47 white wine varietals
Friday, October 19th, 2007Here is a list of vine varieties with a description of the white wines made from them.
| Aligoté | French | Poor man’s Burgundy. Pale, light, crisp wine. Not for ageing. |
| Alvarinho | Portugal | Produces Vinho Verde, very crisp, light with a slight prickle. |
| Auxerrois | French | Acidic, very dry and full-bodies, Chablisesque. |
| Bacchus | German | Silvaner, Riesling and Müller-Thurgau cross. Flowery, light Muscat bouquet, low acidity. Used mainly for blending. |
| Bual | Madeira | Sweet full-bodies fortified wine, burnt amber colour, fig-like bouquet. |
| Chardonnay | French | Ranges from crisp, apple-like flavours in cool climates to caramel, pineapple and tropical tones in warm areas. Buttery, toasty or clove-like finish. Ages well, usually in oak. |
| Chasselas | E. Europe |
Light, crisp wine with delicate bouquet in Switzerland. Rather insipid elsewhere. |
| Chenin Blanc |
French | Honeyed, high-acid wines in the Loire. Lots of fruit. Ages many years. California model is much softer and fruitier. |
| Colombard | French | (French Colombard) Originally a cognac grape, now grown in California for soft, flowery wines. |
| Emerald Riesling |
California | High-yielding Muscadelle, Riesling cross. Aromatic, soft, fruity. |
| Fumé Blanc |
Californian name for Sauvignon Blanc or Sauvignon/Sémillon blend. Fruitier and less grass than Loire model. |
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| Folle Blanche |
French | Once a major grape in Cognac. High acid, not much character. |
| Furmint | Hungary | Principal grape of Tokay. Can be dry, off-dry or sweet. Apple or apricot and toffee bouquet, depending on style. |
| Gewürztraminer | Italy | (Traminer) Spicy, exotic, rose petal and lychee bouquet. Can be dry (Alsace) or sweet (Germany, California). |
| Grüner Veltliner | Austria | Fresh, lively, fruity, dry wine for drinking young as in the “new” wine, Heurige. |
| Hárslevelü | Hungary | Spicy, full-bodied, aromatic. Good for sweet wines. |
| Jacquère | French | Light, very dry and brisk wine from Savoie. |
| Kerner | German | Red Trollinger, Riesling cross. Spicy, fruity wines with good acidity. |
| Malvasia | Greek | Produces lusciously sweet dessert wines in warm climates and crisp dry ones in northern areas. The grape of the sweet Madeira, Malmsey. |
| Marsanne | French | Deep-coloured, high-alcohol wines blended with the more delicate Roussanne in the Rhône. |
| Morio-Muscat | German | Silvaner, Pinot Blanc cross. Full-bodied, fruity with spicy bouquet. |
| Müller-Thurgau | German | Riesling, Silvaner cross (or two clones of Riesling). Less acidic than Riesling, soft and fruity. Lacks ageing potential. |
| Muscadelle | French | Perfumey grape used to add bouquet to some white Bordeaux (Sauvignon and Sémillon). |
| Muscadet | French | (Melon de Bourgogne) Light, pale, racy wines with lively acidity from the Loire. |
| Muscat | Greek | Perfumed, raisiny bouquet with a characteristic spiciness in dessert wines. Can also be made dry as in Alsace and Australia. |
| Palomino | Spanish | The grape of sherry. Neutral wine, low acidity. |
| Pedro Ximenez | Spanish | A very sweet white wine used in sherry, thought to be Riesling. |
| Picolit | Italian | Dessert wine grape of Friuli. Deep coloured, rich, slightly bitter. |
| Pinot Blanc | French | (Pinot Bianco/Weissburgunder) Relative of Chardonnay but with less character and ageing potential. Best from Alsace. |
| Pinot Gris | E. Europe | (Pinot Grigio, Ruländer) Full-flavoured, elegant wines capable of ageing. |
| Riesling | German | (Johannisberg Riesling, Rhine or White Riesling) Finest German variety, capable of making a range of wines from steely dry to toffee-sweetness. Floral nose, keen acidity. |
| Rkatsiteli | E. Europe | All-purpose grape producing ordinary table wines, dessert wines and fortified wines. |
| Sacy | French | The name suggests it all. Frisky, tart wine from Chablis region. |
| Savagnin | French | Makes Sherry-style vin jaune in the Jura region. |
| Sauvignon Blanc | French | Makes grassy, gooseberry, smoky wines in the Loire and accompanies Sémillon in dry and sweet wines of Bordeaux. California model is rounder and fruitier and fig-like. |
| Scheurebe | German | Silvaner, Riesling cross. Aromatic, fruity with pronounced acidity. Best in dessert style. |
| Sémillon | French | Honey and apricot bouquet when affected by Botrytis (see page 22). Blended with Sauvignon Blanc for dry Bordeaux. Lacks acidity. |
| Sercial | Portugal | Produces the driest, lightest style of Madeira. Good acidity. Ages well. |
| Seyval Blanc | French | Hybrid. Makes dry wines with a grassy, green plum flavour. Does not age well. |
| Silvaner | Austrian | Mild, neutral wine with good body. Useful for blending. |
| Trebbiano | Italian | (Ugni Blanc, St. Emilion) Pale colour, high acid, medium-body, shy bouquet. |
| Verdelho | Spain | Produces off-dry Madeira and soft, nutty table wines. |
| Verdicchio | Italian | Crisp, dry wines with a hint of bitterness. |
| Vidal | French | Hybrid. Good fruit and acidity. Can range in styles from tart Sauvignon Blanc to Late Harvest and Icewine. |
| Viognier | French | Rich, elegant, full-bodied, floral-peachy wine especially in the Rhône. Capable of ageing. |
| Viura | Spanish | (Macabeo) Fruity aromatic wines with high acidity capable of wood ageing. |
| Welschriesling | French | (Riesling Italico, Laskiriesling, Olaszriesling) Floral, zesty, versatile but not as elegant as Johannisberg (White or Rhine) Riesling. |
On this website here is a list of red wine varietals.
Here are articles on other quality websites about: white wine varietals.
The wines of Anjou are the most diverse and satisfying of the Loire. Anjou is a godsend for afficionados of sweet white wine, there are numerous small producers making delicious, balanced and potentially long-lived Grains Nobles Chenin Blancs. I visited farmers with holdings of four or five oak barrels of richly sweet Coteaux du Layon mulling away in the backshed. Some of these vignerons, like Jo Pithon and Patrick Baudouin, and Philippe Delesvaux quickly sell out their wines.
