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| Albariño/Alvarinho |
A fine, low-yielding grape from Galicia in northwest Spain (the first spelling) or Vinho Verde country in northern Portugal. It ripens well and becomes very sweet, even in these coolish, damp climates, making complex wines with peachy, flowery aromas, higher alcohol than the other grapes of these regions, as well as good, refreshing acidity. It is highly prized as the best white variety of both these countries, and expensive. |
| Bical/Borrado das Moscas |
A good Portuguese white grape with high acidity and fine, scented fruit aroma. It is called Bical in Bairrada, where most of it is turned into sparkling wine. A polite translation of the Dão name, Borrado das Moscas, would be 'fly droppings'. |
| Catarratto |
A rather bland white Sicilian grape, traditionally turned into Marsala. It has a slight almondy edge, which can add a little something to blends with Chardonnay. |
| Chardonnay |
This must be the world's most popular grape variety. Chardonnay has an amazing range of flavours in its repertoire - we wine writers sing of pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, peach, apple, flowers, biscuit, honey, pineapple, toast, vanilla (when oak-aged), butter and cream (when put through malolactic fermentation). Its flavours blend very well with the flavours of oak. In cool climates (Champagne, Burgundy), Chardonnay can be steely and austere, and can age well. In hotter areas (Australia, California, Chile, South Africa) it is rich, ripe and lusciously fruity, generally designed to be drunk fairly young, though the best can also mature for years. It is grown in almost every wine country in the world, failing only in the hottest and the chilliest. |
| Chenin Blanc |
This is the main white grape of the western Loire in France, where it makes a range of wine styles from basic to stunning, from dry to medium to lusciously sweet (appellation names such as Anjou and Saumur Blanc, Savennières, Chenin vin de pays and Vouvray for dry wines, and sweet examples of Vouvrays, Coteaux du Layon, Chaume and several more), as well as sparkling wines, especially from Saumur. Chenin has high acidity and a honey-and-flowers and apple skins flavour, sometimes a flavour rather like wet straw. Its sweet wines come about thanks to 'noble rot' or 'botrytis' - they are honeyed and luscious, with a piercing acidity to balance. Fine Loire Chenin, because of all that acidity, can mature for years. It is also grown widely in South Africa, USA, Australia, California, South America and a bit in New Zealand. These also range from cheap to expensive, and tend to softer but still crisp. |
| Colombard |
At home in south-west France, the Colombard produces rather thin, high-acid wine, ideal for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac along with the local Ugni Blanc. Also with side-kick Ugni Blanc, it makes Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne. Some Colombard also stretches cheap blends of Bordeaux Blanc. It ripens better in California, South Africa and the USA, tasting slightly fuller, and fresh because of its good acidity. |
| Cortese |
A white Italian variety from Piemonte in north-east Italy. It tends to ripen most thoroughly in the Gavi region. It is also found across the north of Italy to the Veneto around Venice, where it goes into the blend for Bianco di Custoza. It is crisp, faintly aromatic and easy drinking. |
| Gewürztraminer |
One of the most headily perfumed grape varieties (Gewürz means 'spice' in German), this is often likened to rose-petals, lychee fruit or cachou sweets. It makes medium to full-bodied wines, ranging from dry to very sweet, light to almost oily-rich, with moderate acidity - it sometimes has too little bite when grown in hot climates or vintages. The fullest-bodied, most richly flavoured Gewürztraminers come from Alsace in eastern France, but you'll also find gentler ones in Australia, Chile, South Africa, Austria, Germany, Northern Italy, Eastern Europe, Canada and the USA, as well as New Zealand, which generally makes the best Gewürztraminer outside Alsace. |
| Grenache Blanc/Garnacha Blanca |
A grape of the south of France and north-east Spain. It makes soft, fat, lightly aromatic whites that are often blended with other varieties. There's less and less of it in the South of France. In Spain it goes into the blends for Alella, Priorato and Tarragona in Catalonia, as well as some white Rioja and Navarra. |
| Irsai Oliver |
A very aromatic grape similar to Muscat grown in Slovakia and Hungary, a crossing of two obscure grapes originally developed as an aromatic table grape. |
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