White Wine Grapes

In truth, any grape can be used to make white wine. The color of wine comes from skin contact during the winemaking process, so if you press the grapes and separate the juice from the skin, the skin will impart no color. This is probably most famously done in the Champagne region of France (and indeed much of the sparkling wine around the world) where Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, two red grapes, are often used to make white sparkling wine.

But in general, when you are drinking white wine, the wine probably came from white grapes. There are thousands of white grape varieties worldwide and several grapes with different names depending on where they are grown, but to help you out, I’ve listed the most common varieties of white wine grapes along with basic descriptions of the wines made from them.

♦ Albariño – Primarily grown in Spain, wines from Albariño are refreshing, tasting of citrus and green apple but with a soft, almost yeasty texture. The smell often includes flowers and even a saline quality. Albariño is also used in Vinho Verde in Portugal and starting to pop up in places like California.

♦ Chardonnay – Probably the world’s most famous white grape, Chardonnay is grown everywhere and the variety of styles are endless. Chardonnay has an affinity for being aged in oak, so unoaked Chardonnay can smell of lemon and apples and taste clean and lean, while oaked styled can go from lightly buttery and fruity, to heavy notes of buttered popcorn, tropical fruit, and butterscotch. A classic unoaked example would be Chablis from France with tart apples and citrus along with a mineral streak and acid zip. A medium oak example would be the white wines from Burgundy where the fruit smells more ripe and the wine shows a hint of buttery richness that can include sweet baking spices, toast or smoke. A classic oak-driven Chardonnay from California will have ripe fruit and tropical fruit smells along with buttered popcorn, vanilla, toffee, canned corn, and buttered toast.

♦ Chenin Blanc – Commonly grown in the Loire Valley of France, but also a major grape for wine in South Africa where Chenin Blanc is called Steen. Chenin blanc makes wine of great contrast depending on where it’s grown and what the winemaker chooses to do. Styles range from bone dry to sweet, but always with a bang of acidity. Bruised apple, quince and yellow pear are common flavors and smells found, sweeter styles can be reminiscent of honey, ginger or marmalade, and drier styles can smell of earthy white mushrooms.

♦ Gewürztraminer -Taking off all over the world, Gewürztraminer shines brightest in Alsace, France. Spicy and floral, the wine can be dry or with a touch of sweetness, think tropical fruits like lychees and pineapple with a whiff of roses or potpourri. If you are looking for a wine to match with spicy Asian cuisine, Gewürztraminer is the grape for you.

♦ Muscat – If you are looking for a wine that actually smells like grapes, Muscat is a popular choice grown across the world. From Victoria, Australia and the South of France you can find intensely sweet styles, fortified versions can be raisiny and richly perfumed. If dry is more your style, Alsace, France is the place to look, though Italy, Spain, Portugal and Australia make dry versions as well. Ripe fruit, candied orange, honeysuckle and sweet flowers are all smells that are associated with Muscat. And if you like bubbles, Asti Spumante from Italy is what you want.  The grape’s full name is Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains but it’s also known as Muscat de Frontignan, Brown Muscat, or Moscato. Be careful and don’t get it confused with Muscadet, which is a different grape and makes for bone-dry white wine from the Loire Valley in France.

♦ Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio – Most popular in its light, Italian style (Pinot Grigio is the Italian name) it’s also grown in the US and New Zealand where the wines are definitely on the light and refreshing side. Pinot Gris can also be found in Alsace, France where is makes a richer, honeyed style of wine whether dry or sweet. Germany calls the grape Ruländer when it is used for sweeter wines and Graubergunder when the wines are dry.

♦ Riesling – While probably most famous for it’s sweet German incarnations, Riesling is a highly versatile grape that really shows off where it was grown. From bone dry styles in Alsace, France to the German styles that range from dry to intensely sweet, it is bright acidity that is one of Riesling’s most recognizable features in any incarnation. Great Riesling is quite age worthy, developing complex aromas from minerals to petrol (not a bad thing, even if it sounds odd) but young Riesling smells and tastes of everything from apples and citrus, to petrol and slate, to peaches and honey. While France and Germany have the most famous wines, Riesling has found success and a home in Upstate NY and across the US as well as Australia (Clare Valley and Eden Valley are producing excellent wines,) South Africa, and Austria.

♦ Sauvignon Blanc – Grown everywhere, Sauvignon Blanc captures the essence of green, tangy, wine. Think grapefruit, citrus, gooseberry, white peach, and zippy acidity when you think of Sauvignon Blanc. The most popular style now is grown in New Zealand, with its pungent green flavors and ripe fruit. More restrained styles come from the Loire Valley of France where wines from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé show softer fruit and less green, replacing New Zealand’s grassy nettle and gooseberry aromas with hints of peaches, wet rocks or smoke. Sauvignon Blanc is also a darling in the US with wines from California showing rich, ripe fruit along with a grassy zip while in Bordeaux, France, where it is commonly blended with Semillon and aged in oak for a slightly richer style.

♦ Sémillon – The grape behind the famous sweet wines of Sauternes, Semillon (the French put an accent on the é) is primarily grown in two parts of the world. In the Bordeaux region of France it is blended with Sauvignon Blanc as mentioned above for dry white wines but  comes into its own in the sweet dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Rich, golden wines come from grapes affected with noble rot, bringing concentrated aromas and flavors of honey, caramel, and peaches. In Australia, Hunter Valley Semillon is famous for its dry style, unoaked, but bottle aged several years before release. With time, these wines develop a honeyed, waxy, almost custardy  fruit and aromas of marmalade on top of a backbone of acidity.

♦ Viognier – Floral and sumptuous, this apricotty wine is popping up more and more, but best bets are still Southern France, where it originated, and California. In the Northern Rhone, Viognier makes for very elegant wines with lush fruit, ripe citrus and tropical notes with strong floral aromas of honeysuckle, jasmine, and orange blossoms and an almost gingerbread spice. California produces similar styled wines with more fruit, more alcohol, and less earthy minerals.

 

Once you are familiar with the ten common varieties above, here are other less common but still popular white grape varieties to check out…

Aligote, Assyrtiko, Fiano, Grüner Veltliner, Marsanne, Muscadet, Palomino, Pedro-Ximénez, Pino Blanc, Roussane, Torrontés, Verdejo, Verdelho, Vermentino, Viura