
| Description: | Sherry is a fortified wine made by adding grape spirits after fermentation. The name sherry comes from the English attempt to say Jerez, the southwest coastal region of Spain where Sherry is made. Sherry comes in two basic styles, fino and olorosso. The fino style is pale colored, crisp and dry, while olorosso is much darker and nuttier, and can range from dry to sweet. The primary grape involved in sherry is Palomino, which now represents about 95% of the plantings in Jerez. It grows particularly well on the famous white, porous albariza soil found there. The differing factor in fino and olorosso is their exposure to oxygen. A fino sees no oxygen during and after fermentation since a layer of yeasty foam, called flor (pronounced floor), forms on the surface of the wine. When flor develops, it protects the fermenting wine from any oxygen. Olorosso, however, is purposefully prevented from developing a layer of flor, thus allowing oxygen to mix with the wine. Exposure to oxygen gives olorosso style Sherry it’s nutty, oxidized flavors and dark color. |
| Notable Info: | Most Sherry falls into either the fino category or the olorosso category. A quick guideline of the styles of sherry: Fino – general term for sherry that has not been affected by oxygen – it is dry, crisp and tangy. Manzanilla – Fino category – made quite close to the Atlantic and often has an almost sea salt flavor that is very distinctive. Crisp and light, Manzanillas are meant to be drunk young and chilled. Amontillado – categorized as a fino, but is almost an in-between style. It’s a fino that’s been aged and sees slightly more oxygen, giving the wine some of the nutty characteristics found in olorossos. Can be dry or sweet. Olorosso – aged sherry that is dark and nutty. Sometimes be a bit higher in alcohol. Cream – sweetened olorosso, often by adding amounts of Pedro Ximenez, a sweet wine made of the same-named grape. No regulation on sweetness levels, so varies. Pedro-Ximenez – sometimes called PX, this is a sweet, dense wine made from the Pedro Ximenez grape. Typically added to cream olorosso sherry, can also be bottled on its own or, even better, poured over ice cream. Outside of the Jerez DO, Spanish producers are making sherry-style wines, often from Palomino or Pedro Ximenez. Although they may not carry the Jerez or Sherry label, they can be similar in style and also good values. |
Syrah/Shiraz
| Pronunciation: | (seh-RAH/shee-RAHZ) |
| Top Regions: | Rhone, Australia, California, Washington State, South Africa |
| Pairing Type: | Heavy and fatty, intense, smoky or spicy food |
| Suggestions: | Beef, tuna, steak, sausage, venison, duck, mushrooms, cheese |
| Cooking Method: | Barbecue, grilled, stew, roasted |
| Aromas: |  |
| Taste: |  |
| Description: | Syrah and Shiraz – same grape, different name. It’s a popular and adept variety, growing in multiple regions and creating many different styles of wine. For the first time ever at Wine.com, revenue and unit volume of Syrah outpaced Chardonnay, the number one selling white wine. In fact, volume is up 47% over last year! The home base of Syrah is the Northern Rhone, where it creates the exclusive wines of Hermitage and Cote Rotie. On the less pricy side, the Rhone makes Syrah-based wines in Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas and St. Joseph. Syrah made a big splash in Australia, where it’s called Shiraz and reigns as the most planted grape of the country. Washington State, Southern and Central California, South Africa and South America are also making wines from Syrah that have substance and style. |
| Notable Info: | Like many world-popular grapes, Syrah can differ in style depending on the climate, region and winemaking techniques. Typical aromas and flavors from most Syrah-based wines include pepper, blackberry and leather or smoke. Australian Shiraz and Central or Southern California Syrah tend to be more dense in fruit flavors, some even jammy – warmer climates lead to riper fruit flavors. Northern Rhone style typically shows more pepper and leather notes, with less upfront fruit. Washington State, South Africa and South America differ in style but usually show the range of Syrah flavors. |
Tempranillo
| Pronunciation: | (temp-ruh-NEE-oh) |
| Top Regions: | Spain – Rioja and Ribera del Duero, Australia |
| Pairing Type: | Heavy and intense foods |
| Suggestions: | Chicken, beef, duck, game birds |
| Cooking Method: | Braised, stew, roasted, grilled |
| Aromas: |  |
| Taste: |  |
| Description: | Most often associated with Spain, Tempranillo is the backbone of wines made in the well-known Spanish regions Rioja and Ribera del Duero. On the scale of light to heavy, Tempranillo leans on the light side. It tends to be higher in acid and lower in alcohol – common for Old World wines, and perfect for matching to food. |
| Notable Info: | As a flavor profile, red fruits like strawberries and cherries can predominate – but with a rustic edge. Many wine made from Tempranillo will spend a few years in barrel and bottle before reaching the consumer. Spanish wine laws are very specific about ageing wine and oak is a big part of that. Many Tempranillo-based wines see a few years of oak – add that to a few years of bottle and the wine can give a subtle – and occasionaly not-so-subtle – leathery mouthfeel. The combination of the tart fruit and tannins make this wine very food friendly. Tempranillo is also a popular blending partner for Garnacha. In Ribera del Duero in particular. It lends a nice structure to the more plush Garnacha grape. Some winemakers in Australia are also experimenting (quite successfully as we’ve tasted) with Tempranillo plantings and blending with Grenache and Syrah . |
Viognier
| Pronunciation: | (vee-ohn-YAY) |
| Top Regions: | Northern Rhone, Australia, California |
| Pairing Type: | Food of light to medium weight and intensity. High acid or spicy dishes. |
| Suggestions: | Chicken, pasta, pork, Chinese or Indian food, nuts |
| Cooking Method: | Curry, cream sauce, roasted, sauteed |
| Aromas: |  |
| Taste: |  |
| Description: | Viognier is best known for producing the rich, aromatic white wines of the Northern Rhone. Once a pricey commodity of the area, its now much easier to find and drink. The perfumed grape creates wines of distinct aromas and flavors. Lower in acid and even lower yielding, Viognier kept to itself in Southern France until some traveling winemakers took hold of some plantings and dispersed them to New World areas like California and Australia. |
| Notable Info: | The Viognier grape attacks your nose with notes of peach, apricot and other tropical fruits. Aromatic to say the least, this varietal is tough to grow, due to the narrow window of time when the aromatics and acids are at their peak. The best wines made from Viognier have a good balance of aromatic fruits and acid. The intensity of the fruit may be detected by tastebuds as sweet, although most Viogniers are dry. Not the best partner for a light meal, wine from this grape is nice with heavier sauces or rich shellfish. |
Zinfandel
| Pronunciation: | (ZIN-fahn-dell) |
| Top Regions: | California |
| Pairing Type: | Medium to heavy, fatty, intense, smokey or spicy food |
| Suggestions: | Chicken, pork, sweet barbecue, beef, duck, lamb, pasta, bell peppers, pizza, spicy |
| Cooking Method: | Barbecue, grilled, stew, roasted |
| Aromas: |  |
| Taste: |  |
| Description: | Some call Zinfandel the American – or Californian – grape. Although it’s not from America (Croatia has been named its origin), it does seem quite at home in the vineyards of California. During Prohibition, Zinfandel was the favored grape for communion wine, which is why so many old vines are still around today. It grows well in the warm, sunny regions of California and is susceptible to excessive sugar levels, creating wines high in alcohol. Most winemakers are able to tame or balance the high alcohol with the big fruit flavors and smooth tannins also typical of Zinfandel. The sugar levels of the grape contributed to the production and popularity of White Zinfandel as well. |
| Notable Info: | While Zinfandel is grown many places in the country, its most popular and successful region is California. Appellations producing delicious Zinfandel wines include Sonoma, specifically Dry Creek Valley, Napa and the Sierra Foothills. Zinfandel stands out with its very berry intensity, packed with jammy flavors of blueberries and blackberries. It’s not short on tannins either, although the fruit and alcohol adds balance. |
Other Wine Grape Varietals
Page 1 – Barbera, Bordeaux Blends, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, & Chardonnay
Page 2 – Chenin Blanc, Dolcetto, Gamay, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Gruner Veltliner
Page 3 – Madeira, Malbec, Merlot, Mouvedre, Muscat, Nebbiolo
Page 4 – Nero d’Avola, Petite Sirah, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinotage
Page 5 – Port, Primitivo, Rhone Blends, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc
Page 6 – Semillon, Sherry, Syrah/Shiraz, Tempranillo, Viognier, Zinfandel
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