Wine Grape Varieties of the World from a European Point of View E-Book

Markku Kiskola

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 166

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Do you often think what would be the best wine? Or how to find your own favourite wine. Would you like it easier to talk about wines and wine grapes? Because of the abundance of wines, it's much easier to get to know them starting with the different types of grapes. To this end, Wine Grape Varieties of the World from a European Point of View offers good support by listing about 930 varieties, many with several synonyms. Almost every variety now has a brief description of the aroma. The book first lists the ten most favoured grape varieties, and after this the varieties are listed by countries and by wine regions. 58 countries are included. Finally, you can find maps of wine regions, a description of the most common varieties, and an alphabetical index of the wine grape varieties including a large number of synonyms. This reference book is the same size as the screen of a tablet, handy for viewing at your home as well as packing it in your bag or suitcase as a guide to local wines. It is also available as an eBook for all platforms. This makes it easy to search all the grape varieties for instance of a particular wine region or a particular country. The book can be previewed before a possible decision to buy it e.g. by clicking the following find your favourite wine link. https://sites.google.com/view/find-your-favourite-wine/ The link also gives you useful guidance, if you decide to buy it. If the link is not active, you can paint it. Then, click the right mouse button and choose Move to the address. Or, you can paint the link and copy and paste it to the address field of your browser.

Leseprobe

Because of the abundance of wines, it’s much easier to get to know them starting with the different types of grapes.

To this end, Wine Grape Varieties of the World from a European Point of View offers good support by listing about 930 varieties, many with several synonyms. Almost every variety now has a brief description of the aroma.

The book first lists the ten most favoured grape varieties, and after this the varieties are listed by countries and by wine regions. 58 countries are included. Finally, you can find maps of wine regions, a description of the most common varieties, and an alphabetical index of the wine grape varieties including a large number of synonyms.

This reference book is the same size as the screen of a tablet, handy for viewing at your home as well as packing it in your bag or suitcase as a guide to local wines.

It is also available as an eBook for all platforms. This makes it easy to search all the grape varieties for instance of a particular wine region or a particular country.

Contents

To the reader

Introduction to better understanding of this book

How many grape varieties

The data in this book

The columns in the catalogue

Wines of the countries and regions

Taste of wines

The order of the countries and regions

Special notes on varieties

Cross, mutant, or clone

A few more tips

WINE GRAPE VARIETIES

Globally most favoured wine grape varieties

IN FRANCE AND ELSEWHERE

IN ITALY AND ELSEWHERE

IN PORTUGAL AND ELSEWHERE

IN SPAIN AND ELSEWHERE

IN GREECE AND ELSEWHERE

IN SWITZERLAND AND ELSEWHERE

IN GERMANY AND ELSEWHERE

IN AUSTRIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN HUNGARY AND ELSEWHERE

IN ENGLAND, WALES AND ELSEWHERE

IN FINLAND, BALTIC AND NORDIC COUNTRIES

IN CZECH REPUBLIC AND ELSEWHERE

IN SLOVAKIA

IN SLOVENIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN BULGARIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN ROMANIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN CROATIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

IN SERBIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN ALBANIA

IN CYPRUS AND ELSEWHERE

IN MOLDOVA AND ELSEWHERE

IN UKRAINE AND ELSEWHERE

IN GEORGIA (CAUCASUS) AND ELSEWHERE

IN RUSSIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN ARMENIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN AZERBAIJAN

IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ELSEWHERE

IN TURKEY

IN ALGERIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN TUNISIA

IN ZIMBABWE AND ELSEWHERE

IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ELSEWHERE

IN THE USA AND ELSEWHERE

IN CANADA AND ELSEWHERE

IN ARGENTINA

IN BRAZIL

IN CHILE

IN INDIA

IN THAILAND

IN CHINA AND ELSEWHERE

IN JAPAN

IN AUSTRALIA AND ELSEWHERE

IN NEW ZEALAND

Map of wine regions in France

Wine regions in Italy

Map of wine regions in Spain

Map of wine regions in Portugal

Characteristics of some of the most common varieties of a country or a region

ALPHABETICAL INDEX, wine grape varieties

To the reader

This book might well be one of the most extensive catalogues of the grape varieties ever done. It begins by introducing more than ten most favoured grape varieties. It then goes on to list a total of about 930 varieties, some of them, possibly, being identical.

The various names in different languages can actually mean the same variety, or the local clones proclaimed to be unique can actually be the same. Surely, this book contains more than nine hundred different grape varieties.

You will find a short introduction before the listing of the grape varieties, followed by a short description of the most common ones in the countries covered in this book. Finally, there is the alphabetical index of varieties, including a large number of selected synonyms.

The main catalogue lists the Vitis Vinifera varieties, which have traditionally been used to make wines. However, especially in North America they also use hybrid varieties which are man-made crosses of Vitis Vinifera, Vitis Labrusca (VV x VL) and, additionally, other families of varieties. These are mostly omitted in this book. If they are mentioned in the catalogue the notes column tends to display the word hybrid.

The catalogue also omits more than one hundred varieties which are being developed in laboratories. Because their use in wine making is not widespread. Instead, some eatable table grapes are included when they are used also for wine making.

Each variety is listed only once, together with its aliases, names of the countries, and the regions of cultivation whenever known. The names of the regions are written in their native form, e.g. Bourgogne, not Burgundy. The term Catalunya (Catalunya, Montsant, Penedès, Segre) means that the variety is grown not only in the Montsant, Penedès and Segre sub-regions of Catalonia, but also, possibly throughout Catalonia, and definitely in its sub-region of ‘Catalunya’.

The notes column displays plus signs for many of the varieties. Here ++ stands for a wine for everyday consumption, whereas +++++ stands for the highest quality. These ratings reflect only the personal taste of the writer. Every one has his or her specific taste for different wines. You could compare your own taste to the aromas in the note column.

The varieties/aliases and countries/regions have been most carefully cross-checked, trying to find the best available knowledge. Nevertheless, some errors may exist, and the writer cannot take responsibility for possible damage or regret caused by them.

The names of many varieties are often quite ambiguous. The synonyms (aliases) of variety names in different countries and/or regions can be the same even though the varieties are actually different. On the other hand, the varieties claimed to be unique might prove to be the same.

It has taken tens of years to put together this book. Because of the enormous size of the subject, it can be said that all the time consumed to collect the data was necessary. So, this 2023 edition now gives many variety-specific flavours.

To minimize the size of this book, e.g. the number of pictures has been kept to minimum. The compact size makes it handy for use as a pocket reference book.

I hope this concise study of wines gives you enjoyment, and perhaps useful information, too. Tens of years of studying wines has given the writer, not only great enjoyment, but also the inspiration to write this book.

Enjoyable moments of reading this book and sampling various wines

Markku Kiskola, Vantaa, Finland, February 2023

Introduction to better understanding of this book

How many grape varieties

The quality of wines improves year after year as cultivation methods and wine making techniques improve. The plethora of wines increases accordingly. Typically, many French varieties have spread all over the world. The trend is to consume quality wines, not just whatever wines. The marketing and supply of dry and organic wines is prepared to meet the increasing consumer demand of today.

The total worldwide offering probably contains tens of thousands different wines for sale. It is practically impossible to get to know all of these in person. Especially, as the characteristics of any particular wine are influenced by the climate and methods of wine making and aging. However, one of the most important factors to determine the quality of a wine is the used grape variety. On the other hand, a certain grape variety prospers best in a certain climate and a certain region of cultivation.

The number of different grape varieties amounts to about ten thousand. But only about one thousand of them, or a little over one thousand, can be used for making good wines.

Some sources claim that there are only 500 noteworthy grape varieties worldwide. And that only a couple of dozens of them are considered significant. However, each country, and even each region, has its own typical and most favoured local varieties which outnumber the lowest estimate with flying colours.

One way to enter the world of wines is to familiarise yourself with wines based on a certain grape variety. This is how you can learn the tastes and aromas of wines and compare them.

To help this, the book lists 930 grape varieties counting in the sub-varieties. Approximately one hundred and fifty of these are cultivated in France, one hundred and thirty in Spain, one hundred and forty in Portugal, and three hundred and sixty in Italy. The large number of Italian varieties is significant. This comes partly from the fact that e.g. Trebbiano and Malvasia have many subspecies, in addition to the main variety.

Each grape variety is mentioned only once, and together with it all the countries and wine regions where it is cultivated. There are some exceptions, though, when a variety is part of a well-known blend or otherwise very representative of the wine region. You can find a total of 953 variety lines in this book, but about 20 of them are mentioned once again. Some rare varieties are included.

The data in this book

No data, at least directly, is used from the “Wine Grapes” by Jancis Robinson, which lists over 1300 varieties. Neither is e.g. Oz Clarke’s “Grapes & Wines” used in any way.

This book aims to be a layman’s guide and it covers the wines that really exist or have existed commercially. The data has been collected from the labels of wine bottles, from the brochures of the Finnish wine retailer Alko, from articles of wine magazines and partly from wine literature and the Internet.

Where possible, the data has been cross-checked e.g. by using the following web pages:

https://lifeinitaly.com/food/italian-wines/

https://www.winesofportugal.info/

https://www.foodswinesfromspain.com/spanishfoodwine/index.html

https://www.vivc.de/

The photos in this book were taken either by the author or purchased from shutterstock.com.

The columns in the catalogue

This book was designed primarily as a printed book. To achieve the best page lay-out the width and length of the columns were optimised.

However, the computer version of the eBook looks identical and is as well readable as the printed version. The same applies to the eBook version e.g. for iPad if it is viewed in scrolling mode.

The mobile phone version is best viewed page by page, although going through the most common grape varieties requires patience because the columns can be long.

Each eBook version makes it possible to easily search varieties based e.g. on a country or a region.

The columns in the tables explain each grape variety as follows.

The first column (Variety) gives the principal name of the grape variety.

The 16 most favoured varieties are given first. It needs to be noted that only ten of these are real principal varieties.

The others are either red/white derivatives or sub-varieties of the ten principals.

The second column indicates the colour (Col) of the produced wine:

The third column (Alias) gives alternative names or synonyms, which are often used.

The fourth column (COUNTRY (Region)) lists the countries which cultivate the variety mentioned in the Variety column.

The list within brackets after the country gives the cultivating wine regions in the case of France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, the USA, Argentina and Chile.

The underlining indicates that the grape variety is the most cultivated one in the underlined country or region.

The boldface indicates that the grape variety is indigenous to that country or that region. That is, it originates from there.

The italics indicate that significant amounts of the grape variety are cultivated in that country or that region or that subregion.

The underlined boldface indicates therefore that the grape variety originates from this country or region and is the most cultivated one there.

The fifth column (Local Alias) lists, often again, synonyms which are used in a certain country or in a certain region.

The last column (Notes) gives in sometimes, in addition to the + signs, also names of famous or well-known commercial wines based on the variety. The “wine name” is always in quotation marks to separate it from other notes. It also gives in some cases the country of origin, and in most cases typical aromas. This data on aromas should be treated quite carefully as they are often single notes picked up from the Internet, or only the writer’s personal opinion.

Wines of the countries and regions

Generally, the white grape varieties tend to thrive in the north better than the red ones. England is an excellent example with its yearly growing wine production. Especially the English champagne imitations can be unexpectedly good. Moreover, England used to be a major consumer of French wines.

Best French wines are AOC classified, but nowadays also VDP (Vin de Pays) can be good. Generally speaking, French wines are often made of one or two grape varieties. However, in Bordeaux the wines are usually a mixture of several varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot is often the main grape. Sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carménère, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot varieties may all be blended in one red wine.

The quality of these French wines depends much on the sub-region and the year. For instance, the Saint Julien 1988 from Bordeaux is excellent but expensive.

Young Cabernet Sauvignon red wines are often very tannic and require a long aging period to become pleasant for palate. After proper aging, they are versatile, but best accompanied by meat dishes. Sauvignon Blanc is the most common white variety in Bordeaux.

Maybe the most famous French blend is champagne which usually includes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The last two varieties are regarded as less noble. So, champagne often has two red varieties, although the colour of the wine is usually white! Champagne is drinkable as such but goes as well with every meal.

The Bourgogne region in France makes wines mostly from a single variety. The red wines are made of Pinot Noir or Gamay and the white wines of Chardonnay.

It should be noted that a mixture of 9 grapes may used to make Rhône’s famous red wine ”Châteauneuf-du-Pape”. The grapes are Grenache, Vaccarese, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette and Picpoul. So, Rhône’s most famous and common red grape, Syrah, is not always included here.

The Provence region is famous for its rosé wines, the quality of which has improved tremendously in recent years, but still their pleasantness divides opinions. Their use is as diverse as that of champagne.

”Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie”, made from the Muscadet variety of the Loire’s Pays Nantais sub-region, goes traditionally and excellently with blue mussel dishes.

The wines of Languedoc-Roussillon are inexpensive and their diversity and quality have improved in recent decades. This book also uses the old name Midi for this area, which stretches along the Mediterranean cost from the Rhône estuary all the way to the Spanish border. Midi here does not cover Rhône or Provence, which are mentioned separately.

Wines in Italy are mostly made of a single variety or a blend of two varieties. However, there are exceptions such as Lazio’s (Rome’s) “Frascati” which can be a blend of seven different varieties.

As for Italy, the wine regions are the same as the regions or provinces of the country. The name of a wine often originates from the used variety and a place in the province. For instance, "Barbera d'Asti" is a wine which comes from the surroundings of the town of Asti and is made of the Barbera variety. Italian wines are more often named directly according to the grape than French wines. But Italy has some wine regions whose names are often attached to the name of a wine. Perhaps the most famous ones are “Barolo” and “Barbaresco” in Piemonte province, “Valpolicella” mear Verona in Veneto province, “Soave” and “Bardolino” in Veneto province, and “Chianti” in Toscana province. The difference is that “Barolo”, “Barbaresco”, “Valpolicella”, “Soave” and “Bardolino” each represent only one product category whereas “Chianti” is a trading brand which includes a great number of different wine types.

“Valpolicella” goes well with starters, pasta, meat dishes and cheeses. “Bardolino” in turn mates best with mild dishes, typically with pastas and mild cheeses. It should be noted that the grape only guarantees the basic features of Italian wine. The site of cultivation, even to the detail of a specific vineyard, the producer and often the vintage affect quality as well. A certain wine can vary from an ordinary wine for everyday consumption to an excellent wine for special occasions.

Chianti’s burden is the old DOCG classification. It regulates that some red “Chianti” wines should contain up to 30 percent of the lesser Trebbiano white grape. Fortunately, the last few years have seen deregulation of the classification rules. Italy produces more and more best-quality IGT wines which are free of the DOGC classification. The IGT wines are often a blend of an indigenous Italian and a French variety.

Inexpensive wines from the southern regions of Italy, Apulia and especially Sicily, have diversified and improved considerably in recent years. They have lost their old reputation as a bulk wine, although the vintages are still relatively homogeneous.

“Brunello di Montalcino” is one of the candidates for the best Italian red wine. It comes from a small town of Montalcino in southern Toscana. It mates best with pastas and strong meat dishes such as the game, and with cheeses of course. It is a disappointment with pizzas. The quality of “Brunello di Montalcino” depends much on the vintage and the producer.

Portugal makes wines of a single variety or at most of a blend of a couple of varieties. The wines go best with Portuguese-style dishes, but there are also versatile wines. Portugal’s major DOC regions are mentioned in connection with each grape in this book. However, the southern coast of Algarve is regarded here as only one major region. Efforts have also been made in Portugal to break away from the old DOC regulations, resulting in gratifying wines from Lisbon, for example.

Spanish wines are mostly made of a single variety or of a blend of two varieties. The major DO regions of Spain (the same as DOC in France) are mentioned in connection with the grape variety in this book.

The best white sparkling “Cava” wines, almost exclusively from the Penedès region, compete well with middle range champagnes. Also, organic Cavas are available nowadays.

The Rioja region in Spain has created its own quality classification for its red wines as follows.

Rioja: Aged in oak barrels for about one year, before being sold

Crianza: Aged in oak barrels for one year, after which in bottles for another year. To be sold in the third year.

Reserva: Aged in oak barrels for one year, after which in bottles for two years. To be sold in the fourth year.

Gran Reserva: Aged in oak barrels for two years, after which in bottles for three years. To be sold in the sixth to eighth year.

The wine categories of Reserva or Gran Reserva are not necessarily produced each year.

Also, some other wine regions in Spain apply this quality classification, notably the Valdepeñas region.

The classification does not define the used variety, which can often be read in the label or in the name of a wine.

In Greece, the wines are mostly made of a single variety or a blend of two varieties. The same applies to the rest of countries listed in this book.

The Swiss and Greek grape varieties often have an original feel.

The Swiss varieties are often difficult to track. For instance, the “Fendant” wine is made of the Chasselas grape, the “Dôle” wine is of the Pinot Nero and Gamay, the “Dorin” wine is of the Chasselas, the “Johannisberg” wine is of the Sylvaner, and the “Perlan” wine is of the Chasselas.