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Cabernet Sauvignon (red)
Produces long-lasting, deeply coloured red wines that are astringent when
young but mellow with age. As red Bordeaux, particularly from the Médoc
and Graves regions, the wines are leaner and more elegant than Cabernets
grown in California, Australia or Chile.
Noted flavours: Cedar and blackcurrant
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Chardonnay (white)
Makes a dry wine whose range of flavours depends on where the grapes were
grown and how long the wine stayed in oak (if at all). Chardonnay will be
labeled as such in most regions other than France where it is named after
the village where it was grown. Examples: Chablis, Meursault, Montrachet,
Pouilly-Fuissé.
Champagne also uses Chardonnay in the blend and exclusively
as Blanc de blancs Champagne
Noted flavours (cool climate): Apple, vanilla,
nutty; (warm climate): Tropical fruits, smoky, spicy.
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Chenin Blanc (white)
The wines can range from very dry to off-dry to sweet as well as sparkling.
Best known as Vouvray and Saumur (villages in the Loire Valley). Also grown
in California which makes a softer, less acidic wine, and in South Africa
where it is frequently called Steen.
Noted flavours: Pear, apple.
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Gamay (red)
The grape of Beaujolais. Makes a light, fruity wine that can be consumed
young, especially chilled. When blended with Pinot Noir in Burgundy, the
wine is called Passe-tout-Grains.
Noted flavours: Cherry, pepper.
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Gewürztraminer
The most unforgettable of grapes. Grown in Alsace and Germany and throughout
Europe as Traminer, the wines have an exotic perfume of lychee nuts, rose
petals and sometimes red peppers. They suggest sweetness on the nose, but
the best (from Alsace) are dry. Also produced in Oregon and California and
Ontario. Gewürz is German for spicy, and Traminer means from the town of
Tramin where the vine was first propagated.
Noted flavours: Lychee, rose petals.
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Merlot (red)
Very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon but softer, fruitier and faster maturing.
In Bordeaux and in many other regions, including California, it is blended
with Cabernet to make the wine rounder. Merlot predominates in the St. Emilion
and Pomerol, producing dark, full-bodied wines.
Noted flavours: Blackberry, blackcurrant.
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Muscat (white, less commonly black)
Although it is made as a dry wine in Alsace and sometimes in Australia,
Muscat wines are generally sweet and rich. They are usually grown in warm
climates; the hotter they are, the sweeter the wine will be, culminating
in the Muscat of Samos (Greece). Black Muscat is invariably a sweet dessert
wine.
Noted flavours: Grapey, aromatic
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Nebbiolo (red)
Grown extensively in Piedmont and other northern Italian provinces, Nebbiolo
produces the long-lived, somewhat austere Barolo and Barbaresco with their
characteristic bitter finish.
Noted flavours: Truffle, tar, roses
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Pinot Noir (red)
A notoriously fickle grape. When fully ripe makes exquisite wines in Burgundy
that age almost as long as red Bordeaux. Also successfully grown in Oregon
and California. Extensively used in the production of Champagne (where it
is blended with Chardonnay). When used by itself, it is called blanc de
noirs (a white wine from black grapes.)
Noted flavours: Raspberry, strawberry.
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Riesling (white)
Perhaps the most versatile white wine that can range in style from steely
dryness to honeyed sweetness. The bouquet is floral with a freshness from
the acidity. It grows best in cool climates and reaches its apogee in Germany.
Best wines come from Mosel and Rheingau in Germany, Alsace and Washington
State.
Noted flavours: (Dry) lime, grapefruit; (Sweet)
honey, apricot.
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Sangiovese (red)
The major grape in Chianti (along with Canaiolo) although now Italian producers
are beginning to make it a varietal wine. It is 100 percent in Brunello
di Montalcino and a constituent of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Highly
acidic and tannic.
Noted flavours: Cherry, truffle.
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Sauvignon Blanc (white)
This grape smells of grass, pea pods and elderberries. It is best known
for the wines of the Loire, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. It grows well in
California, too. In Bordeaux it is blended with Sémillion to produce such
wines as Entre-Deux-Mers. Generally dry and crisp, it can make a sweet late
harvest wine with good acidity.
Noted flavours: Gooseberry, fig
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Sémillion (white)
Not often used as a varietal, this grape is generally blended with Sauvignon
Blanc to make dry white Bordeaux. Similar in style to Sauvignon Blanc, but
more floral and not as herbaceous. Sémillion is the major grape in the sweet
wines of Sauternes and Barsac.
Noted flavours: Fig, green plum
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Syrah (red)
Makes the powerful, rich dry wines of the Northern Rhône, (Hermitage, Côte
Rôtie) and is a constituent in the blend of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the
wines of the Southern Rhône. Ages well. Also grown successfully in California.
In Australia, it is called Shiraz where it makes a varietal wine and is
also blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Noted flavours: Blackberry, pepper
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Tempranillo (red)
The major grape of Spain where it is also called Ull de Llebre. Has long
aging capabilities and produces wines that remind you of both red Burgundy
and red Bordeaux.
Noted flavours: Strawberry, spices
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Zinfandel (red)
Native to California, this grape is used to produce off-dry blush wines
for immediate consumption as well as powerful dry reds for aging and port-like
dessert wines.
Noted flavours: Blackberry, raspberry, spices,
pepper.
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