COMMON TYPES OF WINE (THE TOP VARIETIES)

Types of Wine Grapes

Wine is made with grapes, but not typical table grapes youll find at the grocery. Wine grapes
(latin name: Vitis vinifera) have thick skins, are small, sweet, and contain seeds. There are many
different kinds of wine grapesover a thousand,but here are a few of the most-commonly
planted varieties around the world.

Single-Variety Wines and Wine Blends

A wine made with one type of grape is a single-variety wine or, varietal wine. A wine made with
several different grapes is a blend. Even single-variety wines are not always varietally labeled
though. In Europe, wines are traditionally named after the place they originated. For example,
a Bordeaux Blend is a blend of several grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and
comes from Bordeaux, France. Another familiar example is Chianti (key-aunt-tee),
a Sangiovese-based blend from Tuscany, Italy.

TIP: The term vintage refers to the year the grapes were grown. Non-Vintage (NV) wines are
a blend of several vintages.

Common Types of Wine

The 8 wines included in this article represent 6 of the 9 styles of wine. Trying all 8 wines will
give you a good example of the potential range of flavors found in all wine. Each wine listed
below also includes alternative varieties that taste similar. So, if you prefer a particular wine, you
might also like its alternatives. Try them side-by-side to learn your preferences!

Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab-er-nay Saw-vin-yawn)

Taste: Black Cherry, Black Currant, Baking Spices and Cedar (from oak)
Style: Full-bodied Red Wine
Description: Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied red grape first heavily planted in the
Bordeaux region. Today, its the most popular wine variety in the world. Wines are full-bodied
with bold tannins and a long persistent finish driven mostly by the higher levels of alcohol and
tannin that often accompany these wines.
Food Pairing: lamb, beef, smoked meats, French, American, firm cheeses like aged cheddar
and hard cheeses like Pecorino

1
 Cabernet Sauvignon Alternatives

Merlot: Middle weight, lower in tannins (smoother), with a more red-fruited flavor
profile

Cabernet Franc: Light to middle weight, with higher acid and more savory flavors, one
of Cabernet Sauvignons parent grapes.

Carmnre: Usually from Chile, very similar to Merlot in body, but with the aggressive
savory flavors of Cabernet Franc

Bordeaux Blend, A.K.A. Meritage: Usually dominant to Cabernet Sauvignon or

Merlot, but also includes any of the other Bordeaux varieties

Sangiovese: The noble grape of Tuscany. Similar in body, acid, and tannin to Cabernet
Sauvignon, but more red-fruited and elegant

Syrah (Sear-ah (aka Shiraz)

Taste: Blueberry, plum, tobacco, meat, black pepper, violet
Style: Full-bodied Red Wine
Description: Syrah (a.k.a. Shiraz) is a full-bodied red wine thats heavily planted in the Rhne
Valley in France and Australia. The wines have intense fruit flavors and middleweight tannins.
Syrah is commonly blended with Grenache and Mourvdre to create the red Rhne blend. The
wine often has an aggressively meaty (beef broth, jerky) quality.
Food Pairing: lamb, beef, smoked meats; Mediterranean, French, and American firm cheeses
like white cheddar, and hard cheeses like Manchego

Syrah Alternatives

Malbec: (Argentina) More black-fruited, often with more aggressive oak usage, less
meaty, but with more coffee and chocolate flavors

Petit Sirah: (United States) This grape has no genetic relation to Syrah, but has even
more aggressive tannin, acid, and fuller body

2
 Monastrell (aka Mourvdre): More broad texture, with similar meaty notes, but more
of a mixture of red and black fruits

Pinotage: (South Africa) Similar in terms of body, with even more intense, Smokey
notes.

Zinfandel (Zin-fan-dell)
Taste: A broad, exotic array of fruits from stone (overripe nectarine), to red (raspberry, sour
cherry), to blue (plum, blueberry), to black (blackberry, boysenberry), Asian 5 Spice Powder,
Sweet Tobacco
Style: Medium-bodied to full-bodied Red Wine
Description: Zinfandel (aka Primitivo) is a medium-bodied red wine that originated in Croatia.
Wines are fruit-forward and spicy with a medium length finish. Zinfandel is a red grape that may
be better known as the ros wine White Zinfandel.
Food Pairing: chicken, pork, cured meat, lamb, beef, barbecue, Italian, American, Chinese,
Thai, Indian, full-flavored like cheddar and firm cheeses such as Manchego

Zinfandel Alternatives

Grenache (aka Garnacha): More middle-weight and red-fruited flavors, with the meaty
and peppery qualities you get with Syrah

Tempranillo: (Spain) More red and black fruit flavors, as well as lower alcohol and body

Rhne Blend: a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvdre originally from Rhne Valley
of France, very similar, but not as fruity

Carignan: Not quite as exotic in terms of fruit, but adds a lot of savory, dried herbal
flavors

Pinot Noir (Pee-no Nwar)

Taste: Very red fruited (cherry, cranberry) and red-floral (rose), often with appealing vegetal
notes of beet, rhubarb, or mushroom
Style: Lighter-bodied Red Wine with higher acid and soft tannin

3
 Description: Pinot Noir is a dry light-bodied first widely planted in France. The wines always
lead with higher acid and soft tannins.
Food Pairing: chicken, pork, veal, duck, cured meat, French, German, cream sauces, soft
cheeses, nutty medium-firm cheeses like Gruyre

Pinot Noir Alternatives

Gamay (aka Beaujolais): (France) Lighter, juicier, more floral, generally less complex

Chardonnay (Shar-dun-nay)
Taste: Yellow citrus (Meyer lemon), yellow pomaceous fruits (yellow pear and apple), and
tropical fruits (banana, pineapple), often cinnamon, butterscotch, and toasted caramel notes
(from oak)
Style: Medium to full-bodied white wine
Description: Chardonnay is a dry full-bodied white wine that was planted in large quantities for
the first time in France. When oak-aged, Chardonnay will have spicy, bourbon-y notes. Unoaked
wines are lighter and zesty with apple and citrus flavors. Chardonnay is the white grape of
Burgundy.
Food Pairing: lobster, crab, shrimp, chicken, pork, mushroom, French, cream sauces, soft
cheeses such as triple cream brie, medium-firm cheeses like Gruyre

Chardonnay Alternatives

Smillon: More middle weight, although often with oak as well, more citrus-driven and
herbal aromatics

Viognier: Richer in body, with lots of perfumed, floral-driven aromatics, often oaked as
well

Sauvignon Blanc (Saw-vin-yawn Blonk)

Taste: Aggressively-citrus-driven (grapefruit pith), with some exotic fruits (honeydew melon,
passion fruit, kiwi) and always an herbaceous quality (grass, mint, green pepper)
Style: Light-bodied to medium-bodied white wine
Description: Sauvignon Blanc is a dry white grape first widely planted in France. Wines are
tart, typically with herbal green fruit flavors. Sauvignon Blanc is a parent grape of Cabernet
Sauvignon.

4
 Food Pairing: fish, chicken, pork, veal, Mexican, Vietnamese, French, herb-crusted goat
cheese, nutty cheeses such as Gruyre

Sauvignon Blanc Alternatives

Vermentino: from Italy is less herbacious, but with more appealing, bitter flavors (bitter
almond)

Verdejo: from Spain is almost identical, although sometimes fuller in body

Grner Veltliner: from Austria has more savory vegetable notes (arugula, turnip, white
pepper)

Pinot Gris (Pee-no Gree (aka Pinot Grigio)

Taste: Delicate citrus (lime water, orange zest) and pomaceous fruits (apple skin, pear sauce),
white floral notes, and cheese rind (from lees usage)
Style: Light-bodied White Wine
Description: Pinot Gris is a dry light-bodied white grape that is planted heavily in Italy, but also
in France and Germany. Wines are light to middle-weight and easy drinking, often with some
bitter flavor on the palate (bitter almond, quinine)
Food Pairing: Salad, delicate poached fish, light and mild cheeses

Pinot Gris Alternatives

Albario: from Spain is similar, but has more acid and more citrus-driven aromatics
(tangerine, orange juice) and floral aromatics
Soave: The grape is Garganega, but often more bruised and oxidized apple-y character,
still relatively bitter
Muscadet: The grape is Melon de Bourgogne, and the wine is from France. Its much
higher in acid, but still with heavy lees use and relatively neutral flavor

Riesling (Reese-ling)
Taste: Citrus (kefir lime, lemon juice) and stone-fruit (white peach, nectarine) always feature
prominently, although there are also usually floral and sweet herbal elements as well
Style: Floral and fruit-driven aromatic white that comes in variable sweetness. Some producers
choose not to ferment all the grape sugar and therefore make the wine in an off-dry style.

5
 Description: Always very high in acid, when made as a table wine Rieslings can be
harmoniously sweet (sweet and sour) or dry (very acidic). The wine is polarizing because some
people find dry styles too acidic and sweet styles too cloying, but sweetness is always a wine
making decision and not inherent to the grape.
Food Pairing: chicken, pork, duck, turkey, cured meat, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Moroccan,
German, washed-rind cheeses and fondue

Riesling Alternatives

Muscat Blanc (aka Moscato): Less acidic with a much more aggressively floral flavor
profile

Gewrztraminer: richer, with less acid and more broad texture, rose candy and lychee
are typical aromatics

Torronts: Related to Moscato, but always in a dry style, more full-bodied and bitter

Chenin Blanc: Also very acidic and made in sweet and dry styles, but much more savory
with more apple-y, savory aromatics