Grape varieties

Red grapes 71

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  AgiorgitikoLong Greece's most planted red, from Nemea: soft, plummy and velvety.1 country
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  AglianicoSouthern Italy's great structured red, from Taurasi and Vulture's volcanic soils — sometimes called the Barolo of the south.1 country
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  Alicante BouschetA red-fleshed 19th-century French crossing, bred for colour. Garnacha Tintorera in Spain.3 countries
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  AreniArmenia's signature red, grown near the cave where the oldest known winery was found.1 country
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  BagaBairrada's fierce, high-acid, tannic red — built for rich, roasted food.1 country
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  BarberaHigh acid, low tannin, juicy. Piedmont's weekday red.3 countries
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  BlaufränkischCentral Europe's peppery, dark-cherried red: Kékfrankos in Hungary, Frankovka further north, Lemberger in Germany.8 countries
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  BobalDeep-coloured red of Utiel-Requena, near Valencia — once a bulk grape, now prized from old vines.1 country
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  BonardaArgentina's second red — not Italy's Bonarda but the French Douce Noir, called Charbono in California. Soft and fruity.1 country
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  Boğazkere"Throat burner" — a fiercely tannic Turkish red from around Diyarbakır.1 country
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  Cabernet FrancParent of Cabernet Sauvignon. Red fruit, graphite, a leafy herbal edge.8 countries
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  Cabernet SauvignonThick-skinned and late-ripening. Blackcurrant, cedar, firm tannin, built to age.22 countries
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  CanaioloTuscany's traditional softening partner for Sangiovese in Chianti.1 country
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  CarignanTannic and tart from young, high-yield vines; dense and brooding from old bush vines.12 countries
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  CarménèreBordeaux's lost grape, found again in Chile. Dark fruit, red pepper, soft tannin.1 country
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  CastelãoSoft, berried red of Portugal's south, long sold as Periquita.1 country
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  CinsaultLight, perfumed and heat-tolerant. Soft red fruit — and one parent of Pinotage.5 countries
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  CorvinaSour cherry and almond. Dried on racks for months, it becomes Amarone.1 country
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  DolcettoSoft, dark, low-acid. Drink it young and cheerfully.1 country
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  DornfelderGermany's deep-coloured, soft and fruity red, bred in 1955.1 country
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  Fetească NeagrăThe signature red of Romania and Moldova: black fruit, spice and a smoky edge.2 countries
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  FrappatoLight, floral and strawberry-scented — Nero d'Avola's partner in Cerasuolo di Vittoria.1 country
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  GamayThe Beaujolais grape. Bright red berries, low tannin, best with a light chill.3 countries
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  Garnacha / GrenacheRipe strawberry, high alcohol, low colour. Loves heat and old vines.6 countries
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  GracianoRioja's aromatic minority — acidity and perfume in a blend.1 country
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  KadarkaHungary's historic red: light-bodied and spicy — once the backbone of Bull's Blood.1 country
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  Kalecik KarasıLight, perfumed red from near Ankara, rescued from near-extinction in the 1970s.1 country
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  LagreinAlto Adige's native dark red. Plum, bitter chocolate, fresh acidity.1 country
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  MalbecInky and dark-fruited. Left Bordeaux for Argentina and found its home.6 countries
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  MaratheftikoA rare, deep-coloured Cypriot native prized for quality reds.1 country
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  MarselanA 1961 French crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that has found a second home in China.2 countries
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  MavroCyprus's widely planted traditional red, and one of the grapes of sweet Commandaria.1 country
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  MavrudBulgaria's dark, tannic native red from the Thracian plain.1 country
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  MencíaFragrant red of Spain's northwest — Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra — with red fruit, violets and slate. Jaen in Portugal.2 countries
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  MerlotPlush and earlier-ripening. Plum and chocolate, softer tannin than Cabernet.27 countries
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  MontepulcianoSoft, dark and generous — central Italy's plummy everyday red. Unrelated to the Tuscan town of the same name.1 country
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  Mourvèdre / MataroMeaty, savoury, tannic. Needs real warmth to ripen properly.4 countries
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  Muscat Bailey AA Japanese hybrid of Bailey and a black Muscat, bred for Japan's humid climate: light, candied and fruity.1 country
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  NebbioloPale in the glass, ferocious in structure. Tar, rose, dried cherry.2 countries
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  NegroamaroPuglia's dark, bitter-edged red — and the grape behind Salento's rosato.1 country
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  Nerello MascaleseThe red of Mount Etna. Pale, high-toned and firm — often compared to Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.1 country
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  Nero d'AvolaSicily's signature red. Black cherry and plum, generous and warm.1 country
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  NortonAn American native grape and Missouri's state grape — dark and fruity, without the "foxy" flavour of many natives.1 country
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  País / Listán PrietoThe first wine grape widely planted in the Americas, spread by Spanish missionaries: País in Chile, Criolla Chica in Argentina, Mission in California.3 countries
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  Petite SirahInky and tannic: Durif, a 19th-century French crossing of Syrah and Peloursin, renamed in California.2 countries
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  Petit VerdotA blending seasoning — deep colour, violet perfume, serious tannin.3 countries
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  PinotageSouth Africa's own crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Dark fruit, smoke, earth.1 country
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  Pinot MeunierChampagne's third grape. Earlier-drinking, adds fruit and approachability.3 countries
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  Pinot NoirThin-skinned and site-obsessed. Red cherry, forest floor, silk not grip.11 countries
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  Plavac MaliCroatia's great Dalmatian red from sun-baked coastal slopes — an offspring of Zinfandel.1 country
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  ProkupacSerbia's native red — cherry and spice, with moderate tannin.1 country
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  RondinellaCorvina's partner in Valpolicella and Amarone, valued for resisting rot while the grapes dry.1 country
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  RubinA 20th-century Bulgarian crossing — deep, spicy and dark-fruited.1 country
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  SagrantinoUmbria's own, from Montefalco — one of the most tannic grapes in the world.1 country
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  SangioveseHigh acid, sour cherry, dried herb, tannin that wants food.6 countries
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  SaperaviOne of the few red-fleshed grapes — even the juice is dark. Georgia's great red.7 countries
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  Schiava GrossaThe main Schiava: pale, light and strawberry-scented. Vernatsch in Alto Adige, Trollinger in Württemberg.2 countries
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  St. LaurentPinot-like, dark-cherried Austrian red — and one parent of Zweigelt.2 countries
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  Syrah / ShirazPepper and violet where it's cool; blackberry and liquorice where it's hot.14 countries
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  TannatAmong the most tannic grapes there is. From Madiran in southwest France, it became Uruguay's national grape.5 countries
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  TempranilloLeather, dried cherry, tobacco. Takes oak better than almost anything.6 countries
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  TeroldegoTrentino's deep-coloured native — dark fruit, fresh acidity, soft tannin.1 country
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  Tinta BarrocaSugar and body for the blend. Struggles in the hottest sites.1 country
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  Touriga FrancaThe Douro's most-planted. Perfume and elegance in the Port blend.1 country
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  Touriga NacionalPortugal's finest. Violet, blueberry, dense structure.1 country
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  TrincadeiraSpicy, dark-fruited Alentejo red; Tinta Amarela in the Douro.1 country
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  VranacDeep, dark and full-bodied — the leading red of Montenegro, and a key one in North Macedonia as Vranec.2 countries
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  Xinomavro"Acid-black" — northern Greece's high-tannin, high-acid red, with tomato and olive notes. Often compared to Nebbiolo.1 country
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  ZinfandelJammy, brambly, high alcohol. Genetically identical to Primitivo.3 countries
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  ZweigeltAustria's most planted red — a 1922 crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. Juicy cherry, soft tannin.2 countries
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  Öküzgözü"Ox eye" — soft, fruity red of eastern Turkey, often blended with Boğazkere.1 country

White grapes 80

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  AirénOnce among the world's most planted grapes, from the plains of La Mancha — neutral, and much of it distilled into brandy.1 country
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  Albariño / AlvarinhoPeach, citrus and sea spray, from Iberia's rain-soaked Atlantic corner.3 countries
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  AligotéBurgundy's other white — sharp and lemony, the classic base for Kir.2 countries
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  ArintoPortugal's high-acid white — lemon and minerals, fresh even in the heat. Pedernã in Vinho Verde.1 country
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  ArneisPear and almond, low acid. Nearly extinct in the 1970s.1 country
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  AssyrtikoKeeps its acidity even in fierce Aegean heat. Lemon, salt, flint.1 country
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  AuxerroisA soft, low-acid sibling of Chardonnay, grown in Luxembourg and Alsace.3 countries
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  BacchusA German crossing that ripens where few grapes will — England's elderflower-scented answer to Sauvignon Blanc.2 countries
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  CarricanteThe white of Etna Bianco — taut, saline, lemony and long-lived.1 country
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  ChardonnayA blank canvas. Steel and citrus unoaked; butter and hazelnut with barrel.17 countries
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  ChasselasSwitzerland's defining white: delicate and gentle, a mirror for its site. Fendant in the Valais.2 countries
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  Chenin BlancBone-dry, sweet or sparkling — always with high acidity. Quince, honey, lanolin.7 countries
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  ColombardCrisp and high-yielding — once distilled for Cognac and Armagnac, now fresh table wine in Gascony.3 countries
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  CorteseCrisp, almond-tinged, citric. The grape behind Gavi.1 country
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  EncruzadoThe Dão's finest white — structured, citrusy and nutty, often compared to white Burgundy.1 country
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  FalanghinaBright, floral Campanian white, revived over the past few decades.1 country
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  Fernão PiresAromatic and floral — a leading Portuguese white. Maria Gomes in Bairrada.1 country
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  Fetească AlbăA traditional Romanian white — delicate, floral and peachy.2 countries
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  FianoCampania's textured white — honey, hazelnut and pear — at its best in Fiano di Avellino.1 country
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  FriulanoFriuli's everyday white — almond, pear and herbs. Formerly Tocai Friulano; Sauvignonasse in France.1 country
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  FurmintThe grape behind Tokaji. Searing acidity and a talent for noble rot — superb dry, too.4 countries
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  GarganegaThe Soave grape. Almond, lemon and chamomile; ages better than its reputation.1 country
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  GewürztraminerLychee, rose and ginger — the most recognisable nose in wine. Low acid, often off-dry.11 countries
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  GleraThe Prosecco grape. Pear, green apple, white flowers — built for freshness, not age.1 country
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  Godello / GouveioCrisp and mineral. The same vine as Spain's Godello — not Madeira's Verdelho, as long believed.2 countries
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  Grasă de CotnariRomania's historic sweet-wine grape from Cotnari, prone to noble rot.1 country
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  GrecoThe crisp, mineral white of Greco di Tufo, from the hills of Campania.1 country
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  Grenache BlancGrenache's white form — full, soft and fruity. Garnacha Blanca in Spain.2 countries
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  GrilloA leading Sicilian white — fresh and citrusy, and a traditional grape of Marsala.1 country
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  Grüner VeltlinerAustria's own. White pepper, green bean and citrus, from zippy to rich and age-worthy.4 countries
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  Hárslevelű"Linden leaf." Furmint's softer, more perfumed partner in Tokaj.1 country
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  KernerRiesling crossed with Schiava in 1929 — fresh, aromatic and frost-hardy.1 country
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  KisiA traditional Kakhetian white, often made as amber qvevri wine.1 country
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  KoshuJapan's signature grape, grown there for centuries: delicate, citrusy, low-alcohol whites.1 country
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  LoureiroLaurel and orange blossom — Vinho Verde's most aromatic grape.1 country
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  Malvasia IstrianaIstria's aromatic white — acacia, apricot and a salty finish. Malvazija Istarska in Croatia and Slovenia.2 countries
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  MarsanneFull, waxy and nutty — the northern Rhône's main white, often blended with Roussanne.1 country
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  MauzacApple-scented white behind Limoux's Blanquette sparkling wines.1 country
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  Melon de BourgogneNeutral, saline and fresh. The grape of Muscadet.1 country
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  Moscato BiancoOne of the few grapes that smells like grapes. Orange blossom and peach.14 countries
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  MoschofileroPink-skinned, highly aromatic Greek white from Mantinia — rose petal and citrus.1 country
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  MtsvaneAromatic Georgian white, often blended with Rkatsiteli in Kakheti.1 country
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  MuscadelleFloral, grapey minor partner in Bordeaux whites, and the grape of Australia's fortified "Topaque".1 country
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  Muscat of AlexandriaAn ancient, heat-loving Muscat for sweet wines, raisins and brandy — Zibibbo in Sicily, Moscatel in Iberia, Hanepoot in South Africa.8 countries
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  Müller-ThurgauAn 1882 crossing of Riesling and Madeleine Royale — easy, floral and early-ripening. Rivaner in Luxembourg.6 countries
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  NarinceTurkey's elegant white from Tokat — fresh and citrusy, sometimes oak-aged.1 country
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  PalominoNeutral on its own, which is the point: the blank canvas for sherry.2 countries
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  ParelladaLight, delicate Catalan white that adds finesse to Cava.1 country
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  Pedro XiménezSun-dried to raisins, it makes the darkest, sweetest sherry of all.2 countries
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  Petite ArvineA Valais speciality: grapefruit, rhubarb and a salty finish, dry or sweet.1 country
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  Petit MansengTiny, thick-skinned berries left to shrivel on the vine for luscious sweet Jurançon.1 country
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  Picpoul"Lip-stinger" — the sharply acidic white of Picpoul de Pinet, the Languedoc's oyster wine.1 country
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  Pinot BlancPinot's white mutation — gentle apple and almond. Pinot Bianco in Italy, Weissburgunder in Germany and Austria.5 countries
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  Pinot GrisRicher and spicier than its Italian Grigio alter ego.10 countries
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  PošipAromatic white from the Croatian island of Korčula.1 country
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  Ribolla GiallaAn old white of the Italian–Slovenian border (Rebula in Slovenia), famous today for skin-contact amber wines.1 country
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  RieslingThe great terroir white. Lime, slate, racing acidity, bone-dry to lusciously sweet.15 countries
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  RkatsiteliCrisp as a modern white; amber and grippy after months on its skins in clay qvevri.11 countries
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  RoussanneHerbal tea and pear — the more aromatic partner to Marsanne.2 countries
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  Sauvignon BlancPiercing acidity. Gooseberry and cut grass, or passionfruit in the sun.11 countries
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  SavagninThe Jura's grape of vin jaune, aged under a veil of yeast — nutty, salty and long-lived.1 country
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  ScheurebeA 1916 German crossing with a wild pink-grapefruit and blackcurrant perfume.1 country
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  SercialMadeira's driest style — searing acidity, almonds and citrus.1 country
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  SilvanerEarthy, herbal and quietly mineral — Franken's great grape, and Sylvaner in Alsace.2 countries
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  SémillonWaxy and low-acid. Prone to noble rot, which is the point in Sauternes.5 countries
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  TorrontésArgentina's aromatic signature white (strictly Torrontés Riojano) — rose, jasmine and citrus. A natural crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and País.1 country
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  Trebbiano Toscano / Ugni BlancOne of the world's most planted whites: neutral and high in acid, and the base of Cognac as Ugni Blanc.3 countries
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  VerdejoRueda's crisp, herbal white — fennel, lime and a bitter-almond finish.1 country
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  VerdelhoMadeira's medium-dry grape, also grown in Australia for fresh, tropical dry whites. Not the same as Gouveio.2 countries
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  VerdicchioThe Marche's crisp, almond-tinged white.1 country
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  VermentinoMediterranean coastal white — citrus, herbs and sea salt. Rolle in Provence.2 countries
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  VernacciaTuscany's historic white — saline, bitter-almond finish.1 country
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  Vidal BlancA French hybrid bred for cold. Its thick skin makes it the workhorse of Canadian icewine.2 countries
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  ViognierApricot, peach and honeysuckle, low acid and oily. All but vanished in the 1960s.6 countries
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  Viura / MacabeoRioja's white — neutral and fresh young, nutty and complex with age.2 countries
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  VoskehatA native Armenian white, made dry and in fortified styles.1 country
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  WelschrieslingCentral Europe's crisp, green-apple white — no relation to Riesling. Graševina in Croatia, Olaszrizling in Hungary.5 countries
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  Xarel·loThe backbone of Cava and Penedès whites — full, herbal and age-worthy.1 country
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  XynisteriCyprus's main white — light and citrusy, and one of the grapes of sweet Commandaria.1 country
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  ŽilavkaHerzegovina's main white — dry, apricot-scented, with a nutty finish.1 country