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Gruner Veltliner

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GRUNER VELTLINER
Grüner Veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria, accounting for 37 percent of the country's total vineyard area, about 50,875 acres. Most of these vines are in the large wine region known as Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), along the Danube River north of Vienna. It also grows in a few other Eastern European countries, such as Slovakia, Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic, but the variety is most closely associated with Austria, where it has been cultivated since Roman times. Simply put, Grüner Veltliner is the indigenous variety of Austria.
The ageing potential seems immense; the oldest (and extremely rare) pre-war bottles, made in a different age of technology and oenological knowledge, are still going strong. Well made, powerful Veltliner can age easily for 40 years and more.The typical aromas of these wines are citrus and grapefruit, always with the trademark black pepper note; this is often, depending on the area and style of vinification, intermingled with scents of cut grass and green apples, ripe apricot or plum, roses, exotic fruit like mango and lychee, quince, apricot jam, dried fruit, fruit bread, and strong mineral components.

Just like Riesling, Grüner Veltliner can produce wines in various styles.  It’s a popular selection in the production of Sekt, the sparkling wine of Austria and Germany.  The young wines can be found in the Heuriger of Austria, the taverns that serve the new wines.  Although not typical some enologists have experimented with oak-aged Grüner Veltliner.  And in the tradition of dessert wines, Grüner Veltliner can produce excellent Eiswein, Beerenauslesen, and Trockenbeerenauslesen.  Grüner Veltliner is excellent with various types of cuisine and is one of the few wines that can stand up to asparagus.  The wines are also very good with salmon, trout and Thai cuisine. 
Grape Variety
Gruner Veltliner
Use in Old World
Austria
Use in New World
Very limited in Czech Republic, US & New Zealand
Color
Usually clear.
Aroma
Fresh cut grass is most common. Green Apple is another style.
Body
Light to medium.
Wine Making Flavors
Late Harvest made sweet
Blended with
Rare that too generally in Sekts
Other
Limited to Austria. An excellent food wine

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Cortese

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CORTESE
An Italian grape revered in the northern parts of the country, but seldom seen elsewhere. The best examples come from the DOCG of Gavi, in the region of Piemonte. Cortese di Gavis are light, crisp and have pleasant aromas of almonds, citrus fruits and freshly mown grass. It is also grown in the hills around Monferrato as well as in Lombardy where it is a part of the blend Oltrepo Pavese.
This grape variety is cultivated mainly in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria (the Gavi and Tortona zones). It is also grown in other areas beyond the regional boundaries, such as Oltrepò Pavese and Veneto.
Blessedly high in acidity, even in hot vintages, and able to range from lean and citrusy to quite ripe with notes of honey and yellow fruit. Some wine writers snobbishly call Cortese bland, but the best wines are anything but. Some producers age it in new oak, but this is not generally the best idea.
Grape Variety
Cortese
Use in Old World
Piedmont in Italy.
Use in New World
None.
Color
Clear.
Aroma
Almost none.
Body
Light and crisp.
Wine Making Flavors
Picked and vinified to be very crisp and acidic.
Blended with
Never.
Other
This grape is only included because it is responsible for the Gavi wines of Italy. Gavi dei Gavi being considered by many to be the finest example, it is unquestionably Italy's most expensive white wine.



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Cabernet Franc

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CABERNET FRANC
Cabernet Franc is a blue-black grape that is grown around the world, mostly for blending with other red wine grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also for its own varietal wines. Cabernet Franc is also commonly used for ice wines in North America. The varietal wines created from Cabernet Franc grapes is bright red because of the light color of the grapes.
Cabernet franc is one of the genetic parents of cabernet sauvignon (the other is sauvignon blanc). Cabernet franc was also found to be the common ancestor among other grapes of Bordeaux, including carmenère, malbec, and merlot.
Cabernet Franc is far less famous than other red wine varieties, despite being one of the most planted wine grapes in the world and despite being a key ingredient in many of the world's best blended wines.
The wine produced from Cabernet Franc is slightly acidic, aromatic and a deep purple color. Aromas identified with the wine include red bell pepper, raspberry, tobacco and violet. The region of growth and style of production determines the aromas that are present in the wine.

Grape Variety
Cabernet Franc
Use in Old World
Chinon in the Loire, as a blending grape in Bordeaux
Use in New World
US
Color
Light to medium, bright red
Aroma
Raspberry
Body
Light to medium
Wine Making Flavors
Often made in whole or partial CM style.
Blended with
Alone or as part of a Cabernet Sauvignon blend.
Other
Just starting to catch on in the US.


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Grenache

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GRENACHE
Grenache noir is the world's most widely planted grape used to make red wine, sometimes made into a stand-alone varietal, frequently as a rosé, but most often as a backbone of red blends.
Wine historians believe that Grenache, which translates to Garnacha in Spanish and Garnatxa in Catalan, originated in the province of Aragon in northern Spain.
Characteristics of wines made from Grenache grapes include weak colors, soft tannins, and high alcohol content. Grenache tends to be most closely associated with the southern French region of Rhone where it is grown widely.
On its own, grenache can make fleshy, heady wines with lots of fruit appeal in their youth. They tend to age rapidly, however, showing tawny colors and prone to oxidation or maderization after only a relatively short time in bottle. The general character and mouthfeel of Grenache wines are more distinctive and identifyable than any particular aromas or flavors.
Grape Variety
Grenache
Use in Old World
Rhone and Southern France. Rioja, Spain.
Use in New World
Some US
Color
Light red to orange.
Aroma
Spicy black pepper. Light red fruits
Body
Light to heavy
Wine Making Flavors
CM style in Southern France and Cote du Rhone. Much blended in the rest of the Rhone. Often oxidized with a strong vanilla aroma (from American Oak) in the wines of the Rioja.
Blended with
Extensively with Syrah in the Rhone and a zillion other grapes in the south of France. In Rioja it is blended with Tempranillo.
Other
Also used to make the excellent roses of Tavel and Lirac.

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Zinfandel

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ZINFANDEL
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia (the "heel" of Italy), where it was introduced in the 18th century. The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, and became known by variations of the name "Zinfandel", a name of uncertain origin.
Zinfandel is a red grape which produces red wines with strong flavors and aromas of berries. The berry flavor and aroma of Zinfandel wine can be so strong that some consider it 'jammy' in character Many are familiar primarily with White Zinfandel which is a blush version of Zinfandel, not a true white wine. Other characteristics of Zinfandel grapes include high alcohol content, strong tannins, and slightly spicy flavors.
Grape Variety
Zinfandel
Use in Old World
Now known to be the Crljenak Kastelanski, of Croatia. All but extinct.
Use in New World
The only vinifera grape almost completely exclusive to the US.
Color
Deep purple, often inky.
Aroma
Blackberries and dark fruit.
Body
Light to very heavy.
Wine Making Flavors
Sometimes made in a CM style. Increasingly it is made in a partial CM style (blended with traditionally made wine) which preserves its character while adding complexity.
Blended with
Any number of things, but Petite Syrah and Grenache are the most successful.
Other
Often made into a rose wine this exceptional grape has earned an undeserved reputation based on these insipid pink wines.



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Sangiovese

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SANGIOVESE

Until recently Sangiovese, Italy's most widely planted vine variety, was a grape in the wilderness. And whenever the name Sangiovese did appear on a label it was far from a guarantee of greatness.
And now it's the most widely planted grape in Italy. It's Sangiovese, the grape of Chianti, of Brunello, of Montepulciano, and of Scansano. It's the Tuscan part of super Tuscans too.
The name of the Sangiovese red grape is thought to be derived from "sanguis Jovis" meaning "the blood of Jove (Jupiter)."
The Sangiovese is one of the most ancient Italian grape varieties, and is certainly one of the most widely grown as well as the grape which quality-wise offers the best wines in Italy. All ampelographers agree that the grape originated in Tuscany.
Vine growers are becoming increasingly curious and Sangiovese is now being planted from Chile to Argentina, but the place with the greatest recent interest in Sangiovese outside Italy is California.

Grape Variety
Sangiovese
Use in Old World
Tuscany, Italy
Use in New World
Rare, but increasing in CA.
Color
From very light to very dark.
Aroma
Dark red fruits.
Body
From very light to very heavy.
Wine Making Flavors
Often heavily oaked and slightly oxidized.
Blended with
In Chianti it is blended with red and white wines. In the 'Super-Tuscans' it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Other
There are huge differences in the various clones of this grape. There is the Grosso clone which is the more common, and the Piccolo clone which is smaller in size and plantings. The Brunello grape is a Sangiovese Grosso clone and yet still shows as the finest example of Sangiovese.



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