The Revelation – Appellation vs. Varietal

Novice (and not so novice) wine drinkers often get confused when selecting wine. Shall I have the "Red Bordeaux" or the "Cabernet Sauvignon"? For all you know, you could be having the same wine! The problem is that some wine producers name their wine after the region where the grape is grown and others base the name on the variety of grapes used to make the wine.

As a simple rule, “Old World” wines from France and most of Europe are named after the region – a term referred to as appellation. Examples include Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chianti, Piesporter, and Champagne. Varietal is the word you’ll see applied to most non-European or  “New World” wines. It simply refers to the grape variety used to make the wine. Examples include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

 The types of grapes used to make a wine are probably the single most important factor in the taste of the wine. However, the flavors of a wine are also affected by how old the vines are, what types of soils the vines are grown in, exposure to sunlight, climates and microclimates, how the grapes are handled and fermented, types of yeast used, whether the wine is aged in wood, etc. Therefore, the same grape types can be grown in France, Australia, California and Chile, but various factors result in wines that taste different! Half the fun of experiencing wine is the incredible array of flavors available!

Many of the world's finest wines are a blend of varietals: almost all Bordeaux red wines contain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc; almost all Champagnes contain Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A wine which is a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, for example, is often more complex than a wine which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Exploring varietal characteristics makes for a richer wine experience.

Descriptions of some of the most common varietals:

German Riesling

Color:  Pale Yellow, Straw
Nose:  Green apples, apricots, peaches, honey, lemons, pineapples, and flowers
Taste:  Crisp and unoaked
Produced in: Alsace, Germany, Austria, US, Australia and Canada.

The classic German grape of the Rhine and Mosel regions.  Also known as Rhine Riesling or Johannesburg Riesling in some parts of the world. It is pale straw in color and is best recognized by its floral bouquet

Riesling grapes need cooler climates and they produce both refreshing light-bodied wines and full-bodied table wines to pair with the greatest cuisine. Riesling has a very high natural acidity, which both balances the sugar (think of the way we have to sweeten lemonade) in sweeter wines and acts as a preservative for long aging. The oldest, still-living wine ever tasted was not red--it was a German Riesling, a Steinwein, from the 1540 vintage. It was tasted in 1961, after 420 years, and had not yet perished. Rieslings are floral and fruity, and can be delicate, subtle, and low in alcohol, making for a very nice summer wine.

Gewürztraminer

Color: Straw
Nose:  Roses, lychees
Taste: Soft, fruity, sweet
Produced in: Alsace, Germany, US. (Apparently in Canada too)

White wine grape best-known in Alsace, Germany, the U.S. West Coast and New York; the tongue-twisting name has been jokingly suggested as a good one to use in field sobriety testing. Highly aromatic, makes a wine with much concentration, although the alleged "spice" (literal translation of the German "Gewurz") may be hard to find.

Chardonnay

Color: Buttery Yellow
Nose:  Pears, apples, pineapple, melon, lemons, vanilla, cloves, and butter
Taste: Less crisp, full bodied dry and oaked wines
Produced in: France, US, Australia, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand and many other places.

Known as the "King of White Wine", it is currently the most popular white wine grape. It is used to produce France's magnificent white Burgundies and is the main grape in Champagne. In cooler climates, there are hints of apple, citrus, butter and vanilla whereas in the warmer climate, the aroma swings toward melon and tropical fruits. It is usually oaked and is full bodied and toasty with moderate acidity. When Chardonnay wines are made with care, they are bold, rich and complex and taste of ripe figs and peach, honey and butter, hazelnuts and spice. The best are medium-bodied, medium dry and high in acidity.

Petit Syrah

Color: Inky purple
Nose: Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, roasted green peppers, smoky bacon, black pepper
Taste:
Produced in: California

Merlot

Color:  Deep Red, often opaque
Nose:  Chocolate, violets, oranges, plum, black current, black cherry, herbal flavors
Taste: Medium Bodied, mid tannins, soft red. They do not taste crisp and usually have some detectable level of tannins. Flavors tend to be complex coupled with oak.
Produced in: Bordeaux, California, Washington, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Italy, Romania and Bulgaria.

Very good red-wine grape, a key player in the Bordeaux blend. Merlot is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon at almost all the great estates of France's Bordeaux region and is the dominant grape of St. Emilion and Pomerol. Other areas where Merlot has been successfully grown (and frequently blended into Cabernets to produce a more complex wine) include northern Italy, California, Washington and the Rogue Valley region of Oregon. Because it makes a smooth and mellow red wine, it has become an "entry" wine for new red-wine drinkers.

Pinot Noir

Color:  Light Red
Nose:  Wood smoke, damp earth, mushroom, strawberries, barnyard smell, sweet cream
Taste: Medium to heavy Bodied, low tannins, firm red wines (less acidity)
Produced in: Burgundy, Alsace, Germany, California, Oregon, Italy, Switzerland and New Zealand.

Classic red grape widely accepted as one of the world's best. Burgundy is its home, and it has proven difficult to grow and vinify well elsewhere, but California and Oregon increasingly hit the mark (albeit with usually a somewhat different style), and wine makers in many other parts of the world are still trying. To grape growers and winemakers, Pinot Noir presents both the ultimate challenge and the ultimate reward. At their best, Pinot Noir grapes produce wines that are rich and complex, tasting of black cherries, red berries, earth and spice, with an aroma that's been likened to everything from herbs and cola to bacon and roses.