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Showing posts with label White Wine Grapes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Wine Grapes. Show all posts

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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Chardonnay

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CHARDONNAY
Chardonnay is the world's most popular white wine grape, with over 300,000 acres planted, 100,000 in California alone. It’s homeland is the Burgundy region of France, where it produces sublime, complex table wines, but it also flourishes in California, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.
Chardonnay might smell like apples, lemons, peaches or tropical fruits. Its delicacy is such that even a small percentage of another varietal blended into a Chardonnay will often completely dominate its aroma and flavor. Oak commonly takes over Chardonnay if the wine is fermented or aged in new barrels or for too long in seasoned ones.
In the Chablis region of France, it is the only grape permitted and it renders a "crisp, flinty" wine. In the Meursault appellation, chardonnay takes on a lush, ripe, "fleshy", "buttery" quality. Even in quality sparkling wines and French Champagne, it is the major varietal used. California Chardonnay is every bit as variable and possibly even more exciting because of the effusive varietal quality it develops there.

Grape Variety
Chardonnay
Use in Old World
Burgundy
Use in New World
Pervasive
Color
Almost always tends toward light golden hues.
Aroma
Tropical fruits, melons, mineral qualities, citrus and even green apple are all comon.
Body
Medium to Heavy
Wine Making Flavors
Heavy use of oak, but incorporates well into the wine.
Blended with
Rarely, but occasionally of late with Sémillon.
Other
Increasingly being planted in Italy where it only recently received official status.


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Sauvignon Blanc

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SAUVIGNON BLANC
As with chardonnay, the purest expression of the sauvignon blanc grape is found in France, in the Loire Valley (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume) and Bordeaux. However, it also makes superb wines in New Zealand, California (where it is sometimes called fumé blanc), Australia, South Africa, and Chile. In Bordeaux, it is blended with the semillon grape to produce both fine dry wines (Graves) and the great sweet wines of Sauterne and Barsac.
Along with Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc was one of the first fine wines to be bottled with a screwcap in commercial quantities, especially by New Zealand producers. 
The wine is usually consumed young, as it does not particularly benefit from aging, except for some oak-aged Pessac-Léognan and Graves from Bordeaux that can age up to fifteen years
Loire Valley wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, such as Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre, are most often 100% Sauvignon Blanc, unblended and usually made without the use of oak
Sauvignon blanc is a very versatile food wine that can complement everything from shellfish and Caesar salad to fried chicken and aged Jarlsberg cheese.

Grape Variety
Sauvignon Blanc
Use in Old World
Bordeaux and the Loire.
Use in New World
Pervasive.
Color
Usually clear.
Aroma
Fresh cut grass is most common. Grapefruit is another style.
Body
Light to medium.
Wine Making Flavors
Some oak, but rarely strong.
Blended with
In Bordeaux almost always with Sémillon.
Other
Very common variety. Can be an excellent food wine.


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Riesling

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RIESLING
Riesling represents German wine culture like no other grape variety. It grows in all of the German wine-growing regions and takes up more than 20 % of the area under vines. The early dissemination of the Riesling vine, first mentioned in the 15th century, its growth characteristics, size of grape, long ripening period and frost resistance are indicative of its relationship with wild vines
Riesling grapes, which originate in Germany's Rhine region, have sweet fruity flavors and aromas of flowers and fruits. Other characteristics of wines made form Riesling grapes include high acidity and petrol notes if aged. The character of a Riesling wine depends heavily on where it is grown because Riesling grapes are very 'terroir expressive.' Rieslings cannot be oaked like Chardonnay.
Because of both its cellar longevity and its ability to maintain varietal identity while reflecting the individuality of its terroir, Riesling may be the best of all the white wine grapes. Its homeland is Germany, where it has been cultivated since the 1400s or earlier, and where it is made into wines that run the gamut from bone dry and crisp quaffers to the complex, unctuous nectars made from Botrytis-affected, shriveled berries, individually late-picked, and known by the moniker Trockenbeerenauslese

Grape Variety
Riesling
Use in Old World
Germany, Alsace
Use in New World
US, New Zealand
Color
Almost always clear, becoming golden with age.
Aroma
Flowery with a distinct aroma often called "petrol" or "diesel".
Body
Light to Medium
Wine Making Flavors
Occasional light oak. Often made sweet.
Blended with
With Ruländer (Pinot Gris) but never in quality wines.
Other
Another great grape that doesn't get the respect it deserves. Many examples, either dry or sweet, are among the finest, most complex wines in the world

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Chenin Blanc

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CHENIN BLANC
The Chenin Blanc grape variety originates in the Loire Valley of France. Also called Steen when grown in South Africa, Chenin Blanc grapes are used to produce wines of varying quality. Flavors and aromas of Chenin Blanc wines include fruit, honey, quince, and grasses. Other characteristics of wines made from Chenin Blanc grapes include an oily texture, high acidity, and a deep gold coloring. The specific characteristics of Chenin Blanc wines depend heavily on where they are grown.
Chenin Blanc vines have a well-earned reputation for vigor, for they are resistant to many diseases and grow well in multiple soil types. In spite of its origins in the cool-weather Loire, the grape performs well in warm climates that are often inhospitable to many vinifera types
Chenin blanc is arguably the most versatile of all wine grape varieties. Crisp, dry table wines, light sparkling wines, long-lived, unctuous, nectar-like dessert wines, and even brandy are all produced in various areas of the wine world, all using dominantly or entirely chenin blanc grapes. The versatility of Chenin Blanc may be both a blessing and a curse, since very few labels reveal any residual sugar which would indicate the style or sweetness of the wine to consumers
In spite of its wide plantings and potential flavor palates, most chenin blanc is made into serviceable, but generally bland wine and frequently blended with other varieties to contribute acidity without significantly altering flavor profile. A general tendency to over-irrigate and overcrop further reduce most Chenin Blanc to the forgettable.

Grape Variety
Chenin Blanc
Use in Old World
Loire (Anjou)
Use in New World
US and South Africa.
Color
Clear.
Aroma
Green apples. Occasionally honeyed.
Body
Light.
Wine Making Flavors
Minimal flavors intrude, even when much is done to the wine.
Blended with
Almost never, except in bulk wines, when it is blended with other bulk varieties..
Other
By far the most misunderstood white variety. In the Anjou region of the Loire in France, it makes remarkable wines, the best of which (Coteaux du Layon) are lightly sweet and among the most long lived. In the rest of the world it is used for cheap whites and jug wine.




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Gewurztraminer

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GEWURZTRAMINER
Gewürztraminer is one of the most pungent wine varietals, easy for even the beginning taster to recognize by its heady, aromatic scent. While the French have achieved the greatest success with this grape and its name may be German, the history of Gewürztraminer began in Italy's Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige.
Gewürztraminer is German term which means "spicy (or perfumed) grape from Traminer," Gewürztraminer grapes are a cloned offshoot of the Traminer white grape, a variety that is uncommon today. Gewürztraminer flavors and aromas include spices, roses, passion fruit, and lychees. Other Gewürztraminer characteristics include high alcohol content and deep gold coloring. Although used to produce a white wine, Gewürztraminer grapes have pink or even red skins.
The variety has high natural sugar and the wines are white and usually off-dry, with a flamboyant bouquet of lychees. Indeed, Gewürztraminer and lychees share the same aroma compounds. Dry Gewürztraminers may also have aromas of roses, passion fruit and floral notes. It is not uncommon to notice some spritz (fine bubbles on the inside of the glass)

Grape Variety
Gewürztraminer
Use in Old World
Alsace, France and Germany.
Use in New World
US.
Color
Clear
Aroma
Intense aroma, referred to as spicy.
Body
Light to Medium.
Wine Making Flavors
Often (except Alsace) made sweet.
Blended with
None
Other
A wonderfully intense wine. The best examples are by far and away from Alsace where they are dry.




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Pinot Grigio

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PINOT GRIGIO
Italy's most popular white wine is produced from the * Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris grape varietal. This wine hails from the northeast region of Veneto and Friuli. A light, crisp white wine that is intended to be consumed early on.
Pinot gris (or pinot grigio, as it is known in Italy) probably is the best-known variant-clone of Pinot Noir. Although gris translates to "grey", ripe pinot gris grapes may be described as having colors from light pinkish brown to deep bluish grey. Clusters with a variety of berry colors are not unusual
Italy, produces the largest quantity of Pinot Grigio, but has only a very few estates, in Friuli, who emphasize premium quality. Unfortunately for its reputation, most Italian makers of Pinot Grigio over crop and harvest early, producing clean, lean, even sometimes conspicuously tart, but otherwise bland, vapid wines. Pinot gris/grigio can attain a very high level of sweetness, but begins to lose acid rapidly when near full ripeness.
Only two appellations devote pinot gris the respect and attention to growing and vinification that is necessary to render distinguished wine: Alsace, France, the traditional base of Pinot Gris appreciation, and Oregon, the newest region to produce high-quality Pinot Gris.

Grape Variety
Pinot Gris
Use in Old World
Germany (Ruländer), Alsace, France (Tokay d'Alsace), Italy (Pinot Grigio), Eastern Europe.
Use in New World
Rare but increasing.
Color
Clear, occasionally it has a pink tinge
Aroma
Somewhat nondescript spicy fruit.
Body
Light
Wine Making Flavors
Rare
Blended with
Rare.
Other
A degenerative clone of Pinot Noir



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