Shilaās Guide to Wine: Part v (A)
Previous chapter. This will be a 10-part series, covering all the basics and some intermediate-advanced aspects of viticulture and Ånology. For context: I grew up on my familyās vineyard and have been learning winemaking methods for as long as I can remember. Iām excited to share some of my knowledge here, and make wine more accessible for everyone.
If youāve been following this guide for a while, youāll likely have a solid grasp of the theory and method behind winemaking around the world. This chapter is intended to kick off a perhaps more āusefulā part of the guide, in that itās going to share information upon which youāll likely draw far more often and which may well take you far further than an in-depth knowledge of the vintage process. In this chapter, weāre going to cover the principal wine styles and grape varieties, the ones upon which youāre most likely to stumble in the wine list of any bar or restaurant.
The Worldās Principal Grape Varieties
The following grape varieties are often called āinternational varietiesā, as today, theyāre grown all over the world regardless of their country of origin. Together, they form an enormous proportion of wine grapes cultivated worldwide, and wines produced from these varieties are destined to be forever staples on any wine list.
This list does not, of course, in any way encompass the enormous range of grape varieties planted across the world, nor does it suggest that these āinternationalā varieties are superior to other regional varieties. Itās simply a list of the most popular and most widely-cultivated grapes; if you would like to know more about regional grape varieties, feel free to go back to the previous two installments of this guide, where I mentioned many different grape varieties that are characteristic of each major global wine region.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the worldās most beloved wine grape, grown in almost every wine-producing country and making up a huge proportion of wine produced annually, whether alone or blended with other varieties. It produces a typically full-bodied, rich red wine with robust tannins and intense aromas of cassis and liquorice, and is often considered to be a comparatively āseriousā wine; one with complex secondary flavour notes which emerge after a period of cellaring, as long as several decades.
Generally speaking, Cabernet Sauvignon is produced in two different and distinctive styles: the Old World style, an archetypal Bordeaux claret and perhaps what first springs to mind at the thought of a classic French red wine, with an emphasis on its natural woody tannins and tart blackcurrant notesāand the New World style, where the warmer climates and adventurous vintners have fostered a bold, weighty red wine with notes of roasted coffee and crisp green pepper.
The delicately floral Pinot Noir, long beloved throughout its native Europe, has been quickly gaining traction worldwide and is now carefully cultivated as far afield as New Zealand. Pinot Noir, as a notoriously finicky variety, is difficult for a vintner to get right, but with the right touch it can be divine. Its perfumed and elegant nature has also led to its status as a key Champagne grape, but alone, itās a typically light-bodied red wine, with fragile and aromatic notes of cherries and violets whilst young. Pinot Noir ages gracefully, growing fragrant and gamey with careful cellaring.
Pinot Noir demands milder climates, thriving in both the Old and New World. In the context of the Old World, itās a distinctly silky, aromatic wine, produced primarily in Burgundy and Germany as a softly herbal ode to the natural scents of the forest, emphasising both wild fruits and fine woods. The New World, typically, chases the fruit flavours in Pinot Noir, producing wines reminiscent of fresh berries and discarding the complex, almost medicinal aromas of the Old World.
A.K.A. āShirazā in the context of the New World. Syrah, considered to be one of the great noble grape varieties, produces some of the most tannic and full-bodied red wines in the world. Wines produced from Syrah are typically bold and inky, with unmistakable aromas of dark, ripe fruits and a spicy character that develops into a truffle-like flavour with age. Syrah is a robust grape and its wines can stand up to and indeed flourish with decades of cellaring.
Syrahās true homeland can be traced back to the RhĆ“ne region of France, where the grape is typically blended with many others (the most famous blend being GSM, or Grenache-Syrah-MourvĆØdre). Old World vintners work with Syrahās bold nature to produce an elegantly dark, tannic wine with rich, spicy aromas of plum and leather. The New World, however, has made Syrah its own, even granting it a new name; as Australiaās signature grape variety, Syrah thrives beneath the relentless sun and heat of the climate Down Under, allowed to stand alone as an intensely rich and fruity wine, often leaning towards notes of dark chocolate or black pepper, with almost limitless ageing potential.
Merlot is often unfairly disregarded by Ånologists as a mere blending grape, one that pales in comparison to its bolder cousins, but that couldnāt be further from the truth. Merlot is enjoyed worldwide both in blends and alone, playing a role that spans table wine all the way through to some of the worldās most valuable vintages. Itās perhaps a crowd-pleaser of a wine, with its medium-bodied nature and softly rounded texture, and often features aromas of soft fruits and gentle spices. Depending on the blend and vintage, some Merlots can be drunk young, but most benefit from a little cellaring, with many bottles holding up for just as many decades as a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Merlot is the most widely-cultivated grape variety in its native Bordeaux, where it typically plays a role in claret blends and is prized for its fruity, friendly character. Notably, itās a majority grape in the best wines of Saint-Ćmilion and Pomerol, where vintners praise its ability to produce deeply complex and age-worthy bottles, which fetch a small fortune on the international market. In the New World, meanwhile, Merlot is more often drunk unblended (although Australia pioneered the wildly popular Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend), with the warmer climes cultivating wines with rich, often spicy aromas of baked figs and chocolate.
Today, Sauvignon Blanc is arguably the most popular white wine in the world, with its aromatic character beloved by vintners and drinkers alike. Its character blooms differently across the globe, being strongly dependent on climate, but wines produced from Sauvignon Blanc are generally medium-bodied and fragrant, with fruity notes ranging from tart citrus to sweet and perfumed tropical fruit.
In the Old World, Sauvignon Blanc is prized for its crisp fragrance and fresh acidity, and is typically used to produce dry, aromatic wines. Sauvignon Blanc cultivated in the cooler climes of the Loire Valley often features sharp aromas of cut grass and citrus, with an earthy minerality; some Old World vintners utilise winemaking methods such as oak barrel ageing and malolactic fermentation to produce a smoother, richer wine more reminiscent of New World stylesāwhere the grapeās tropical notes are carefully extracted to produce vibrantly pungent and boldly fruity white wines, most often associated with New Zealandās Marlborough region.
Chardonnay is perhaps the worldās most iconic white grape variety, made famous by its historic role in Champagne production, and then infamous by its overly buttery New World interpretations in the 1990s. The Chardonnay grape in and of itself is relatively unremarkable, producing wines with a medium body and neutral flavours faintly reminiscent of tart green apples, but itās this neutrality for which the grape is most prized; Chardonnay lends itself beautifully to so many different winemaking methods, gaining complexity and distinctively layered flavours, depending on the vintnerās style and approach.
Old World vintners appreciate Chardonnayās versatile nature, using it to produce wines both as crisply mineral as a Chablis, and as richly buttery as a Meursault. Oak ageing in the Old World tends to emphasise soft vanilla or yeasty toast aromas, whereas New World vintners are known to chase the sweet, toffee-like flavours from the same method, making use of the warm weather to extract nuances of tropical fruit from the grape. That said, some present-day New World vintners are moving away from the bold Chardonnays of the past, choosing instead to cultivate in cooler regions to more closely study the subtle nuances of the grape.
ā¢ Dictionary of Wine Grapes
ā¢ Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide ā J. Robinson et al.
Next week comes the second part of this chapter, in which weāll explore the main wine styles produced worldwide. As ever, questions and suggestions are very welcome, so please send any asks my way!
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