Encyclopedia
Varietals.
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
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Pinot Noir | The thin-skinned, terroir-transmitting grape that built Burgundy. Pale, perfumed, capable of decades. |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | Structured backbone of Bordeaux's Left Bank and the grape that built modern Napa. |
| Merlot | Plumper and softer than Cabernet, and the engine of Pomerol. |
| Cabernet Franc | The parent of Cabernet Sauvignon - leafy, fragrant, the dominant red of Chinon and Bourgueil. |
| Petit Verdot | Bordeaux's late-ripening seasoning grape - violet, structure, deep color in a blend. |
| Syrah | Granite, pepper, violet, smoke. The most savory red wine made. |
| Grenache | The hot-climate workhorse behind Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Spanish Garnacha. |
| Mourvèdre | The structural backbone of Bandol - black olive, garrigue, age-worthy. |
| Gamay | Banished from Burgundy in 1395, now producing serious cru-level reds in Beaujolais. |
| Malbec | The Bordeaux exile that found a second life in Argentina. |
| Carmenère | The lost Bordeaux grape that lived in Chile mistaken for Merlot for over a century. |
| Cinsault | The pale, perfumed Mediterranean grape that gives lift to GSM blends and rosé. |
International noble varieties: whites
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Chardonnay | The most planted noble white in the world. |
| Sauvignon Blanc | The high-acid aromatic white of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Marlborough. |
| Sémillon | The thick-skinned Bordeaux partner - and Hunter Valley's age-worthy star. |
| Chenin Blanc | Dry, off-dry, sweet, or sparkling - every register the grape will play. |
| Riesling | The most terroir-transparent white wine grape on earth. |
| Viognier | The aromatic peach-and-honeysuckle white of Condrieu. |
| Marsanne | The powerful, age-worthy white of Hermitage Blanc. |
| Roussanne | Marsanne's higher-acid aromatic partner. |
| Gewürztraminer | Lychee, rose petal, candied ginger - the most aromatic noble white in wine. |
| Pinot Gris | Two wines: powerful Alsatian Pinot Gris and light Italian Pinot Grigio. |
| Pinot Bianco | The third Pinot - quieter, leaner, seriously underrated. |
| Pinot Meunier | Champagne's third grape, increasingly serious in grower bottlings. |
Italian indigenous reds
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Nebbiolo | The Piedmontese grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco. |
| Sangiovese | Chianti, Brunello, Vino Nobile - the wine that wants tomato sauce. |
| Barbera | Piedmont's high-acid, food-friendly workhorse. |
| Dolcetto | The 'little sweet one' - early-drinking, dark, built for the Sunday table. |
| Aglianico | The 'Barolo of the south' - volcanic-soil Campanian red. |
| Montepulciano | Abruzzo's dark, plummy everyday-value red. |
| Primitivo | Genetically identical to California Zinfandel. |
| Nero d'Avola | Sicily's structured signature red. |
| Corvina | The Valpolicella grape - light in Valpolicella, mythic in Amarone. |
| Lagrein | The dark alpine red of the South Tyrol. |
Italian indigenous whites
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Vermentino | Saline, herbal Mediterranean coastal white. Rolle in France. |
| Verdicchio | The Marche's serious, age-worthy lemon-and-almond white. |
| Fiano | Campania's honeyed, structured, ancient indigenous white. |
| Greco | Volcanic, citrus-bright counterpoint to Fiano. |
| Falanghina | Campania's bright, citrus-driven everyday white. |
| Garganega | The grape behind Soave. |
| Cortese | The grape behind Gavi. |
Spanish and Portuguese varieties
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Tempranillo | Spain's signature red - the engine of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. |
| Mencía | The aromatic, mineral red of Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra. |
| Monastrell | The Spanish name for Mourvèdre - old-vine concentration from southeastern Spain. |
| Albariño | Galicia's seafood-loving white. |
| Godello | Spain's answer to white Burgundy. |
| Verdejo | Castilla y León's aromatic, herbal white. |
| Palomino | The grape behind every dry Sherry. |
| Pedro Ximénez | Liquid raisin - the grape behind great sweet Sherry. |
| Touriga Nacional | The defining grape of the Douro and Port. |
| Touriga Franca | The most-planted Douro red and Touriga Nacional partner. |
| Baga | Bairrada's fierce, age-worthy red - the Nebbiolo of Portugal. |
| Encruzado | Dão's noble white. |
Central and Eastern European varieties
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Grüner Veltliner | Austria's signature peppery, lentil-and-stone-fruit white. |
| Blaufränkisch | Austria's most serious red - peppery, structured, age-worthy. |
| Zweigelt | A 1922 Blaufränkisch–Saint-Laurent crossing, juicy and food-friendly. |
| Furmint | The noble grape of Tokaj - sweet, dry, and increasingly serious. |
| Hárslevelű | Tokaj's second great white. |
Greek indigenous varieties
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Assyrtiko | Santorini's volcanic, saline white - age-worthy and unmistakable. |
| Xinomavro | Greece's Nebbiolo equivalent. |
| Agiorgitiko | Nemea's softer, rounder, food-friendly red. |
France · Loire & Jura: niche varieties
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Melon de Bourgogne | The grape behind Muscadet. |
| Aligoté | Burgundy's second white, increasingly serious. |
| Savagnin | The grape behind Vin Jaune. |
| Trousseau | The Jura's most structured red. |
| Poulsard | The Jura's pale, perfumed, ethereal red. |
| Muscat | The aromatic family - one of the oldest grapes in cultivation. |
| Carignan | High-acid, high-tannin Mediterranean grape - old-vine wines are exciting. |
New World specialties
| Varietal | Summary |
|---|---|
| Zinfandel | California's adopted grape - genetically identical to Primitivo. |
| Petite Sirah | The opaque, tannic Durif grape - has nothing to do with Syrah. |
| Pinotage | South Africa's national grape - a 1925 Pinot Noir–Cinsault crossing. |
| Tannat | Madiran's massively tannic grape and Uruguay's national variety. |