Encyclopedia
Varietals.
Sixty-plus grape varieties — character, terroir, tasting profile, history, and what to pour them with.
There are roughly 10,000 wine grape varieties on the planet. Around 1,500 are made into commercial wine; perhaps 100 are taken seriously by the global trade; a smaller number define entire regional traditions. The varieties below are a working sommelier’s bookshelf — the noble international grapes, the great indigenous reds and whites of the Mediterranean and Central Europe, the New World specialties, and the obscure-but-extraordinary varieties that reward serious cellar attention. Each entry covers character, where it grows best, tasting profile, aging, classic pairings, and what Boulder Wine Merchant stocks.
International noble varieties — reds
France · Burgundy
Pinot Noir
The thin-skinned, terroir-transmitting grape that built Burgundy. Pale, perfumed, capable of decades.
France · Bordeaux
Cabernet Sauvignon
Structured backbone of Bordeaux’s Left Bank and the grape that built modern Napa.
France · Loire & Bordeaux
Cabernet Franc
The parent of Cabernet Sauvignon — leafy, fragrant, the dominant red of Chinon and Bourgueil.
France · Bordeaux
Petit Verdot
Bordeaux’s late-ripening seasoning grape — violet, structure, deep color in a blend.
France · Southern Rhône
Grenache
The hot-climate workhorse behind Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Spanish Garnacha.
France · Beaujolais
Gamay
Banished from Burgundy in 1395, now producing serious cru-level reds in Beaujolais.
France · Mediterranean
Cinsault
The pale, perfumed Mediterranean grape that gives lift to GSM blends and rosé.
International noble varieties — whites
France · Loire & Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc
The high-acid aromatic white of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Marlborough.
France · Bordeaux & Australia
Sémillon
The thick-skinned Bordeaux partner — and Hunter Valley’s age-worthy star.
France · Alsace
Gewürztraminer
Lychee, rose petal, candied ginger — the most aromatic noble white in wine.
Italian indigenous reds
Italian indigenous whites
Spanish and Portuguese varieties
Spain · Jumilla
Monastrell
The Spanish name for Mourvèdre — old-vine concentration from southeastern Spain.
Central and Eastern European varieties
Greek indigenous varieties
France · Loire & Jura — niche varieties
France · Mediterranean
Carignan
High-acid, high-tannin Mediterranean grape — old-vine wines are exciting.