Varietals Flashcards
Syrah = Shiraz
bold
More fruit from warmer regions and more reserved, tart fruit with spice, earth and leather from cooler zones.
Syrah in France, Shiraz in Australia
Sauvignon Blanc
Fumé Blanc, Pouilly Fumé, Sancerre
grass, bell pepper, grapefruit, high acidity
Fumé Blanc, coined by Robert Mondavi
Pouilly Fumé, Sancerre are 100% sauvignon blanc
grows easily
Pinot Noir
black cherry, cinnamon, tomato, soft and smooth tannins, velvety
difficult at every turn: offspring might not produce fruit like parent’s, birds, etc.
Nero d’Avola
black cherry, black plum, licorice, tobacco, chile pepper, full bodied and bold (c.f., Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Syrah), robust tannin and acidity
2 winemaking ideologies in play: more fruit forward, opulent and black fruit style with coffee and chocolate flavors from oak aging or leaner and more elegant with red cherry fruit flavors, herbal notes and very little oak
resurrection in Sicily
Cabernet Sauvignon
black currants, bell peppers
most reliable for aging, most popular
Malbec
full bodied red with dark fruit flavors and smokey finish
Argentina, fruit forward (blackberry, plum, black cherry, blueberry) with nuanced flavors of milk chocolate, cocoa powder, violet flowers, leather and, sweet tobacco with oak aging
France, leathery with flavors of tart currant, black plum, black pepper, spice and a savory bitterness often described as green
better value than Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah
blending grape, poor resistance to weather and pests, never emerged as a top variety, then planted in Argentina
magenta rim
Moscato
sweet flavors of peach, orange blossom and nectarine
sweet, slightly bubbly, low alcohol (5-7%)
Muscat aroma (mint, citrus flowers and cinnamon)
Gavi
elegant and fresh white from Piedmont, Italy (Cortese grape)
when young, flower aromas and fresh, after aging, larger mineral aromas
Lambrusco
sparkling red, flavorful, zesty, low in alcohol (11%)
fruity to floral (violet, heather)
can be dry (secco) or sweet (amabile)
Viognier (vee-own-yay)
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