Getting To Know The Grapes Flashcards
How many grapes varieties are there thought to be?
5,000-10,000
How many grape varieties are commercially planted?
150
What are the two kinds are common crosses
Natural (spontaneously occurred in nature), and intentional (made by growers)
One of the liveliest white wines in Europe, considered the best wine for seafood. It is Spain’s most notable white wine, grown mostly in Rias Baixas. Floral and citrusy, but not quite as aromatic as riesling or gewurtztraminer. For all its’ fame in Spain, it probably originated in Portugal.
Albarino
Portuguese name for Albarino
Alvarinho
The most widely planted red grape in Piedmont, also planted in small amounts in Northern California.
Barbera
This grape plays an important role in most famous Bordeaux-style blends (famously the majority of Cheval Blancs wines). It is not as fleshy as merlot, nor as structured/intense as cabernet sauvignon. When unripe it has a green bellpepper taste. Loire Valley Chinon is 100% this grape. This grape originated in the Basque Region.
Cabernet Franc
What are the three chief founder varieties
Pinot Noir, Gouais Blanc, and Savagnin
The preeminent classic red grape variety, few other wines in the world as able to combine power and elegance like this grape. Black-currant, blackberry, mint, licorice, tobacco, dark chocolate. One of the most tannic red grapes. The most famous wine made with this grape are blends in Bordeaux.
Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the most successful white grapes in the world. Vanilla, butter, minerals, green apple, and exotic citrus fruit. The texture is creamy, lush, and full-bodied. Chablis is made of 100% this grape. It is a natural cross between gouais and pinot noir.
Chardonnay
Grown mostly in Loire (it also originated here), specifically in Vouvray and Savennieres, this grape tastes like apples, honey, has shimmering acidity and minerality. Also grown in South Africa
Chenin Blanc
What is Chenin Blanc called in South Africa?
Steen
The least tannic of the famous red grapes, its ancestral home is Burgundy, but it was banished to Beaujolais by a powerful Duke in the 14th century. It’s parents are pinot noir and gouais blanc. It’s best wines come from one of the ten cru villages in Beaujolais.
Gamay
The most aromatic white wine, smells like roses, lychees, gingerbread, grapefruit, fruit-cocktail syrup. This grape is not actually a distinct variety but rather savaagnin rose- a pink berried clone of savagnin. Most famously grown in Alsace, also grown in Trentino-Alto Adige in Italy.
Gewurztraminer
What does “gewurz” mean in German?
spice, outrageously perfumed