2012

47 white wine varietals

A guest article by Estelle Platini from Cellarer.com.

Here is a list of vine varieties with a description of the white wines made from them.

Variety	Origin	Description
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 Moscato 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 the Loire model.
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.
Moscato	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 and depending on which type of food, how to choose a right white wine.