Grape Varieties

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon ('Cab' for short) is the most famous of all red-wine grapes. The product of a natural crossing of key Bordeaux grape varieties Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon's DNA was profiled only as recently as 1997.
Bordeaux Blend

Bordeaux's classic blend of Cabernets and Merlot, perhaps with a hint of Malbec or Petit Verdot, is one of the wine world's fundamental building blocks. The blend has been warmly adopted in many wine regions outside Bordeaux, from Australia and New Zealand to Chile and California.
Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the red wine grape of Burgundy, now adopted (and feverishly studied) in wine regions all over the world. It is the patriarch of the 'Pinot' family of grape varieties - so called because their bunches are similar in shape to a pine cone.
Sangiovese

A strong all-rounder, Sangiovese is Italy's most widely planted wine grape, and a cornerstone of the Italian national vineyard. It is as comfortable in humble IGT wines as it is in traditional DOCG greats like Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Riesling

If the majority of top wine critics are to be listened to, Riesling may well be the world's finest white-wine grape variety. Although now grown in many New World regions, Riesling's spiritual home is western Germany, on steep slate-lined slopes overlooking the rivers Rhine and Mosel.
Pinot Grigio

More than just the Italian name for Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio is an icon of northern Italian white wine (particularly in Veneto). It flies the flag for accessible, crisp, refreshing wines, and is enjoying newfound popularity in the 21st Century.
Chardonnay

Chardonnay, aside from holding the monopoly on white Burgundy, is the world's most popular white-wine grape (and also one of the most widely planted). The key to the variety's success is its flexibility; it responds well to a wide range of terroirs and winemaking styles.
Nebbiolo

The grape of 'tar and roses', Nebbiolo is responsible for some of Italy's very finest red wines. Its most notable incarnation is in the top red wines of Piedmont: Barolo and Barbaresco. The variety is named for the nebbia (fog) which settles over Barolo in early autumn.
Sauvignon Blanc

Although originally from western France (Bordeaux and the Loire Valley), Sauvignon Blanc is now successfully grown in wine regions all over the world. It has adapted well to various New World homes, particularly Marlborough, New Zealand.