Other White grape varieties Flashcards
What is Albarino ?
Albariño is a white grape variety producing white wines in the Rias Baixas region of northwest Spain. Albariño produces dry, light to medium bodied wines with fruit aromas of apple, pear and grapefruit. These are typically unoaked with refreshing high acidity.
If you like Albariño why not try Torrontés or Sauvignon Blanc.
What is Chenin Blanc ?
Chenin Blanc is a white grape variety and its classic home is the cool climate region of Tourraine in the Loire Valley. The main appellation for Chenin Blanc is Vouvray AC producing a range of styles which is indicated on the label with terms such as Sec (dry), Demi-sec (medium), Moelleux (sweet) or even Doux (very sweet). These wines have characteristic high acidity and are unoaked with fruit notes of lemon, apple and pineapple and some herbaceous notes of green leaf.
Like Riesling and Sémillon, Chenin Blanc is very susceptible to noble rot and can produce some of the greatest sweet wines from Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume in the Loire.
Chenin Blanc is widely grown in South Africa, mainly for large volume inexpensive white wines. Most are simple, fruity and off-dry with citrus and tropical fruit flavours, though there are some premium quality wines now being made, some of which have prominent oak flavours.
Chenin Blanc is also used in blends with other grape varieties to produce higher volume wines and add refreshing acidity and citrus fruit to the blend, for example Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Vouvray Sec, Vouvray Demi-sec/Moelleux or Côteaux-du-Layon and/or a new world Chenin Blanc from South Africa.
If you like Chenin Blanc why not try Sémillon or Pinot Gris
What is Cortese ?
Cortese is a light high-acid white grape variety planted mostly far to the west of Piedmonte in Italy. Its most highly regarded wine is Gavi DOCG were the wine displays high acidity with notes of green apple and citrus.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Gavi DOCG.
If you like Cortese why not try Chenin Blanc.
What is Garganega ?
Garganega is a vigorous, late ripening white grape variety with floral notes such as chamomile and fruit flavours of pear and red apple with hints of white pepper. Its most famous incarnation is Soave and Soave Classico DOC in Veneto, north east Italy. Most Soave is medium in body and unoaked.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Soave and Soave Classico.
If you like Garganega why not try Pinot Grigio and Melon Blanc
What is Gewurztraminer ?
The classic home of Gewurztraminer is Alsace. Here this white grape variety produces intensely perfumed wines that can be dry, off-dry or medium in style, and full-bodied with high alcohol and low acidity.
Typical flavours include floral perfume such as rose and orange blossom with tropical and stone fruit including lychee, peach and grape and musky sweet spices like ginger. Most are best consumed while they are youthful and freshly fruity, but Gewurztraminer coming from Grand Cru vineyard sites is the best in the region, developing interesting honey and nut aromas with age.
Gewurztraminer is an Alsatian variety with an increasing reputation in New Zealand.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Alsace Gewurztraminer or any new world Gewurztraminer.
If you like Gewurztraminer why not try Torrontés or Pinot Gris.
What is Viognier ?
Viognier is a white grape variety that produces soft, full-bodied and aromatic wines. The best examples can be found in the Northern Rhône, producing wines that are low in acidity and high in alcohol, with delicate aromas of peach, pear, apricot and violet along with hints of spicy notes.
In the South of France with the increase in planting it has become a good source of reasonably priced Viognier. The appeal of Viognier is such that modest plantings are also found in Chile, Argentina, Australia and California.
In Australia, it has become fashionable to blend some Viognier with Shiraz in the traditional style of Côte Rôtie from the northern Rhône. Traditionally, a small amount of Viognier grapes are added to the Syrah grapes and the resulting red wine is less austere and has the added perfume of the Viognier, which gives an attractive note of violets on the nose.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Condrieu or any new world Viognier.
If you like Viognier why not try Gewurztraminer or Torrontés
What is Melon Blanc ? (Muscadet)
Melon Blanc is a white grape variety used in the production of Muscadet in the Loire Valley. The wines are dry and light, with almost neutral fruit and medium to high acidity. The main appellation is Muscadet AC while Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AC is a sub region that produces superior wines.
Some of the wines may have sur lie on the label and this indicates that the wine has been bottled from a vessel containing the dead yeast left over from fermentation. The resultant wines have added body and complexity.
Recommended tasting for this variety is Muscadet AC.
If you like Melon Blanc why not try Garganega or Verdicchio
What is Pinot Grigio ?
Pinot Gris is the French name for this white grape variety and Pinot Grigio is the Italian name.
The classic region for Pinot Gris is Alsace in France. Here the style is full-bodied, ranging from dry to sweet with spicy tropical fruit flavours including ginger, banana and melon, sometimes with hints of honey. The best wines come from the Grand Cru vineyards.
New Zealand Pinot Gris is growing in popularity and is made in a variety of styles, ranging from dry to sweet in the Alsatian model.
Pinot Grigio is grown throughout Italy. Typical Pinot Grigio is dry, light or medium bodied with a refreshing acidity and neutral character. Better examples, from Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, show some of the ripe nuttiness and honeyed character for which this variety is prized in Alsace.
Outside Italy, Pinot Grigio is typically used to describe wine that is neutral and light to medium-bodied in style.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Italian Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris from Alsace.
If you like Pinot Grigio why not try Riesling or Trebbiano.
What is Semillon ?
Sémillon is the principal white grape variety in most premium white Bordeaux and is the mainstay of both dry and sweet wines. It is blended with Sauvignon Blanc, often with the Sémillon dominating which sustains the fruit character, and allows complexity to develop in the bottle. The Sauvignon Blanc brings aromatic fruit character to the blend. The dry wines have medium to high acidity, medium to full-bodied and sometimes with oaky flavours. The very best wines, such as those from Cru Classé châteaux in the Pessac-Léognan AC and the best white Graves AC, age well and develop honeyed, toasty complex flavours in the bottle.
Sémillon is susceptible to noble rot and in Sauternes AC located to the south of the Graves AC some of the best sweet wines in the world are produced. The luscious sweetness is balanced by high acidity and the wines are full-bodied with high alcohol, lemon and peach aromas with botrytis flavours. The wines will also display a hint of new oak such as vanilla, toast and coffee. These wines will last for decades developing honeyed complexity in the bottle.
As a single varietal wine, its best expressions can be found in Australia and in particular, the Hunter Valley. Hunter Valley Sémillon is dry, light in body and alcohol, but high in acidity. It has delicate citrus aromas in youth, verging on neutrality. With age it builds layers of complex toast, honey and nut flavours.
Sémillon from other parts of Australia can range from medium-bodied simple citrus wines to wines that are intensely vegetal and pungent.
In Australia it is also used extensively for blending. The classic example of this is Sémillon-Chardonnay (or Chardonnay-Sémillon, depending on which variety dominates). Sémillon can provide some acidity and refreshing citrus notes to this blend.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Bordeaux Sec, Sauternes and Hunter Valley Semillon.
If you like Sémillon why not try Pinot Gris and Verdicchio
What is Torrontes ?
Torrontés is a white grape variety and a local speciality for Argentinian white wines. It is an aromatic, medium bodied dry white wine with high alcohol and medium acidity. The fruit is pronounced with floral aromas of perfume, grapes and peach.
It is widely grown with most of the best examples coming from the Cafayate region in the northern province of Salta.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Torrontés from Argentina.
If you like Torrontés why not try Albariño or Gewurztraminer
What is Trebbiano ?
Trebbiano is the most widely planted white grape variety in Italy. It produces wines with high levels of acidity and neutral aromas and flavours. It is mainly used for inexpensive neutral white blends but occasionally appears as a varietal wine.
Recommended tastings for this variety is any Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.
If you like Trebbiano why not try Pinot Grigio or Garganega.
What is Verdicchio ?
Verdicchio is one of central Italy’s classic white grapes producing dry wines of high-acid, medium body with flavours of lemon, fennel and bitter almond. Most is produced in the Marche and some of the best examples come from Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC.
Recommended tastings for this variety are Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC.
If you like Verdicchio why not try Cortese or Chenin Blanc
