Grape Varieties

Guides to the grapes behind the wines you buy: where Malbec, Merlot, Grenache, Syrah, Riesling and other varieties come from, how they taste and what to pair them with.

Grape Varieties

Chardonnay: Oaked vs Unoaked, Regions and Food Pairings

Chardonnay can be crisp and mineral or rich and buttery. Here is why, how oak and malolactic fermentation change it, where it grows and what to pair.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Mencía: Spain's Fresh Red Grape, Taste and Regions

Mencía is a fresh, floral red grape from northwest Spain, the star of Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra, and known as Jaen in Portugal. Taste, regions, labels and food.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Aglianico: Southern Italy's Great Red, Taurasi and Vulture

Aglianico is southern Italy's great tannic red, from Taurasi in Campania and Monte Vulture in Basilicata. Here is how it tastes, the rules and the food.

6 min read

Grape Varieties

Cabernet vs Merlot: Taste, Bordeaux, Food and Price

Cabernet Sauvignon is firmer, with black currant and cedar; Merlot is softer, with cherry, plum and chocolate. How they differ, blend and compare on price.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Chardonnay vs Sauvignon Blanc: Body, Oak, Taste, Food

Chardonnay is fuller and often oaked or buttery; Sauvignon Blanc is lighter and zesty, with grapefruit and cut grass. Here is how to choose between them.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Malbec vs Merlot: Taste, Body, Regions and Food

Malbec and Merlot are related, dry, fruity reds. Malbec is darker and fuller with plum and blackberry; Merlot is rounder, with cherry and chocolate.

6 min read

Grape Varieties

Muscadet: The Loire's Bone-Dry White, Sur Lie Explained

Muscadet is a bone-dry white from Melon de Bourgogne grapes near Nantes. Learn what sur lie means, the seven crus and why it is made for oysters.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Pinot Grigio: Taste, Regions and Pinot Grigio vs Pinot Gris

Pinot Grigio is a light, crisp, dry white from Italy, and the same grape as French Pinot Gris. Here is how the styles differ, where it grows and what to pair.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Pinot Noir vs Cabernet Sauvignon: Taste, Body, Food

Pinot Noir is light, silky and red-fruited; Cabernet Sauvignon is full, tannic and dark. Here is how they differ in the vineyard, the glass and at the table.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Sauvignon Blanc: Taste, Regions and Food Pairings

Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, dry white with citrus, passion fruit and green, grassy notes. Here is how it tastes, where it grows and what to eat with it.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Sauvignon Blanc vs Pinot Grigio: Taste, Regions, Food

Both are light, dry whites. Sauvignon Blanc is sharper and more aromatic, with grapefruit and cut grass; Pinot Grigio is softer, with lemon, pear and almond.

7 min read

Grape Varieties

Tannat: Madiran's Bold Red and Uruguay's Signature Grape

Tannat is one of the most tannic red grapes: firm and dark in Madiran, France, riper and rounder in Uruguay. Here is how it tastes and what to eat with it.

6 min read