Wine Varietals: Complete Guide 2024

People new to tasting wine are often confused by its labelling, for the amount of specific terminology it features poses difficulties in understanding a wine’s characteristics.

Among its many terms is ‘varietal’. In this article we shed a bit of light on the meaning of the term, its history and the most popular wine varietals. Read on to learn more about what's what in the world of grapes.

What does varietal mean?

Wines are described as either varietal or blended. Although it sounds similar, varietal does not mean variety. A varietal wine is one that’s made from a single grape variety and bears the name of that grape. For a wine to be considered varietal, it must have in it at least 85% of the wine grape listed on its label (75% in the USA). By contrast, a blended wine is one that contains a mix of two or more different grape varieties.

History of wine varietals

The term first came into general use in California following Prohibition. It allowed consumers to gain precise information about the grapes that went into the wine they were purchasing. It proved popular and was soon applied to other New World wines. It is now commonly applied to European wines, although in many cases accompanied by further information on the region and even the vineyards from which the grapes have been sourced..

Many factors can influence and vary the flavour profile among varietal wines, thus rendering markedly different expressions of the same grape. Growing conditions, winemaking methodology and maturation processes count among the factors that make wine tasting such a varied experience. However, there are still typical varietal characteristics that remain constant, which is why a wine shows them with particular emphasis, it is often referred to as having ‘typicity’, or being ‘varietally true’.

Most Popular Wine Varietals

Of the more than 10,000 wine grape varieties found around the world only a few dozen have gained sufficient popularity for them to be considered ‘international varietals’. Grapes which, despite their European origins, are now grown globally:

White

• Chardonnay – For many, chardonnay is the noblest of all white varietals and on a global scale, undoubtedly the most widely planted. Few, if any, have the potential for such breadth of expressive possibilities or reach such heights of sophistication and complexity. We offer a comprehensive range of examples showcasing this expression and sophistication, starting in chardonnay’s historic heartland, Burgundy. From exquisite Cru and Village Chablis to artisanal Bourgogne Blanc, from the luscious cuvées of the Mâcon and Côte Chalonnaise to the deliciously complex Premier Cru cuvées of the Côte d’Or, here is this noblest varietal as its most loved.
  
  Elsewhere, those with a penchant for more sumptuous New World styles can indulge in superb craftsmanship and irresistible value for money found in South Africa, Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand. Whether you prefer the precision of a cool-climate style or the opulence of sunnier climes, you’ll find your full chardonnay experience here.
• Sauvignon Blanc – For many, this versatile, aromatic native of France’s Loire Valley reaches its expressive peak in the world-renowned appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. For here is sauvignon blanc at its utmost elegant in wines showing distinctive minerality, crisp acidity, and vibrant flavours of citrus, green apple, freshly cut grass and often subtle, smoky nuance.
  
  Over the past 20 years, however, New Zealand has played a pivotal role in catapulting the varietal to international acclaim. Indeed, the cool climate and abundant sunshine of the southern island’s Marlborough region produces intensely aromatic wines bursting with zesty, tropical fruit flavours, fresh herbaceousness, and juicy acidity. As such, the ‘Kiwi’ style has since captivated global palates, driving the grape's popularity and establishing it as a staple among white wines of the world.
• Riesling – Riesling is considered one of the ‘noble’ white grape varietals, one renowned for its aromatic intensity and exceptional ageing potential. Its heartland is in the Rhinelands of Germany and thrives in cool climates, where it develops a unique balance of bright acidity and expressive fruit flavours. Riesling is also exceptional in its versatility since it can be produced in a broad spectrum of styles ranging from bone-dry to lusciously sweet, with each expression highlighting its distinctive characteristics.
  
  Typical flavours will include green apple, citrus, and stone fruits, often complemented by floral, stone fruit and trademark ‘petrol’ aromas. High acidity and inherent sugar levels constitute its ageing potential, by which it develops in the fullness of time intriguingly complex secondary and tertiary flavours. Among the world’s finest are found in Germany's Mosel, Pfalz and Rheingau, as well as in Austria and Alsace in eastern France. New World equivalents are found in Australia’s Clare and Eden Valleys, in New Zealand Otago region, and in California and New York State..
• Chenin Blanc – Originally from the Loire Valley (where Vouvray is one of its more famous appellations) with fresh floral and crisp, fresh, fruity, spicy apple/orchard fruit character. Depending on the region that the grapes were grown in it can be dry or off-dry in style and often has a remarkably long ageing potential owing to its naturally high level of acidity.

Red

• Merlot – Merlot is among the most versatile of red grapes and one easily cultivated, which accounts for it being the most widely grown of international varietals. It is vinified for everything from the most prestigious Pomerol to young, fruity, easy-drinking house-pouring wines, and is a supreme grape for blending.
  
  On Bordeaux's Right and Left Banks, for example, merlot plays a leading and secondary role respectively and is a vital component to most Super Tuscan cuvées. The flavours commonly attributed to the grape range from plum, black cherry, and cocoa to blackberry, herbs, and graphite, often with notes of clove, cedar, and vanilla when oak-aged.
• Cabernet Sauvignon – Cabernet sauvignon is among the most widely planted varietals and features prominently in many of the world's most prestigious wines. From North America's west coast to Europe and Australia, just about every wine-producing region on earth can or will cultivate cabernet sauvignon. Its popularity was initially gained through the dominant role it plays in the production of the wines of Bordeaux, more specifically in the region's renowned Left Bank.
  
  Here, it is commonly blended with merlot and more secondary varietals such as cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. When vinified, its classic profile is found in a full-bodied wine with high tannins and pronounced acidity which contribute to its capacity to age extensively.
  
  When grown in cooler climates (such as Bordeaux), its fruit flavours will tend toward black currant and green pepper with hints of cedar and mint; in warmer conditions to those of black cherry and olive with 'jammier' characteristics developing in advanced ripeness.
• Pinot Noir – Pinot noir features prominently among the finest, most exclusive wines of the world and as such, remains for many the noblest of all red varieties. Though its origins and most sought-after expressions lay in Burgundy, pinot noir is grown everywhere from the west coast of the U.S. to Central and Middle Europe to South Africa to New Zealand. A cool-climate varietal, it is generally suited to lighter styles and is one notoriously temperamental when growing to full ripeness.
  
  When properly cultivated and vinified, however, pinot noir is redolent of a sublime array of aromas and flavours: cherry, raspberry, spice, mushroom, clove and hibiscus which, in the fullness of time, typically evolve into those of tea, leather, tobacco leaf, dried fruit and undergrowth. The brisk levels of acidity typically supporting these wonderful characteristics also make it an ultimate food pairing wine, going superbly as it does with all manner of cured meats, fowl, charcuterie, cheese.
• Syrah– Syrah and shiraz red wine is a true international varietal and one rendered in an array of styles and flavours. Styles ranging from fresher, medium to full-bodied reds in the Rhône (where the grape originates) to rich, ripe, jammier versions Down Under, where it is commonly known as shiraz. As for aromas and flavours, cooler-climate regions tend to render violet florals, pepper, liquorice, earthy, savoury olive fruit, whereas warmer conditions push the profile further into sweeter, black cherry fruit with plum, clove, baking spice, dark chocolate and coffee.
  
  Furthermore, shiraz is a term that can be used as a stylistic reference for such riper, more opulent styles, and is therefore common in South African winemaking, for example. Syrah & shiraz red wine features prominently in France as a blending agent and is found in most appellations across Languedoc, southern Rhône and Roussillon. Appellations in the Northern Rhône such as Saint Joseph, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie can only be 100% syrah.
• Grenache – Originally of Spanish origin (where it is garnacha), grenache red wine is one of the world's more widely planted varietals and, being a late ripener, thrives in conditions hot and dry. It plays a major role across the entire south of France, featuring prominently in the wines of southern Rhône, Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence, and naturally in those across much of the Iberian Peninsula.
  
  Generally high in alcohol content, it is peppery on the palate, redolent of red berry flavors and relatively low in both acidity and tannin. Grenache red wine is an all-rounder, more often blended, and makes for wonderfully food-friendly, rustic reds when in simpler form, whilst scaling more majestic heights in the world-class cuvées of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Rioja.
• Malbec – This robust, thick-skinned, sun-loving varietal has become hugely popular in the UK for the rich, luscious, darkly-fruited wines it produces. And as the majority of these reds are produced in Argentina (in its Mendoza region, more specifically), Malbec red wine has since become synonymous with the country's viniculture.
  
  These are deeply coloured, opulent, tannic reds, bursting with blackberry, plum, and blueberry flavours and usually accompanied by aromas of leather, smoke, and game. Thus its consummate popularity at the barbecue and in the steakhouse. Despite Argentina's dominance, however, Malbec red wine's original heartland is France, where these days its presence is rarely seen beyond Bordeaux and the Cahors appellation. Here, if not used as a blending agent, Malbec finds a fresher, more rustic, and less tannic expression, yet still producing full-bodied wines that pair quite deliciously with all manner of grilled red meats and charcuterie.

Finding a favourite varietal

Ultimately, finding preferred varietals will mainly depend on what wines stylistically cater to your palate. Start with what you know, then see what a bit of online research can render. Never be afraid to branch out into more obscure, ‘local’ varietals options you might stumble across. For example, if lighter to mid-weight, freshly styled reds are more your thing, two well-known starting points would be pinot noir or gamay. Look beyond these and you might discover such birds-of-a-feather as teroldego from northern Italy, Austria’s zweigelt or Iberia's mencia varietal.

of south-east Spain . Or, if crisp, refreshing, mineral sauvignon blanc is what turns your crank, give albarino from Galicia in north-west Spain a go. Fancy rich, full-bodied chardonnay as a rule of thumb? Indulge in what unctuous, peachy, zesty, fruit-filled finishing a decent viognier or white Rhone blend has to offer.

The choice, of course, is yours, and is one that can be easily made here at Mr.Wheeler Wine. Start your exploration with the ‘Grape’ drop-down menu you’ll find when navigating ‘Wines’ on our main page. Then, with a little search-engine action, you’ll soon be on your way to broadening both your wine knowledge and palate with some delicious results.