The world of wine is a complex one with many different varieties. If you’re unfamiliar with wine, the number of choices can seem overwhelming.
For your benefit, Audley Travel analyzed search information and wine tours to discover the ten most popular wines. Have fun with your next bottle of wine greater confidence once you have learned the basics about these popular grape varieties!
1. Chardonnay
Few white wines have as much acclaim as Chardonnay. The Chardonnay wine is a versatile white wine, which pairs nicely with poultry seafood, rich sauces and other meats. Unoaked, it’s crisp and lean, while oaked has more buttery and richer taste.
It’s an extremely adaptable wine that absorbs the effects of both its climate and winemaking techniques like no other. It’s a wine that can be adapted to any style, from Unoaked Old World Chardonnays, from Chablis in France and up to New World Chardonnays from California. It’s also among the main grape varieties utilized in Champagne and Cava.
2. Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is an easy-drinking white wine with a variety of uses suitable for all occasions. From cellar-worthy Grand Cru Pinot Gris from Alsace to cheap bottles of household brands, this popular wine has something to suit everyone.
The usual flavor that is typical of Pinot Grigio is refreshingly crisp and citrus-y with flavors of lime, lemon and green apple. These wines that are produced in the Alsatian style tend to have more floral scents, with the orange blossom and honeysuckle.
Antioxidants like caffeic acid and hydroxytyrosol in Pinot Grigio may help prevent dementia, such as Alzheimer’s.
3. Merlot
Although it often takes the back seat to Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot is a sophisticated wine that is worthy of its own spotlight. It can be a fruity, mellow taste from cooler climates or sweet and juicy from warmer ones. Because of its softer tannins, it is able to be flavoured with flavors such as blackcurrant pasteille, raspberry and even chocolate.
Merlot is a popular wine in Bordeaux as well as the US, it’s also a staple in Australia where it produces lush versions of Margaret River. The grape is also located in Chile as well as Argentina. The grape can also be used to blend.
4. Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the most iconic red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon appeals to seasoned oenophiles and newbies alike. It’s an essential component of Bordeaux wines, and works great when mixed.
It’s at the heart of a lot of Napa Valley’s top cult wines. ufanax ‘s also the main ingredient of many Bordeaux blends like those of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild as well as Chateau Mouton-Rothschild.
Cabs show blackberry, currant and brambly flavors depending on the appellation and style of the wine, can show hints of mint cedar, lead pencil shavings and green capsicum, as well as vanilla and chocolate due to the oak barrels’ ageing.
5. Syrah
Syrah Also known as Shiraz (see-RAH) It is among the most dark and most intense wines on the market. It’s high in tannin levels and is full-bodied.
As the tannins from fruits are removed, best wines develop flavors that can be savory. Often, these wines show black pepper and herbaceous flavors such as rosemary and thyme, in addition to licorice, and an earthy leather.
In moderate conditions, Syrah will often be sweet with black pepper, aromas of rosemary, thyme and cracked black pepper, in hotter areas like that of the Barossa Valley located in Australia are likely to have more jammy fruit and smoother tannins.
6. Malbec
Malbec is also referred to as Cot and Auxxerois is the most popular grape in France’s Cahors region. Also, it is a typical mix variety that is used to make Bordeaux wines.
Malbec is a lover of sun. This helps ripen its thick skins. Its scents are characterized by the scents of red and black fruits, chocolate and the licorice.
It’s great with lighter red meats (such such as buffalo or ostrich) as well as pepper or sage as well as cheese melted. It’s an excellent starting point for full-flavored wines for many wine drinkers. The grape is now cultivated in many New World countries, such as Argentina as well as Chile.
7. Airen
Airen is a white wine grape variety that grows across 623,604 acres. It is a very drought-proof variety with a track record as an efficient grape used in the production of low-cost blends.
The plant is found in Spain’s La Mancha region and Valdepenas, where the climate is hot and dry. It is often utilized to create brandy, but can be transformed into easy, refreshing wine with some care. Its wines have low acidity. They taste very much like Sauvignon Blanc. A floral and savoury aroma is present.
8. Tempranillo
Tempranillo grapes are typically connected with Rioja however, they are grown in Navarra and the Denominacion De Origen regions of Ribera De Duero and Toro. Tempranillo wines are bright and fruity at first, however they benefit from maturation in barrels.
Tempranillo wine is characterized by a rich scent of dried figs and tobacco. Also, it has savory flavors of dill, cedar and the heat. The wine is great with tomato-based meals, grilled veggies and cured meats. This is a wonderful combination and often is paired with Garnacha when making Rioja.
9. Zinfandel
Despite the brief time that saw an over-planting flurry in the boom years of wine the 70s and 80s, Zinfandel has managed to remain steadfast. It’s a late-ripening wine that is jammy, with black pepper and hints of herbal details such as cinnamon, sage or Dill.
The body of this wine is more hefty than a Pinot Noir, but fuller than Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Based on the kind of oak used, it might have notes of cocoa, vanilla or caramel. While genetically similar to Italian Primitivo, it has acquired its own distinct character due to Californian origins.
10. Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the one grape that evokes the most passion any other. It flourishes in the cooler climate, producing wines with exceptional finesse and profound complexity.
The thin skin of the wine lets Pinot to pick up the qualities of the land from which it grows, making it a transparent expression of its terroir. The flavors of the wine include red fruit symphonies with notes of mushroom and tea.
The wine is great with all kinds of food, but is especially great with charcuterie dishes of cheese and meat.