Barbera (Red) [bar-BEHR-uh]
Most successful in Italy's Piedmont region, where it makes such wines as Barbera d'Asti, Barbera di Monferato and Barbera di Alba. Its wines are characterized by a high level of acidity (meaning brightness and crispness), deep ruby color and full body, with low tannin levels; flavors are berrylike. However, plantings have declined sharply in the United States. A few wineries still produce it as a varietal wine, but those numbers too are dwindling. Its main attribute as a blending wine is its ability to maintain a naturally high acidity even in hot climates. The wine has more potential than is currently realized and may stage a modest comeback as Italian-style wines gain popularity.

Brunello (Red) [broo-NEHL-oh]
This strain of Sangiovese is the only grape permitted for Brunello di Montalcino, the rare, costly Tuscan red that at its best is loaded with luscious black and red fruits and chewy tannins.

Cabernet Franc (Red) [cab-er-NAY FRANK]
Increasingly popular as both stand-alone varietal and blending grape, Cabernet Franc is used primarily for blending in Bordeaux, although it can rise to great heights in quality, as seen in the grand wine Cheval-Blanc. In France's Loire Valley it's also made into a lighter wine called Chinon. It is well established in Italy, particularly the northeast, where it is sometimes called Cabernet Frank or Bordo. California has grown it for more than 30 years, and Argentina, Long Island, Washington state and New Zealand are picking it up.

As a varietal wine, it usually benefits from small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and can be as intense and full-bodied as either of those wines. But it often strays away from currant and berry notes into stalky green flavors that become more pronounced with age. Given its newness in the United States, Cabernet Franc may just need time to get more attention and rise in quality.

Much blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, it may be a Cabernet Sauvignon mutation adapted to cooler, damper conditions. Typically light- to medium-bodied wine with more immediate fruit than Cabernet Sauvignon and some of the herbaceous odors evident in unripe Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon (Red) [cab-er-NAY SO-vin-yon]
An internationally planted black grape, increasing in popularity in small increments. Long-lasting wine with fine results. Frequently blended with a wide range of other varieties.

Along with Chardonnay, it is one of the most widely-planted of the world's grape varieties. The principal grape in many Bordeaux wines, it is grown in most of the world's wine regions, although it requires a long growing season to ripen properly and gives low yields. Many of the red wines regarded as among the world's greatest, such as Red Bordeaux, are predominantly made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. World-class examples can improve for decades, and remain drinkable for a century.

Elsewhere in the world—and it is found almost everywhere in the world—Cabernet Sauvignon is as likely to be bottled on its own as in a blend. It mixes with Sangiovese in Tuscany, Syrah in Australia and Provence, and Merlot and Cabernet Franc in South Africa, but flies solo in some of Italy's super-Tuscans. In the United States., it's unlikely any region will surpass Napa Valley's high-quality Cabernets and Cabernet blends. Through most of the grape's history in California (which dates to the 1800s), the best Cabernets have been 100 percent Cabernet. Since the late 1970s, many vintners have turned to the Bordeaux model and blended smaller portions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot into their Cabernets. The case for blending is still under review, but clearly there are successes. On the other hand, many U.S. producers are shifting back to higher percentages of Cabernet, having found that blending doesn't add complexity and that Cabernet on its own has a stronger character.

Carignan (Red) [karin-YAN]
Also known as Carignane (California), Cirnano (Italy). Once a major blending grape for jug wines, Carignan's popularity has diminished, and plantings have dropped from 25,111 acres in 1980 to 8,883 in 1994. It still appears in some blends, and old vineyards are sought after for the intensity of their grapes. But the likelihood is that other grapes with even more intensity and flavor will replace it in the future.

Carmenere (Red) [car-men-YEHR]
Also known as Grande Vidure, this grape was once widely planted in Bordeaux, but is now associated primarily with Chile. Carmenere, along with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, was imported to Chile around 1850. According to Chilean vintners, Carmenere has been mislabeled for so long that many growers and the Chilean government now consider it Merlot

Charbono (Red) [SHAR-bono]
Found mainly in California (and possibly actually Dolcetto), this grape has dwindled in acreage. Its stature as a wine was supported mainly by Inglenook-Napa Valley, which bottled a Charbono on a regular basis. Occasionally it made for interesting drinking and it aged well. But more often it was lean and tannic, a better story than bottle of wine. A few wineries still produce it, but none with any success.

Chardonnay (White) [shar-dun-NAY]
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make a white varietal wine. Also used in blends, Chardonnay is often heavily wooded which affects the quality and price.

Part of the attraction of Chardonnay, for wine makers and lovers alike, is its versatility. In the U.S., it is often made using full malolactic fermentation to soften the acidity and some oak handling. Without oak, Chardonnay generally produces a soft wine, often with fruity flavors. When aged with oak, Chardonnay can acquire a smokey, vanilla, caramel, and butter aroma. The origin of the oak - either French or American - will affect the final flavor, along with the degree to which any oak barrels were toasted. For budget wines, the oak is added as staves or even chips to stainless steel containers, which is cheaper than oak barrels.

When well made, Chardonnay offers bold, ripe, rich and intense fruit flavors of apple, fig, melon, pear, peach, pineapple, lemon and grapefruit, along with spice, honey, butter, butterscotch and hazelnut flavors. Winemakers build more complexity into this easy-to-manipulate wine using common vinification techniques: barrel fermentation, sur lie aging during which the wine is left on its natural sediment, and malolactic fermentation (a process which converts tart malic acid to softer lactic acid). No other white table wine benefits as much from oak aging or barrel fermentation. Chardonnay grapes have a fairly neutral flavor, and because they are usually crushed or pressed and not fermented with their skins the way red wines are, whatever flavors emerge from the grape are extracted almost instantly after crushing. Red wines that soak with their skins for days or weeks through fermentation extract their flavors quite differently.

Because Chardonnay is also a prolific producer that can easily yield 4 to 5 tons of high-quality grapes per acre, it is a cash cow for producers in every country where it's grown. Many American and Australian Chardonnays are very showy, well oaked and appealing on release, but they lack the richness, depth and concentration to age and have in fact evolved rather quickly, often losing their intensity and concentration within a year or two. Many vintners, having studied and recognized this, are now sharply reducing crop yields, holding tonnage down to 2 to 3 tons per acre in the belief that this will lead to greater concentration. The only downside to this strategy is that lower crop loads lead to significantly less wine to sell, therefore higher prices as well.

Chardonnay's popularity has also led to a huge market of ordinary wines, so there's a broad range of quality to choose from in this varietal. There are a substantial number of domestic Chardonnays, which can range from simple and off-dry to more complex and sophisticated. The producer's name on the wine, and often its price, are indicators of the level of quality.

Chenin Blanc (White) [SHEN'N BLAHNK]
This native of the Loire valley has two personalities: at home it's the basis of such famous, long-lived whites as Vouvray and Anjou, Quarts de Chaume and Saumer, but on other soils it becomes just a very good blending grape. It is South Africa's most-planted grape, though there is called Steen, and both there and in California it is currently used primarily as a blending grape for generic table wines. Chenin Blanc should perform better in California, and someday it may. It can yield a pleasant enough wine, with subtle melon, peach, spice and citrus notes. The great Loire whites vary from dry and fresh to sweet, depending on the vintage and the producer. In South Africa, Chenin Blanc is even used for fortified wines and spirits.

Dolcetto (Red) [dole-CHET-to]
Almost exclusive to northwest Piedmont, this produces soft, round, fruity wines fragrant with licorice and almonds that should be drunk within about three years. It's used as a safety net for producers of Nebbiolo and Barbera wines, which take much longer to age. There are seven DOCs: Acqui, Alba, Asti, Dinao d'Alba, Dogliani, Langhe Monregalesi and Ovada.

Fume Blanc (White) [FOO-may BLAHNK]
see Sauvignon Blanc below

Gamay (Red) [ga-MAY]
Beaujolais makes its famous, fruity reds exclusively from one of the many Gamays available, the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. Low in alcohol and relatively high in acidity, the wines are meant to be drunk soon after bottling; the ultimate example of this is Beaujolais Nouveau, whipped onto shelves everywhere almost overnight. It is also grown in the Loire, but makes no remarkable wines. The Swiss grow it widely, for blending with Pinot Noir; they often chaptalize the wines.

California, meanwhile, grows a variety called Gamay Beaujolais, a high-yield clone of Pinot Noir that makes undistinguished wines in most places where it's grown. In the United States the grape is used primarily for blending, and acreage is declining, as those serious about Pinot Noir are using superior clones and planting in cooler areas.

Gewürztraminer (White) [geh-VERTS-trah-mee-ner]
Gewürztraminer can yield magnificent wines, as is best demonstrated in Alsace, France, where it is made in to a variety of styles from dry to off-dry to sweet. The grape needs a cool climate that allows it to get ripe. It's a temperamental grape to grow and vinify, as its potent spiciness can be overbearing when unchecked. At its best, it produces a floral and refreshing wine with crisp acidity that pairs well with spicy dishes. When left for late harvest, it's uncommonly rich and complex, a tremendous dessert wine.

It is also popular in eastern Europe, New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest.

Grenache (Red) [greh-NAHSH]
Drought- and heat-resistant, it yields a fruity, spicy, medium-bodied wine with supple tannins. The second most widely planted grape in the world, Grenache is widespread in the southern Rhône. It is blended to produce Châteauneuf-du-Pape (although there are some pure varietals) and used on its own for the rosès of Tavel and Lirac; it is also used in France's sweet Banyuls wine. Important in Spain, where it's known as Garnacha Tinta, it is especially noteworthy in Rioja and Priorato. Grenache used to be popular in Australia, but has now been surpassed by Syrah; a few Barossa Valley producers are making wines similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In California it's a workhorse blending grape, though occasionally an old vineyard is found and its grapes made into a varietal wine, which at its best can be good. It may make a comeback as enthusiasts of Rhône style seek cooler areas and an appropriate blending grape.

Also,Grenache Blanc, known in Spain as Garnacha Blanca, which is bottled in the Southern Rhône. It's used for blending in France's Rousillon and the Languedoc, and in various Spanish whites, including Rioja.

Grüner Veltliner (White) [GROO-ner VELT-linner]
The most widely planted grape in Austria, it can be found to a lesser extent in some other parts of eastern Europe. It achieves its qualitative pinnacle in the Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal regions along the Danube River west of Vienna. Gruner, as it's called for short, shows distinct white pepper, tobacco, lentil and citrus flavors and aromas, along with high acidity, making it an excellent partner for food. Gruner is singularly unique in its flavor profile, and though it rarely has the finesse and breeding of the best Austrian Rieslings (though it can come close when grown on granite soils), it is similar in body and texture.

Malbec (Red) [MAHL-beck]
Once important in Bordeaux and the Loire in various blends, this not-very-hardy grape has been steadily replaced by Merlot and the two Cabernets. However, Argentina is markedly successful with this varietal. In the United States Malbec is a blending grape only, and an insignificant one at that, but a few wineries use it, the most obvious reason being that it's considered part of the Bordeaux-blend recipe.

Marsanne (White) [mahr-SANN]
Popular in the Rhône (along with Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier). Australia, especially in Victoria, has some of the world's oldest vineyards. At its best, Marsanne can be a full-bodied, moderately intense wine with spice, pear and citrus notes.

Merlot (Red) [mur-LO]
Merlot is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. Merlot-based wines usually have medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot an ideal grape to blend with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. This flexibility has helped to make it one of the most popular red wine varietals in the United States.

Merlot is produced primarily in France (where it is the third most planted red grape), Italy (where it is the country's 5th most planted grape) and California, Romania and on a lesser scale in Australia, Argentina, Canada's Niagara Peninsula, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, and other parts of the United States such as Washington State and Long Island. It grows in many regions that also grow Cabernet Sauvignon but tends to be cultivated in the cooler portions of those areas. In areas that are too warm, Merlot will ripen too early.

In the traditional Bordeaux blend, Merlot's role is to add body and softness. Despite accounting for 50-60% of overall plantings in Bordeaux, the grape tends to account for an average of 25% of the blends-especially in the Graves and Médoc. However, in the regions of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion it is not unusual for Merlot to comprise the majority of the blend. One of the most famous and rare wines in the world, Château Pétrus, is almost all Merlot.

In Italy, the Merlot grape is often blended with Sangiovese to give the wine a similar softening effect as the Bordeaux blends. The Strada del Merlot is a popular tourist route through Merlot wine countries along the Isonzo river.

In Hungary, Merlot complements Kékfrankos, Kékoportó and Kadarka as a component in Bull's Blood. It is also made into varietal wine known as Egri Médoc Noir which is noted for its balanced acid levels and sweet taste.

Mourvedre (Red) [more-VAY-druh]
As long as the weather is warm, Mourvèdre likes a wide variety of soils. It's popular across the south of France, especially in Provence and the Côtes-du-Rhône, and is often used in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Languedoc makes it as a varietal. Spain uses it in many areas, including Valencia. In the United States it's a minor factor now, pursued by a few wineries that specialize in Rhône-style wines. The wine can be pleasing, with medium-weight, spicy cherry and berry flavors and moderate tannins. It ages well.

Muscat (White) [MUSS-kat]
Known as Muscat, Muscat Blanc and Muscat Canelli, it is marked by strong spice and floral notes and can be used in blending, its primary function in California. Moscato in Italy, Moscatel in Iberia: This grape can turn into anything from the low-alcohol, sweet and frothy Asti Spumante and Muscat de Canelli to bone-dry wines like Muscat d'Alsace. It also produces fortified wine such as Beaumes de Venise.

Nebbiolo (Red) [NEH-bee-oh-low]
The great grape of Northern Italy, which excels there in Barolo and Barbaresco, strong, ageable wines. Mainly unsuccessful elsewhere, Nebbiolo also now has a small foothold in California. So far the wines are light and uncomplicated, bearing no resemblance to the Italian types.

Petite Sirah (Red) [peh-TEET sih-RAH]
Known for its dark hue and firm tannins, Petite Sirah has often been used as a blending wine to provide color and structure, particularly to Zinfandel. On its own, Petite Sirah can also make intense, peppery, ageworthy wines, but few experts consider it as complex as Syrah itself.

There has been much confusion over the years about Petite Sirah's origins. For a long time, the grape was thought to be completely unrelated to Syrah, despite its name. Petite Sirah was believed to actually be Durif, a minor red grape variety first grown in southern France in the late 1800s. However, recent DNA research shows Petite Sirah and Syrah are related after all. A study done at the University of California at Davis determined not only that 90 percent of the Petite Sirah found in California is indeed Durif, but also that Durif is a cross between Peloursin and Syrah.

Just to make things more confusing, in France, growers refer to different variants of Syrah as Petite and Grosse, which has to do with the yield of the vines.

Petit Verdot
Petit verdot is a variety of black grape used in the production of red wine, principally in blends with Cabernet Sauvignon.

The fact that it ripens much later than most of the other varieties of grape means that it cannot successfully be grown in many of the French regions, and is only found in any quantity in the Médoc region of Bordeaux. Its main use is to add aroma, colour, acid and tannin to many of the regions' great red wines by adding quantities of up to 10%. Recently it has been grown in Chile, California, Colorado, Washington, Virginia, Australia, New Zealand, and British Columbia, again being used as a seasoning in cabernet blends. In Australia it is being used increasingly to make varietal wines.

When young its aromas have been likened to banana and pencil shavings. Strong tones of violet and leather develop as it matures. It has good mid palate character which Cabernet Sauvignon lacks, hence Petit verdot's use in many Cabernet Sauvignon blends.

Pinot Blanc (White) [PEE-no BLAHNK]
Often referred to as a poor man's Chardonnay because of its similar flavor and texture profile, Pinot Blanc is used in Champagne, Burgundy, Alsace, Germany, Italy and California and can make a terrific wine. When well made, it is intense, concentrated and complex, with ripe pear, spice, citrus and honey notes. Can age, but is best early on while its fruit shines through.

Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio (White) [PEE-no GREE or GREE-zho]
Known as Pinot Grigio in Italy, where it is mainly found in the northeast, producing quite a lot of undistinguished dry white wine and Collio's excellent whites. As Pinot Gris, it used to be grown in Burgundy and the Loire, though it has been supplanted, but it comes into its own in Alsace—where it's known as Tokay. Southern Germany plants it as Ruländer. When good, this varietal is soft, gently perfumed and has more color than most whites.

Pinot Noir (Red) [PEE-no NWA]
A slightly more expensive grape varietal due to its difficulty to succeed and its small production. Usually matured in wood and now producing some excelllent results.

Pinot Noir, the great grape of Burgundy, is a touchy variety. The best examples offer the classic black cherry, spice, raspberry and currant flavors, and an aroma that can resemble wilted roses, along with earth, tar, herb and cola notes. It can also be rather ordinary, light, simple, herbal, vegetal and occasionally weedy. It can even be downright funky, with pungent barnyard aromas. In fact, Pinot Noir is the most fickle of all grapes to grow: It reacts strongly to environmental changes such as heat and cold spells, and is notoriously fussy to work with once picked, since its thin skins are easily bruised and broken, setting the juice free. Even after fermentation, Pinot Noir can hide its weaknesses and strengths, making it a most difficult wine to evaluate out of barrel. In the bottle, too, it is often a chameleon, showing poorly one day, brilliantly the next.

The emphasis on cooler climates coincides with more rigorous clonal selection, eliminating those clones suited for sparkling wine, which have even thinner skins. These days there is also a greater understanding of and appreciation for different styles of Pinot Noir wine, even if there is less agreement about those styles—should it be rich, concentrated and loaded with flavor, or a wine of elegance, finesse and delicacy? Or can it, in classic Pinot Noir sense, be both? Even varietal character remains subject to debate. Pinot Noir can certainly be tannic, especially when it is fermented with some of its stems, a practice that many vintners around the world believe contributes to the wine's backbone and longevity. Pinot Noir can also be long-lived, but predicting with any precision which wines or vintages will age is often the ultimate challenge in forecasting.

Pinot Noir is the classic grape of Burgundy and also of Champagne, where it is pressed immediately after picking in order to yield white juice. It is just about the only red grown in Alsace. In California, it excelled in the late 1980s and early 1990s and seems poised for further progress. Once producers stopped vinifying it as if it were Cabernet, planted vineyards in cooler climates and paid closer attention to tonnage, quality increased substantially. It's fair to say that California and Oregon have a legitimate claim to producing world-class Pinot Noir.

Pinotage
A cross between pinot and cinsaut ('hermitage'). Made in a range of styles from fruity to well-oaked. Pinotage is a controversial grape variety that was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, a professor at Stellenbosch University but not used commercially until 1959. Perold was attempting to combine the best qualities of Pinot Noir, a grape that can be difficult to grow but with excellent wine-making properties, with the Cinsault, which is very prolific and sturdy. For over forty years after its introduction (when it was very poorly received by a team of visiting British Masters of Wine - who said it was reminiscent of "rusty nails" and described the nose as "hot and horrible", "reeking of nail varnish" and "acetone") - Pinotage was relatively unknown outside South Africa. However, after the apartheid system fell, international boycotts were lifted, and Pinotage began to spread commercially. Although it is still best known in South Africa, it is now also grown in New Zealand where there are 94 hectares, Zimbabwe, Brazil, California, Canada, Israel, and Virginia.

Pinotage is a viticultural cross, not a hybrid. In viticulture, a cross is a cultivar which is the result of crossing two or more cultivars within the same species, while a hybrid is a cultivar bred from members of different species. Both of Pinotage's ancestors are vitis vinifera.

Pinotage fans, including winemaker Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof Winery, believe that it has a distinctive, refreshing, fruity flavour, with a banana-like taste, earthy tones, and bramble fruit notes. Those who dislike the grape, including many of South Africa's top winemakers, including Andre van Rensburg of the Vergelegen Wine Estate who famously said that "Pinotage is as untenable as child rape", do so with vehemence. The anti-Pinotage brigade accept that good modern examples are far better than the comment by the Masters of Wine would suggest.

Open minded tasters on both sides concede that very good Pinotages have been made, but the critics would contend that this has more to do with the skill of the winemaker than any inherent quality in the grape. The variety can be used for fruity red wines capable of aging, as well as blush, fortified 'port' style, red sparkling and other styles. Pinotage is a required component (30-70%) in a Cape blend.

Riesling (White) [REES-ling]
One of the world's greatest white wine grapes, the Riesling vine's hardy wood makes it extremely resistant to frost. The variety excels in cooler climates, where its tendency to ripen slowly makes it an excellent source for sweet wines made from grapes attacked by the noble rot Botrytis cinerea, which withers the grapes' skin and concentrates their natural sugar levels.

Riesling is best known for producing the wines of Germany's Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Pfalz, Rheinhessen and Rheingau wines, but it also achieves brilliance in Alsace and Austria. While the sweet German Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines, along with Alsace's famed Selection de Grains Nobles, are often celebrated for their high sugar levels and ability to age almost endlessly, they are rare and expensive.

More commonly, Riesling produces dry or just off-dry versions. Its high acidity and distinctive floral, citrus, peach and mineral accents have won dry Riesling many fans. The variety pairs well with food and has an uncanny knack for transmitting the elements of its vineyard source (what the French call terroir).

The wines from Germany's Mosel region are perhaps the purest expression of the grape, offering lime, pie crust, apple, slate and honeysuckle characteristics on a light-bodied and racy frame. Germany's Rheinhessen, Rheingau and Pfalz regions produces wines of similar characteristics, but with increasing body and spice.

In Alsace, Riesling is most often made in a dry style, full-bodied, with a distinct petrol aroma. In Austria, Riesling plays second fiddle to Gruner Veltliner in terms of quantity, but when grown on favored sites it offers wines with great focus and clarity allied to the grape's typically racy frame.

In other regions, Riesling struggles to maintain its share of vineyard plantings, but it can be found (often under synonyms such as White Riesling, Rhine Riesling or Johannisberg Riesling) in California, Oregon, Washington, New York's Finger Lakes region, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America and Canada.

Ruby Cabernet
Ruby Cabernet is a red wine grape created in 1936 by Dr Harold Olmo at UC Davis in California. It is a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan and the intention was to combine Carignan's heat tolerance with Cabernet Sauvignon's quality.

Ruby Cabernet produces a medium bodied red wine with good colour and a pleasant cherry flavour, but has not yet demonstrated it can produce a quality wine.

It is popular with growers because it can withstand high winds and can be planted in areas that other vines cannot.

Sangiovese (Red) [san-geeo-VEHS-eh]
Sangiovese is best known for providing the backbone for many superb Italian red wines from Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, as well as the so-called super-Tuscan blends. Sangiovese is distinctive for its supple texture and medium-to full-bodied spice, raspberry, cherry and anise flavors. When blended with a grape such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese gives the resulting wine a smoother texture and lightens up the tannins.

It is somewhat surprising that Sangiovese wasn't more popular in California given the strong role Italian immigrants have played in the state's winemaking heritage, but now the grape appears to have a bright future in the state, both as a stand-alone varietal wine and for use in blends with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and maybe even Zinfandel. Expect sweeping stylistic changes as winemakers learn more about how the grape performs in different locales as well as how it marries with different grapes. Worth watching.

Sauvignon Blanc (White) [SO-vin-yon BLAHNK]
Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which probably originates from the Bordeaux region of France. It is now planted in much of the world's winelands, producing a crisp, dry, and refreshing white varietal wine.

Depending on climate, its flavours can range from aggressively grassy to sweetly tropical, although perhaps the most memorable descriptor is "cat's pee on a gooseberry bush", which is also the smell of fresh guava fruit. In France, Sauvignon blanc is grown in Bordeaux, (as white Bordeaux and Sauternes) and the Loire Valley (as Pouilly Fumé, Sancerre, and Sauvignon de Touraine). Sauvignon was not considered a great wine until Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé were 'discovered' in Paris in the 1960s.

In the 1990s, wines from New Zealand made the grape quite popular, with less expensive and varietally correct wines, produced by wineries such as Montana, Babich, Hunters and Cloudy Bay Vineyards. Many critics consider the latter to produce the very best Sauvignon Blanc in the entire world. Plantings in California, Australia, Chile, and South Africa are also extensive, and Sauvignon Blanc is steadily increasing in popularity as white wine drinkers seek alternatives to Chardonnay. However, "no other region in the world can match Marlborough, the northeastern corner of New Zealand's South Island, which seems to be the best place in the world to grow Sauvignon blanc grapes" (Taber).

Sauvignon blanc's susceptibility to noble rot makes it ideal for production of luscious sweet wines, reaching its heights in Sauternes, blended with Sémillon.

In California, until the 1970s, it was usually made as a nondescript semi-sweet wine until Robert Mondavi made a dry varietal he named Fumé Blanc, (a reference to Pouilly Fumé), which became so successful that the name Fumé Blanc is now recognised as a legal synonym for Sauvignon blanc in the US.

Canada's Niagara Peninsula makes small quantities of premium quality Sauvignon Blanc that typically preserves high acidity with bright fresh fruit. Leading producers are found in all of the benchlands from the Short Hills Bench to the 20 Mile Bench to the Beamsville Bench to the St. David's Bench.

DNA research has identified Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet Franc as the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sauvignon blanc is enjoyed slightly chilled, with fish or cheese, particularly Chevre. It is also one of the only wines that can pair well with sushi.

Along with Riesling, it was one of the first fine wines to be bottled in screwcap in commercial quantities, especially by New Zealand producers. It is usually drunk young, as it does not particularly benefit from ageing. Dry and sweet white Bordeaux, typically made with Sauvignon blanc as a major component, is the one exception.

Sémillon (White) [SEM-ih-yon]
Barsac, it is often the dominant variety. In such wines, the Sémillon is attacked by the "noble rot" of Botrytis cinerea which consumes the water and thus concentrates the sugar present in the grape pulp.

Sémillon is widely grown in Australia, particularly in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney. There are four styles of Sémillon-based wines made there: a commercial style, often blended with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc; a sweet style, after that of Sauternes; a complex, minerally, early picked style which has great longevity; and, an equally high in quality style which receives oak handling. The latter two styles, pioneered by McWilliam's Mount Pleasant and Tyrrell's, are considered to be unique to Australia.

Sémillon is also finding favour with Australian producers outside of the Hunter Valley in the regions of the Barossa Valley and Margaret River.

Outside of these regions, however, Sémillon is unpopular — often criticised for lack of complexity and intensity. As such, plantings have decreased over the last century.

In the 19th century the grape covered over 90 percent of South Africa's vines (where it was known as Wyndruif – "wine grape"), and Chile's post-war vineyards were made up of over 75 percent Sémillon. Both countries still grow the grape successfully but in vastly reduced quantities.

Syrah or Shiraz (Red) [sih-RAH or shih-RAHZ]
winemaking region. The grape also has many other synonyms that are used in various parts of the world including Antourenein Noir, Balsamina, Candive, Entournerein, Hignin Noir, Marsanne Noir, Schiras, Sirac, Syra, Syrac, Serine, and Sereine.

Shiraz is a grape variety widely used to make a dry red table wine. Shiraz is often vinified on its own, but is also frequently blended with other grape varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier. It is grown in many wine producing regions around the world.

Recently, Australian Shiraz producers have started to add up to 4% Viognier to their Shiraz to add apricot tones to the wine's nose and palette. With such a small percentage added, the producer wasn't obliged to declare the blend on the label. In the past 5 years however, it's becoming increasingly fashionable to label the wine Shiraz Viognier as Viognier gains consumer acceptance in the market place. The practise of blending Viognier with Syrah is actually common for years in the Northern Rhône Valley region of France.[5]

Many premium Shiraz-based wines are at their best after some considerable time aged in a cellar (10-15 years). In Australia, Shiraz is also used to make the unique "sparkling Shiraz", a deep-red sparkling wine which also ages well. There is also a small amount of rosé wine produced from the Syrah grape. Before the popularity of Australian Shiraz wine it was very often used to make port.[6] A number of Australian winemakers also make a full-bodied sparkling dry shiraz, a red bubbly, that contains the complexity and sometimes earthy notes that are normally found in still wine.

Taste:
Wines made from Shiraz are often quite powerfully flavoured and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on the climate and soils where it is grown, as well as other viticultural practices chosen. Aroma characters can range from violets to berries, chocolate, espresso and black pepper. No one aroma can be called "typical" though blackberry and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these "primary" notes are moderated and then supplemented with earthy or savory "tertiary" notes such as leather and truffle. ("Secondary" flavor and aroma notes are those associated with winemakers' practices, such as oak barrel and yeast regimes, and are not typically associated with specific grape varieties.)

Tempranillo (Red) [temp-rah-NEE-yo]
Spain's major contribution to red wine, Tempranillo is indigenous to the country and is rarely grown elsewhere. It is the dominant grape in the red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero, two of Spain's most important wine regions.

In Rioja, Tempranillo is often blended with Garnacha, Mazuelo and a few other minor grapes. When made in a traditional style, Tempranillo can be garnet-hued, with flavors of tea, brown sugar and vanilla. When made in a more modern style, it can display aromas and flavors redolent of plums, tobacco and cassis, along with very dark color and substantial tannins. Whatever the style, Riojas tend to be medium-bodied wines, offering more acidity than tannin.

In Ribera del Duero, wines are also divided along traditional and modern styles, and show similarities to Rioja. The more modern styled Riberas, however, can be quite powerful, offering a density and tannic structure similar to that of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tempranillo is known variously throughout Spain as Cencibel, Tinto del Pais, Tinto Fino, Ull de Llebre and Ojo. It's also grown along the Douro River in Portugal under the monikers Tinta Roriz (used in the making of Port) and Tinta Aragonez.

Trebbiano or Ugni Blanc (White) [treh-bee-AH-no or OO-nee BLAHNK]
This is Trebbiano in Italy andUgni Blancin France. It is tremendously prolific; low in alcohol but high in acidity, it is found in almost any basic white Italian wine. It is so ingrained in Italian winemaking that it is actually a sanctioned ingredient of the blend used for (red) Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Most current Tuscan producers do not add it to their wines, however.

The French, who also often call this grape St.-Émilion, used it for Cognac and Armagnac brandy; Ugni Blanc grapevines outnumbered Chardonnay by five to one in France during the '80s.

Tinta Barocca

 A Portuguese port-making grape which is now used primarily in South Africa. Also used for blending.

Viognier (White) [vee-oh-NYAY]
Viognier is a white wine grape. It was once a fairly common, and then rare white grape grown almost exclusively in the northern Rhône regions of France. Viognier (pronounced vee-own-YAY) has been planted much more extensively around the world since the early 1990s. Both California and Australia now have significant amounts of land devoted to the Viognier grape. There are also notable increases in planting in other states of the United States and in other countries.

In France, Viognier is the single permitted grape variety in the famous appellations of Condrieu and Château Grillet, which are located on the west bank of the Rhône River, about 40 km south of Lyon. The wines of Condrieu are the most famous, and most expensive, Viogniers in the world.

The decline of Viognier in France from its historic peak has much to do with the disastrous introduction of Phylloxera insects from North America into Europe in the mid- and late-1800s, followed by the abandonment of the vineyards due to the chaos of World War I. By 1965, only about 30 acres (120,000 m²) of Viognier vines remained in France, and the variety was nearly extinct. Even as late as the mid-1980s, Viognier in France was endangered. Paralleling the growth of Viognier in the rest of the world, plantings in France have grown dramatically since then.

Viognier grapes can be difficult to grow and low yielding. The variety is not very resistant to disease. Some wine critics feel that the terroir (microclimate) of the regions of France where it traditionally is grown is essential to its best expression in wine. It should neither be picked too early nor too late if wine of the highest quality is to be made. The grape prefers warmer environments and a long growing season, but can grow in cooler areas as well. It is a grape with low acidity; it is sometimes used to soften wines made predominantly with the red Syrah grape (Côte Rôtie from France or The Laughing Magpie from South Australia being two examples), and is blended with other white and red varieties, but it can make outstanding wines by itself. The color and the aroma of the wine suggest a sweet wine but Viognier wines are predominantly dry, although sweet late-harvest dessert wines have been made.

The best quality Viognier wines are well-known for their floral aromas, due to terpenes, which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines. There are also many other powerful flower and fruit aromas which can be perceived in these wines (more than one wine enthusiast has even detected aromas of Froot Loops breakfast cereal in Viognier), depending on where they were grown, the weather conditions and how old the vines were, with vines greater than twenty years old thought to be superior to younger vines. Although some of these wines, especially those from old vines and the late-harvest wines, are suitable for aging, most are intended to be consumed young. Viogniers more than three years old tend to lose much of the floral aromas that make this wine unique. Aging these wines will often yield a very crisp drinking wine which is almost completely flat in the nose.

Weisser Riesling
Confusing to most comsumers, Weisser Riesling is of German origin and is refered to Cape riesling or SA riesling.

Zinfandel (Red) [ZIHN-fan-dell]
The origins of this tremendously versatile and popular grape are not known for certain, although it is thought to have come from Southern Italy as a cousin of Primitivo. It is the most widely planted red grape in California (though Australia has also played around with the grape). Much of it is vinified into white Zinfandel, a blush-colored, slightly sweet wine. Real Zinfandel, the red wine, is the quintessential California wine. It has been used for blending with other grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. It has been made in a claret style, with berry and cherry flavors, mild tannins and pretty oak shadings. It has been made into a full-bodied, ultraripe, intensely flavored and firmly tannic wine designed to age. And it has been made into late-harvest and Port-style wines that feature very ripe, raisiny flavors, alcohol above 15 percent and chewy tannins.

Zinfandel's popularity among consumers fluctuates. In the 1990s Zinfandel is enjoying another groundswell of popularity, as winemakers took renewed interest, focusing on higher-quality vineyards in areas well suited to Zinfandel. Styles aimed more for the mainstream and less for extremes, emphasizing the grape's zesty, spicy pepper, raspberry, cherry, wild berry and plum flavors, and its complex range of tar, earth and leather notes. Zinfandel lends itself to blending.

Zinfandel is a challenging grape to grow: its berry size varies significantly within a bunch, which leads to uneven ripening. Because of that, Zinfandel often needs to hang on the vine longer to ripen as many berries as possible. Closer attention to viticulture and an appreciation for older vines, which tend to produce smaller crops of uniformly higher quality, account for better balanced wines.

—-Excerpted from James Laube's book "California Wine," with some additions by James Molesworth