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Wine Varietal Basics
The Reds
Wine Varietal Basics
Learning about wine is a lot like work and you are never done learning. Part of what I love is knowing that there is always something new out there that I have never tried before. And, part of what I hate is having a winery representative correct my pronunciation of an Italian grape or French village and realizing that I have been pronouncing it wrong for 10 years. So, if you have ever gone into a wine store and asked for Viognier as {ve-gin-ear} instead of {vee-oh-nay}, here is a reference that should help. I have compiled 30 of the most common grape varieties used to make wine along with pronunciation, a brief description, food pairing suggestions and serving temperatures.
Red Wines
Barbera {bar-bear-uh}
A red wine grape from the Piedmont region of Italy that produces Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba. It is also cultivated in California. Barbera produces a red wine with deep color, a light to medium-body, high acidity, light tannins and good fruit flavor.
Enjoy this wine with lamb, pork, chicken or almost any pasta dish.
Try this at cellar temperature, 58 to 63°F.
Bonarda {bo-nard-uh}
Another obscure grape, that like Malbec, found its true home in Argentina... not to be confused with the Bonarda grown in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is the same grape as Charbono that is cultivated in California. It produces a deep, rich red wine with plenty of tannin and acidity.
Pair it with any food you would normally serve with Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Serve it just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Cabernet Franc {cab-er-nay fraunk}
Produces a full-bodied wine with raspberry flavors and an herbal bouquet that, while softer, can be as full-bodied and intense as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Although used primarily for blending, especially in Bordeaux, it also stands well on its own and is the primary grape in the Chinon wines of the Loire Valley in France.
Pair it with any food you would normally serve with Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Serve it just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Cabernet Sauvignon {cab-er-nay saw-vin-yahn}
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most famous of all red wine grapes. It produces medium to full-bodied, dry, deeply colored, tannic red wine, possessing flavors of black fruits and aromas of cedar. Cabernet is the basis for the great red wines of the Bordeaux region of France as well as the Cabernet and Cabernet blends from California and Australia.
Enjoy with beef, game, duck and hearty pasta dishes – big wine for big food.
Cabernet shows best at just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Carménère {car-men-yehr}
The lost grape of Bordeaux, this blending grape was thought to have gone all but extinct during the French Phylloxera epidemic of the 1850s. It was only rediscovered in the 1980s when DNA tasting showed that much of the Merlot planted in Chile was actually Carménère. Now produced as varietal wine in Chile, it produces a wine very similar to Merlot that can often have herbaceous, bell pepper notes if harvested too early. Good Carménère can be amazing, but be careful, there is a lot of bell pepper out there.
Enjoy with red meats, game dishes, pork or rabbit.
Shows best at just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Gamay {ga-may}
Used to produce the famous wines of Beaujolais, Gamay produces a light, brightly-colored red wine with abundant fruit flavors. It is usually best drunk young. (A Wine Guy Note: Beaujolais Nouveau is usually Gamay at its worst. Look for the Cru Beaujolais like Brouilly, Fluerie or Moulin-à-Vent for a good Gamay experience.)
Gamay pairs with all the same foods as Pinot Noir. Think of it as an alternative when the food says white and your head says red.
Gamay is best served at or slightly below cellar temperature, 56 to 62°F.
Grenache {gruh-nash}
Produces a red wine which is rich in spicy fruit flavors, full-bodied, lightly colored and low in tannin. Grenache is most often thought of as a blending grape and is a major component of most wines in the southern Rhône Valley of France and is also widely cultivated in Spain. It also can produce a short-lived, but very pleasant pure varietal.
Enjoy this wine with lamb, pork, chicken, cassoulet or almost any French country fare. I think that it, along with the Rhône style blends, for which it provides a base, is just about the perfect Thanksgiving wine.
Try this at cellar temperature, 58 to 63°F.
Malbec {mahl-bec}
A little-used blending grape from Bordeaux that found its true home in the warmer climate of Argentina where it produces big, inky, full-bodied reds. Also the primary grape in the blended wines of Cahors, a tiny growing region in south central France.
Big wine that needs big food, think grilled beef, BBQ or even pizza.
Shows best at just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Merlot {mer-low}
The Merlot grape produces a luscious medium-bodied red wine with a soft texture and rich fruity flavors that are approachable at a much younger age than Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot grapes are often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften the wine and make it more drinkable at an earlier age. Merlot styles vary based upon ripeness and the use of oak. California Merlots tend to be bigger-bodied and higher alcohol (13.5% to 15%) that makes for easy, stand-alone sipping. Look for lower alcohol (12.5% to 13.5%) contents and medium-body to pair with food.
Enjoy with red meats, game dishes, pork or rabbit.
Merlot shows best at just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Mourvèdre {moor-veh-druh}
Produces a wine with flavors of plum and black currants with a spicy herbal taste. It can produce wines anywhere from big and tannic to rich and plush. It is a principle component of the wines of Bandol in France, where it is used as a blending grape in the Rhône Valley. It is also grown in California, Australia and Spain where it is know as Monastrell.
Like Grenache, enjoy this wine with lamb, pork, chicken, cassoulet or almost any French country fare.
Try this at cellar temperature, 58 to 63°F.
Nebbiolo {neh-beey-oh-loh}
The great black grape from Northern Italy. Nebbiolo is used to produce the long-lived Barolo and Barbaresco wines in Piedmont. Known for its flavors of chocolate and licorice, along with a floral bouquet, this grape produces some of Italy's best red wines. It is also now being cultivated in California.
This is excellent food wine; enjoy it with beef, pork, veal, chicken or pasta.
Barolos and Barbarescos are best served just slightly above cellar temperature, 62 to 66°F.
Petite Sirah {peh-teet sih-rah}
Produces a dark, fruity, full bodied, red wine. This grape is grown primarily in warm weather regions, particularly in California. Full-bodied with firm tannins, Petite Sirah can be a very long-lived wine.
Hearty wine for hearty food, serve it with beef, pork, duck, game, pizza or with any spicy cuisines like Thai or Indian.
Serve just-above cellar temperature, at 62 to 67°F.
Petite Verdot {peh-teet vehr-doh}
A slow ripening blending grape from Bordeaux known for its deep color, tannin and floral aromas that it brings to the blend. It is now being bottled as a varietal in the new world, where it ripens more reliably.
Serve this with almost anything you would serve with Merlot or Cabernet.
Serve just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Pinot Noir {pee-noh nwahr}
Pinot Noir is one of the world's great grapes. In France, Pinot Noir is used to produce what the world knows as Burgundy. It produces a delicious light to medium-bodied dry red wine, filled with complex flavors of fruit and spice. A cooler weather grape, Pinot Noir is the most difficult of all grapes to cultivate and with which to produce wine. The best domestic Pinot Noirs are made in Oregon and California's Central Coast, Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley.
Enjoy with lamb, turkey, pork and pasta with cream sauces. I think of it as the best alternative when the food says white and your head says red. Try it with grilled salmon!
Pinot Noir is best served at cellar temperature, 58 to 63°F.
Sangiovese {san-joh-vay-zeh)
Sangiovese is the most widely planted red grape of Tuscany in Italy, and the primary component of Chianti. Sangiovese is now being successfully grown in California and produces a versatile, fruity, medium-bodied, dry red wine. Italian Chianti and Sangiovese tend to be higher in acidity, making them good food wines, but a little astringent for just sipping. California Sangiovese tends to be riper and less acidic.
This is the ultimate food wine; enjoy it with beef, pork, veal, chicken, pasta or anything Italian!
Sangiovese is best served just above cellar temperature, 65 to 68°F.
Syrah / Shiraz {sih-rah} / {sheer-az}
Syrah is the great black grape of the Rhône region of France where it is a primary component in the wines of Northern Rhône Valley. Syrah produces a rich, deeply fruity, full-bodied, dry red wine of great complexity. It is known as Syrah in California and Shiraz in Australia.
Because of its full-body and soft tannins, Shiraz makes a great stand-alone wine or enjoy it with hearty dishes; beef, pork, duck, game, pizza or BBQ! Also makes a good accompaniment for spicy cuisines like Thai or Indian.
Syrah is best at just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Tempranillo {temp-pra-nee-yo}
The great grape of Rioja, Tempranillo is the most widely cultivated grape in Spain. It produces a deeply colored wine with firm tannins and plenty of aging potential. It is now being cultivated in California, Australia and South America.
Generally a wine that demands food, it is very versatile pairing well with anything from tapas to roast meats.
Serve just above cellar temperature at 62 to 67°F.
Zinfandel {zin-fun-dell}
Zinfandel is used to produce the only wine considered truly American. DNA tests have now shown it to be the same as the southern Italian grape, Primitivo. Zinfandel produces a big, jammy, spicy and complex red wine with a full body and soft finish. Zinfandel can produce anything from a dry, claret-style to dense, chewy, high-alcohol reds.
A nice stand-alone "glass on the deck" kind of red. Big wine for big food or enjoy with pizza, red meats, BBQ or pasta with red sauce.
Zinfandel is best at just above cellar temperature, at 62 to 67°F.
March 1, 2017
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