Wine Basics - White Wine
White wine and grapes - styles and characteristics
There are many varieties of grape used in the production of white wines. Here is a list of the most important varieties along with a description of their general character and some of the tasting terms commonly applied to them:
| Chardonnay |
full, soft, buttery, fruity peach, pear, pineapple, citrus, melon, butter, vanilla |
|---|---|
| Sauvignon Blanc |
invigorating, dry, grassy, acidic grass, gooseberries, asparagus, green beans, cat pee, flint |
| Riesling |
vividly fruity, lively acidity, oily apples, limes, passion fruit, minerals, petrol |
| Semillon |
round, smooth, honeyed, toasty grass, citrus, lanolin, honey, toast |
| Gewurztraminer |
exotic, spicy, perfumed, oily, rich ginger, cinnamon, lychees, nivea cream! |
| Marsanne & Roussanne | honey, tropical fruit, luscious |
| Viognier |
flowery, peachy, delicate, fresh |
| Pinot Blanc |
oily, perfumed, minerals, citrus, rich |
| Chenin Blanc |
straw, flowers, honey, can be dry or sweet |
White wine tasting terms and descriptors
Wine tasters have their own vocabulary or jargon, just like other groups of enthusiasts: computer geeks, trainspotters, ballroom dancers, etc. There can be a certain amount of snobbishness and hints of "one-upmanship" in wine tasting. On the other hand, these terms are very useful: the true wine lover will never try to blind you with science, but may well use some common terms and descriptions. A few examples are listed below:
| Creamy | often applied to champagne and sometimes to chardonnay |
|---|---|
| Crisp | clean and sharply flavoured, not sweet or oaky |
| Flabby | the opposite - a wine without crispness, lacking in acidity |
| Green | too acidic (some overly tart sauvignon blancs), under-ripe |
| Oily | richly textured wines such as some gewurztraminers or pinot blancs |
| Steely | crisp and a bit austere, high acid, like the best Chablis or Sancerre |
Here are some descriptive words often used to conjure up the flavour or scent from a particular wine. To the experienced taster these are often indicative of a particular wine or style of wine:
| Biscuity | Champagne |
|---|---|
| Flinty | Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume, Riesling |
| Grassy | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Lemony | Chardonnay |
| Grapefruit | Pinot Gris |
| Lychee | Gewurztraminer or Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat |
| Toasty | Chardonnay |
| Vanilla | Oak ageing |