Explore beginner-friendly guides to the world's most important wine grapes. Learn how different grape varieties taste, where they grow best, and which foods they pair with.
Beginner-friendly guides designed to help you understand wine with confidence.
Pinot Grigio, also called Pinot Gris, makes whites ranging from crisp pear-and-citrus styles to rich, spiced wines. Northern Italy and Alsace are famous sources, offering refreshing everyday bottles and textured wines for food.
Chenin Blanc is a versatile white grape known for apple, pear, citrus and honeyed flavours. It is grown especially in France’s Loire Valley and South Africa, producing dry, sparkling and sweet wines.
Savagnin is Jura’s white grape behind Vin Jaune, the region’s distinctive dry wine aged under a natural yeast veil. It also makes fresh, high-acid wines with citrus and orchard-fruit flavours, as well as fuller, nuttier wines shaped by sous-voile ageing.
Vermentino is a dry white grape best known for producing fresh, aromatic wines with flavours of lemon, grapefruit, green apple and Mediterranean herbs. It is particularly associated with Sardinia, Liguria and coastal Tuscany.
Sangiovese is generally regarded as Italy's most widely planted red grape and is the foundation of wines such as Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. It typically produces dry, medium-bodied wines with flavours of sour cherry, plum, dried herbs and spice.
Merlot is a dark-skinned red grape that often produces smooth, fruit-driven wines with flavours of plum, black cherry and chocolate. It is famous in Bordeaux and widely grown across the world, from California to Chile.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape variety that typically produces medium-full to full-bodied wines known for blackcurrant flavours, firm tannins and excellent ageing potential. It is famous in Bordeaux and Napa Valley, but is grown throughout the world.
Syrah and Shiraz are two names for the same dark-skinned red grape. It typically produces dry, full-bodied wines with flavours of blackberry, plum, black pepper and spice. It is most famous in the Rhône Valley and across Australia, where styles range from elegant and savoury to rich and powerful.
Riesling is an aromatic white grape best known for its high acidity and flavours of lime, green apple, peach and flowers. It is most famous in Germany but also thrives in Australia and France. Riesling can produce wines ranging from bone dry to intensely sweet while remaining fresh and vibrant.
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