Famous Grape Varieties

Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the world’s most popular grape type, owing mainly to its ability to reflect a gamut of flavours and styles. One can find anything from an acidic light-bodied Chardonnay with mineral notes from Chablis (the birthplace of Chardonnay) to a heavily oaked, full-mouthed Chardonnay with tropical fruit aromas from the New World. Chardonnay is also one of the three grape types (along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) that make up champagne. Champagne can also be made exclusively of Chardonnay, and is called a Blanc de Blanc. The tendency to mass market Chardonnay these days has resulted in a decline in its popularity.

Chenin Blanc
India’s most beloved white wine grape was born in the Loire valley in France. Owing to its high acidity and susceptibility to botrytis, this grape variety can be made in a variety of styles, from the very dry to the very sweet. Expect the drier variety to have floral and fruity aromas (apple and pear) noticeable on the nose. Botrytized (late harvest) Chenin Blancs are more honeyed on both nose and palate. Beyond the Loire Valley, Chenin Blanc is generally treated as an inferior grape type, with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc vastly preferred to it.

Gewürztraminer
Pronounced guh-VURTS-trah-MEE-ner, this deep-coloured wine is very popular with novices, who love its extremely heady aromas of lychee, rose petal, cinnamon and ginger. Gewürztraminers are considered too strong a wine to be paired with food (even spicy food), and do not age well either. Gewürztraminers from Alsace are particularly noteworthy, though California and Oregon also produce it wonderfully well.

Riesling
Riesling languished in the doldrums of neglect until quite recently, but its distinctive characteristics have now earned it a cult following that is now rapidly growing in size. It is hlghly aromatic, with notes of nuts, lemons, apples and peaches in its youth to heady notes of petrol and toast in its prime. When botrytized, fragrances of honey and flowers abound. The Riesling doesn’t travel well beyond the borders of Germany, where the cool climate and the slaty slopes of the Mosel Valley produce Rieslings worth waiting for. Most aficionados do end up waiting for them, as Rieslings age extremely well in the bottle, often maturing several decades later (in tandem with some Bordeaux Growths).

Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc typically polarises wine lovers into groups who either love it or hate it. In France, it is traditionally associated with the minerality and flinty notes of the Eastern Loire Valley or as a blending partner with Semillon and Muscadelle in white Bordeaux wines. In the New World, New Zealand has encouraged Sauvignon Blanc to bring forth aromas of green grass, asparagus and tropical fruit (guava and passion fruit). Despite its crisp acidity, Sauvignon Blancs don’t age well, and need to be drunk young.