Grape Varieties
The personality of a wine lives in its grape. Browse 112 varieties — body, acidity, climate and what to cook with them.
Red Grapes (44)
Cabernet Sauvignon
full body · high acidity
Warmer climates bring jammy black fruit; cooler zones lift the green, herbal side.
Merlot
medium-full body · medium acidity
Cool climates give herbal, structured Merlot; warmer ones produce plush, jammy wines.
Pinot Noir
light-medium body · high acidity
A cool-climate grape; great examples come from Burgundy, Oregon, Central Otago and cool coastal regions.
Shiraz / Syrah
full body · medium-high acidity
Cool climates give peppery, structured Syrah; warm climates produce rich, jammy Shiraz.
Grenache
medium-full body · medium acidity
Warm and dry climates; it loves the sun of the Rhône, Spain and Australia.
Mourvèdre
full body · medium-high acidity
Late-ripening; needs long hot summers to succeed.
Sangiovese
medium body · high acidity
Warm, sunny Mediterranean climates across Tuscany and central-south Italy.
Tempranillo
medium-full body · medium acidity
Adaptable; most famous in Spain's cooler north (Rioja, Ribera) and in Portugal.
Nebbiolo
full body · high acidity
Cool, dry piedmontese hillside conditions; the grape needs perfect autumn ripening.
Barbera
medium body · high acidity
Warm, sunny Piedmont valleys; handles heat well.
Dolcetto
light-medium body · medium acidity
Cool-piedmont hills; ripens early.
Malbec
full body · medium-high acidity
Warm, high-altitude climates are essential - Argentine mountain vineyards excel.
Carmenère
medium-full body · medium acidity
Warm, sunny climates; needs long summers to ripen, prefers Chilean sunshine.
Zinfandel
full body · medium-high acidity
Warm; reaches jammy extremes in California's hotter valleys.
Nero d'Avola
full body · medium acidity
Warm, sunny Mediterranean; the flagship red of Sicily.
Touriga Nacional
full body · high acidity
Warm, sunny continental; Douro terraces and Portuguese valleys.
Pinotage
full body · medium acidity
Warm, dry Mediterranean at altitude in South Africa.
Norton
medium-full body · high acidity
Warm, eastern U.S. climates; tolerant of humidity.
Montepulciano
full body · medium acidity
Warm Mediterranean; the Adriatic mid-Italy.
Blaufränkisch
medium-full body · high acidity
Cool-to-temperate eastern Austria closely mirrors Burgundian conditions.
Cabernet Franc
medium body · medium-high acidity
Cool-to-temperate; thrives on the Loire and the cool banks of Bordeaux.
Saperavi
full body · medium-high acidity
Warm continental eastern Georgia; tolerant of cold and heat.
Nerello Mascalese
medium body · high acidity
Cool high-altitude volcanic slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily.
Corvina
medium body · medium-high acidity
Cool-to-moderate lake-influenced climate of the Veneto's Valpolicella hills.
Gamay Noir
light body · high acidity
Cool-to-moderate continental; thrives on the granite hills of Beaujolais.
Tinta Cão
medium body · high acidity
Warm, dry Douro terraces where old vines thrive.
Carignan
medium-full body · high acidity
Hot Mediterranean slopes; old bush vines on schist and slate tame its toughness.
Cinsault
light-medium body · medium acidity
Hot, dry Mediterranean; drought-tolerant bush vines ripen easily.
Touriga Franca
medium-full body · medium-high acidity
Warm Douro terraces; ripens later than Touriga Nacional with lower yields.
Tinta Roriz
medium-full body · high acidity
Warm, dry Douro schist slopes; withstands harsh continental heat.
Tinta Barroca
medium-full body · medium acidity
Warm Douro; ripens early, adding sweetness and weight to Port blends.
Nerello Cappuccio
light-medium body · high acidity
High volcanic slopes of Mount Etna; cool nights and fierce sun.
Bonarda
medium body · medium acidity
Warm Mendoza plains and Andean foothills; long sunny days.
Tinto Cão
medium body · high acidity
Warm, dry Douro terraces where old vines thrive.
Graciano
medium body · high acidity
Warm Spanish Rioja; late-ripening.
Mazuelo
full body · medium acidity
Warm Rioja and Cariñena regions; robust in hot, dry conditions.
Dornfelder
medium-full body · medium acidity
Cool German vineyards where this robustly pigmented variety excels.
Tibouren
light body · medium acidity
Hot Provençal coast; ancient vines survive drought well.
Humagne Rouge
medium body · medium acidity
Extreme high-altitude sun of the Valais Alps; ripens exceptionally late.
Molinara
light body · high acidity
Cool, hilly Valpolicella; late-ripening, pale-skinned.
Rondinella
medium body · medium-high acidity
Valpolicella hills; drought-resistant, productive and early.
Gaglioppo
full body · medium acidity
Hot, dry southern Calabria; the heat of Ciro is its home.
Grumello
full body · high acidity
Cool, steep alpine slopes of Valtellina high above Lake Como.
Refosco
medium-full body · high acidity
Cool, breezy vineyards of Friuli's hills and flats.
White Grapes (68)
Chardonnay
medium-full body · medium acidity
Adaptable - from Chablis' steely cool to warm-climate tropical richness.
Sauvignon Blanc
light-medium body · high acidity
Cool climates give the signature herbaceous, zippy style; warm ones produce tropical fruit.
Riesling
light-medium body · high acidity
Cool climates - it's the great grape of Germany, Alsace and Austria.
Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris
light-medium body · medium acidity
Cool-to-temperate Alpine and ocean climates.
Gewürztraminer
full body · low-medium acidity
Cool-to-cold; its aromatic intensity requires cool growing regions.
Viognier
full body · low-medium acidity
Warm, dry; the northern Rhône is its spiritual home.
Chenin Blanc
medium body · high acidity
Cool-to-moderate; the Loire and South Africa lead the way.
Albariño
light-medium body · high acidity
Cool, Atlantic-influenced Galician and Portuguese coastal climates.
Verdejo
light-medium body · high acidity
Warm continental; the Rueda region of northern Spain is its home.
Grüner Veltliner
medium body · high acidity
Cool, continental Austria; the signature grape of Vienna and Wachau.
Garganega
medium body · high acidity
Sunny, temperate Veneto hills; the grape behind Soave.
Glera / Prosecco
light body · medium-high acidity
Cool, gentle Veneto hills; DOCG Conegliano-Valdobbiadene excels.
Moscato / Muscat
light body · medium acidity
Warm, Mediterranean and Alpine vineyards; above all aromatic.
Sémillon
medium-full body · medium acidity
Moderate-temperate; shines in Bordeaux and Australia's Hunter Valley.
Assyrtiko
light-medium body · high acidity
Hot, dry, windy volcanic island of Santorini, Greece.
Godello
medium body · medium-high acidity
Cool, Atlantic-influenced Galician inland valleys.
Arneis
medium body · medium acidity
Warm, dry Langhe hills of Piedmont.
Fiano
medium-full body · medium-high acidity
Warm, southern Italian volcanic Campania; thrives in Degli Avellino.
Vermentino
light-medium body · medium-high acidity
Warm, coastal Mediterranean; in Provence, Sardinia, Liguria and Tuscany.
Falanghina
light-medium body · medium-high acidity
Warm, Mediterranean coastal Campania around Naples.
Trebbiano
light body · high acidity
Warm, sunny central Italian hills; widely planted.
Pinot Meunier
light body · medium acidity
Cool climate Champagne grape used mainly for blending in sparkling wine.
Rkatsiteli
medium body · high acidity
Continental Caucasian climate of Georgia and eastern Europe.
Palomino Fino
light body · medium acidity
Hot, sea-breezed climate of the sherry triangle in southern Spain.
Sercial
light-medium body · high acidity
Warm, humid Atlantic island climate of Madeira.
Muscat
light body · medium acidity
Warm and sunny climates; aroma peaks in cool nights and long ripening.
Melon de Bourgogne
light body · high acidity
Cool Atlantic-influenced climate; the Loire estuary is its true home.
Aligoté
light body · high acidity
Cool continental; the Côte de Beaune's limestone grows it sharp and herbal.
Marsanne
medium-full body · medium acidity
Warm river-valley climate with cool breezes; the northern Rhône's white workhorse.
Roussanne
medium body · medium-high acidity
Warm sun with cooling mistral winds; thrives on granitic slopes of the northern Rhône.
Vidal
medium body · high acidity
Frozen winters of Ontario; grapes picked and pressed while frozen.
Malvasia
medium body · medium acidity
Warm Mediterranean islands and coastlines; full sun brings honeyed richness.
Cortese
light body · high acidity
Cool winds off the Langhe hills; the grape of Gavi in Piedmont.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano
medium body · medium-high acidity
Warm Tuscan sunlight on clay-limestone soils of San Gimignano's towers.
Grillo
medium body · medium-high acidity
Hot Sicilian sun with cooling sea breezes; concentrated but fresh.
Catarratto
medium body · medium acidity
Hot, dry western Sicily; large, hardy vines resist drought.
Carricante
medium body · high acidity
High-altitude volcanic slopes of Mount Etna; cool nights give brisk acidity.
Inzolia
medium body · medium acidity
Coastal, warm Sicily and Tuscany; sea breezes keep acids in balance.
Verdelho
medium body · high acidity
Warm, maritime climates; the Hunter Valley and Madeira are its homes.
Torrontés
light-medium body · medium acidity
High-altitude, sunny vineyards of northern Argentina; intense sun and cool nights.
Müller-Thurgau
light body · medium acidity
Cool northern climates; early-ripening, forgiving and productive.
Weissburgunder
medium body · medium acidity
Cool, continental vineyards across Germany, Austria and Alsace.
Scheurebe
medium body · high acidity
Cool German vineyards; late-ripening, intense aromatics.
Xarel·lo
medium body · high acidity
Warm, dry Penedès hills with cool Mediterranean influence.
Macabeo
medium body · medium acidity
Warm Mediterranean and continental plains; versatile and productive.
Parellada
light body · medium acidity
Cooler uplands of Penedès; late-ripening, delicate aromatics.
Pedro Ximénez
sweet-full body · medium acidity
Blazing Andalusian sun where grapes are dried to raisin intensity.
Ribolla Gialla
medium body · high acidity
Cool alpine foothills of Friuli and Slovenia.
Friulano
medium body · medium acidity
Cool alpine-influenced vineyards of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Furmint
medium-full body · high acidity
Cool continental with autumn fogs; the Tokaj region of Hungary is sacred.
Chasselas
light body · low-medium acidity
High alpine sunshine of Switzerland's Valais terraces.
Treixadura
medium body · medium-high acidity
Cool Atlantic; the Rías Baixas and Ribeiro of Galicia are home.
Loureiro
light body · high acidity
Cool, wet Atlantic farmland of the Vinho Verde region.
Azal
light body · high acidity
Cool Atlantic vineyards of northern Portugal.
Viura
medium body · medium acidity
Cool, dry continental Rioja hills with Atlantic influence.
Elbling
light body · high acidity
Cool steep Mosel and Luxembourg slopes; one of Europe's oldest grapes.
Neuburger
medium body · medium acidity
Cool Wachau hills above the Danube, Austria.
Petite Arvine
medium body · high acidity
High alpine sun and cool nights of Switzerland's Valais terraces.
Sylvaner
light body · medium acidity
Cool, north-facing and valley vineyards of Alsace and Germany.
Mtsvane
medium body · medium acidity
Warm Kakheti valleys with cool nights; vineyard shade is valued.
Kisi
medium-full body · medium acidity
Warm Georgian valleys; historically shade-grown as an economic crop.
Albillo
medium body · medium acidity
Old bush vines on the chalky, high-altitude slopes of Ribera del Duero.
Arneiro
light-medium body · high acidity
Cool, rain-soaked Atlantic vineyards of Portugal's Vinho Verde.
Vinalho
light-medium body · medium-high acidity
Atlantic-influenced low hills of Portugal's Vinho Verde.
Athiri
light-medium body · medium acidity
Hot, windy, mineral-rich volcanic soils of Santorini.
Aidani
light-medium body · medium acidity
Dry, windy volcanic terraces of the Aegean island of Santorini.
Fendant
light body · medium acidity
Steep, sun-drenched terraced vineyards of Switzerland's Valais.
Johannisberg
light body · medium acidity
Cool, high-altitude terraces of Switzerland's Valais.