Wine Grape Varieties

Question 1

What is the term used for grapes capable of producing world class wines that are grown widely around the world

Answer 1

International Grape Varieties

Question 2

What is the number of International grape varieties and what are they?

Answer 2

8 varieties

White Grapes
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Chardonnay 
Riesling 

Red Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon 
Syrah / Shiraz
Merlot
Pinot Noir

Question 3

Origin:
Europe:Germany, Alsace, France, Austria

Outside of Europe: California (cooler parts), Washington State, New York State, Austrialia, New Zealand, and Canada

Preferred Growing Conditions: Does best in cool to cold climates

Body: Ranges from very light when made in a dry style, to think and syrupy when made into a superripe dessert wine

Acidity: Very High

Aging Regime: Stainless Steel

Varietal Characteristics: A Chameleon, translates to the terroir and changes characteristics based on where it is grown

Answer 3

Riesling

Question 4

Aliases: Fumè Blanc (California)

Origin: Disputed, both Bordeaux and the Loire Valley of France claim to be its place of origin

Other Top Producing areas:
New Zealand & California

Growing Conditions: Temperate to Cool Climate

Acidity: Medium to High

Style: Dry

Aging Regime: Either Stainless Steel or Oak, depends on the wine maker. Most French winemakers don’t use Oak, but if used it is a neutral oak

Varietal Characteristics: Grapefruit, tropical fruits, gooseberries, freshly cut green grass, herbs, and cat urine

Answer 4

Sauvignon Blanc

Question 5

Common Aliases: Rülander (Germany / Austria)

Origin: Burgundy, France - no longer grows there (Pinot Gris)

Other style originated in Tre Venezie (NorthEastern Italy - three neighboring regions of Veneto, trentino-Alba Adige , and Friuli-Venezia Giulia)

Frowning Conditions: Temperate to Cool Climates

Body: Light to Medium

Style: Dry

Aging Regime: One type (Pinot Gris)is were usually aged in oak barrels, while the other type (Pinot Grigio) is are usually aged in Stainless Steel

Varietal Characteristics:

• ripe apples, peaches, almond, cream (Pinot Gris)
• green apples, citrus, minerals, and spice (Pinot Grigio)

Facts:

Number 1 imported wine in the United States

Germany, Oregon and California prefer producing the French style of this wine

Answer 5

Pinot Gris (French) / Pinot Grigio (Italian)

“Gray Pinot” in both French and Italian

Question 6

Common Aliases: Morillon (Austria)

Origin: Burgundy, France

Growing Conditions: grown in any condition but the best wines are grown in temperate to cool climates

Body: Medium to Full

Acidity: Low to Medium

Style: Dry

Aging Regime: Almost always aged in Oak

Varietal Characteristics:

Old World: Citrus, Green Apple, Olives, Nuts, Minerals

New World: Pears, Apple Pie, Pineapples, Toffee, Butter, Vanilla, Spice

Facts
Most popular white grape varietal sold in the United States

Only white grape varietal used to make Champagne

Answer 6

Chardonnay

Question 7

Common Aliases:
Spätburgunder (Germany and Austria)

Pinot Nero: (Italy)

Origin: Burgundy, France

Growing Conditions: Temperate to Cool Climates

Body: Light to Medium

Acidity: Medium to High

Pigmentation: Thin

Tannins: Low

Style: Dry

Varietal Characteristics:

French Style:Cranberries, cherries,wet earth, tobacco, leather, smoke, spice, and barnyard

California Style: Fruit Driven and soft hints of earth

Fact
Red Grape used to make Champagne

100% of this grape in champagne is called Blanc de Noir

Has made 100s of different clones and different varietals, some include:
Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris (Grigio), and Pinot Meunier

Answer 7

Pinot Noir

Question 8

Origin: The Rhone Valley, France

Also grown and popular in Australia

Growing Conditions: Warm to Hot Climates

Body: Medium

Acidity: Medium to Low

Pigmentation: medium to thick

Tannins: Moderate

Style:Dry

Varietals:

French Style: Blackberries, Raspberries, jam, leather, black pepper, smoke, and meaty/gamey

Facts
Developed in the warmest region of all the major 8 grape varietals - Mediterranean Climate

Descendent of two French grapes:
Mondeuse Blanche & Dureza

Answer 8

Syrah (France) / Shiraz (Australia)

Question 9

Origin: Bordeaux, France

Climate: Does best in temperate to warm climates

Body: Medium to Full

Acidity: Low

Pigmentation: Thick

Tannins: Moderate to High

Style: Dry

Varietal Characteristics:
France: Blueberries, black cherries, plum, chocolate, spice, cedar, and Vanilla

Fact:
Comes from he French word “Merle” which means blackbird. This references either the Grapes dark color when ripe, or to the propensity of blackbirds picking ripened Merlot grapes when they migrate south for the winter

Best grown on the right bank of Bordeaux

Answer 9

Merlot

Question 10

Origin: Bordeaux, France

Growing Conditions: best grown in temperate to warm climates

Body: Full

Acidity: Low to Medium

Pigmentation:Thick

Tannins: High

Style: Dry

Varietal Characteristics:

French Style: Black Currants, Plum, black cherries, mint, bell pepper, cedar, vanilla, and musty/wet dog

Facts

The most famous important red grape varietal

Parents are Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc

Answer 10

Cabernet Sauvignon

Question 11

Alias: Alvarinho (Portugal)

Origin: Spain

Grows: Northwestern Spain in the region of Rías Baixas

Aged: Stainless Steel

Body: light

Varietal Characteristics: fruit forward

Answer 11

Albariño

Question 12

Origin: Bordeaux, France

• red grape used as a blend usually, rarely plays a leading role in top red wines in Bordeaux and California, but rather is used as a blending grape to add complexity to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines
• one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon
• has a similar body, power, and tannin structure of a light Cabernet Sauvignon
• produces dry red wines reminiscent of dark fruit, green bell pepper, and herbs

Answer 12

Cabernet Franc

Question 13

Alias: Steen (South Africa)

Origin: Loire Valley

• white grape
• High Quality Wines mostly come from Vouvray and Savennières
• Top producing region were wine is grown is South Africa
• is used to produce dry to slightly sweet table wines depending upon the growing Conditions from which the grapes were harvested
• can produce sweet desert wines
• aged in oak (minimum amount of time)
• fruity flavor such as melons, red apples, and tropical fruits

Answer 13

Chenin Blanc

Question 14

Origin: Beaujolais / Burgundy, France

• Also is grown in the Loire Valley, around the city of Tours
• Produces light, fruity red wines that often exhibit floral notes.
• produces a wine call Beaujolais Nouveau, which is a short lived wine, extremely soft and is released once a year to celebrate the French harvest season

Answer 14

Gamay

Question 15

Origin: Northern Italy

Top Places grape is grown: Germany, Alsace, France

• Extremely aromatic
• strong perfumed, spicy flavor profile reminiscent of lychee fruit, rose petals, and white pepper

Style: Dry, slightly sweet table wines, or sweet desert wines

Fact:

The name refers to “spicy” grape German

Answer 15

Gewürztraminer

Question 16

Alias: Garnacha

Origin: Spain

• Other top areas include: Southern Rhone
• usually used as a blend, and is usually blended with Syrah and Mourvèdre
• As a single varietal it is used in Rosè from Tavel and fortified dessert wines of Banyuls - both from Southern France

Body: Medium

Varietal Characteristics: Red Fruit, Strawberry jam

• High Alcohol

Climate: favors warmer climates

-used as a blend usually in Châteauneuf -du-Pape and Côte - du -Rhone

Answer 16

Grenache

Question 17

Alias: Cot & Auxerrois (French)

Origin: France

Most popular today in Argentina, Mendoza to be exact

• Produces deeply, colored, dense, structures red wines with flavors of dark fruits.
• In France it is a minor blending grape in Bordeaux
• Main grape used to produce the dark rich wines of Cahor

Answer 17

Malbec

Question 18

Meaning: Little Fog - refers to the thick fog that forms in many of the vineyards of Piedmont

Origin: Piedmont, Italy

• Main Regions: Barolo and Barbaresco

Varietal Characteristics: Rich and powerful

Acidity: High

Alcohol: High

Tannins: High

Aging: Oak

Answer 18

Nebbiolo

Question 19

Alias:
- Brunello: used in production of Brunello di Montalcino

• Prignolo: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

Meaning: Blood of Jupiter

Origin - Tuscany, Italy

• Main grape used in Chianti and Chianti Classico
• Also the base wine for the Super Tuscans
• Tend to be more acidic than they are tannic
• as a single varietal it will produce light to medium bodied wines

Varietal Characteristics: red fruit flavors, clay and wet earth

• Commonly blended with heavier red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon to make it heartier, rich and more tannic

Answer 19

Sangiovese

Question 20

Alias:

• Tinto de Toro - Rueda, Spain
• Tinto Fino - Ribera del Duero, Spain
• Tinta Roriz - Douro Valley, Portugal

Origin: Spain

Main growing regions: North Spain in Rioja and Ribera del Duero

• Top producing red grape in Spain
• Long Lived, with intense structure

Aging: Oak

Varietal: Cherries, leather, and earth

• Blended usually with Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon
• Used in Portugal as a component for many top Port wines

Answer 20

Tempranillo

Question 21

Alias:
- Torronetès Riojano - Salta

Main Region: Argentina

• Salta, Argentina
• Catamarca, Argentina
• Mendoza, Argentina
• Aromatic White grape
• Perfumed wines
• Rarely aged in Oak
• No relation to the same names grape from Spain
• Various different clones of this grape are found throughout South America

Answer 21

Torrontès

Question 22

Origin: Rhone Valley

Main region: Condrieu

• The top white grape grown in the Rhone Valley

Body: Full and Powerful

Alcohol: High

Varietal Characteristics: aromatic when fully ripened, peach flavor, apricot, and honeysuckle aromas

Answer 22

Viognier

Question 23

Main Regions:

• Napa Valley
• Paso Robles
• Sonoma Valley (Dry Creek and Russian River Valley)

Origin: Croatia, where it is called Crljenak

• two types of Zinfandels:
  1. Red - Traditional - dry, intense, high - Alcohol red wines
  2. White - semi sweet blush wines

Acidity: Medium - Medium High

Tannins: Medium - Medium High

Fruit Flavors: Raspberry, Black Cherry, Blueberry, Black Currant, Black Plum, Raisin, Fig, Apricot, Cranberry Jam, Jammy / Brambly Fruit

Other Aromas: Licorice, Star Anise, Smoke, Black Pepper, Black Cardamom

Oak Flavors: Vanilla, Coconut, Nutmeg, Peach Yogurt, Mocha, Burnt Sugar, Coffee, Cinnamon, Clove, Tobacco, Fresh Sawdust

Answer 23

Zinfandel

Question 24

Nebbiolo grows best where?

Answer 24

• in the clay and limestone of the Alvesa soil, the area around Alba on the south bank of the Tanaro river

Question 25

How many different clones of Nebbiolo are reported

Answer 25

40

Question 26

Lampia Michet Rosè These are the 3 most grown clones what Italian grape

Answer 26

Nebbiolo

Question 27

Pictotendro is a clone name for what grape and what location is this name used

Answer 27

Nebbiolo and Valle d' Aosta in Italy

Question 28

Chiavennasca is a clone name for what grape and what location is this name used

Answer 28

Nebbiolo and Lombardy

Question 29

What type of training system do they use to grow Nebbiolo

Answer 29

Guyot training system