White Wine Types Chart

What Makes Wine Dry

So, why does wine taste dry in some instances?

Professional food scientists and wine writers have been looking at this for years, and they have come up with three different aspects of wine that decide whether it is dry or sweet, as to better place it in the wine chart.

These three aspects are:

• the tannins
• the acidity

Of course, sweet wines have these as well, but in different combinations. Tannins that are high will produce a more drying effect in the mouth when paired with high acidity and an aroma that is less sweet it will create the drying impact even more.

Some of the driest red wines that you can look for include a bold and bitter finish or savory flavors, like Tannat, Bordeaux, Aglianico or French Malbec.

Dry white wines include lemon and mineral flavors primarily and include options like Italian Pinot Grigio, Gavi, Muscadet, Vinho Verde, and Arinto. These wines will give you the bone-dry taste that you may be looking for, but keep in mind that were not kidding when we say theyre going to completely dry out your mouth and your taste buds while you drink.

Which Starter Wine Should You Buy

Its best to start simple so you can isolate what youre tasting and what it is about a wine that you like or dislike.

Start in the $10 to $15 price range. Most wines at this price point are typical of their variety and region. Some say that complexity doesnt start until the $25 level or $35 level, but while youre in the exploratory phase, its better to spare your wallet. That being said, you can find good bottles of wine under $10its just a bit harder.

Again, its hard for a beginner to tell how a wine will taste based solely on the varietal. So, above all, dont be shy about asking for help. Your best bet is to walk into the store and ask for the kind of wine youre interested in trying. Say, I want a dry, light-bodied white wine or I want to try a full-bodied red. Or, you could even mention wines that youve enjoyed in the past and ask for something similar.

Another good tactic is to ask for a typical varietal, e.g., Find me a typical Pinot Grigio for $15. Heres a quick rundown that might help you decide:

Know Your Wines Wine Varietal Chart

Use the Wine Varietal Chart to understand the major varieties of wines. For each varietal grape, the chart shows its characteristics and the weight of the wine, from light to heavy-bodied. You can dig deeper into the Wine Varietal Chart by clicking on the name of the wine to learn additional information about the grape. You can also find out where the varietal is growing in California wine country regions.

A good way to learn about wine is to select a variety of wine that you have not tried before. Be open to new wines and wine regions. Too many wine folks stick with Chardonnay for white and Cabernet Sauvignon for red.

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Flavors: Citrus Fresh Pear Melon

Pinot Grigio creates light, zippy, food-friendly white wines that do not clobber the palate with oak and alcohol. Most popular versions come from the Tre Venezie, but Alsace and the Pfalz region of Germany also do well with the grape. Its alter ego, pinot gris , has become the pre-eminent white wine of Oregon, where it produces lively, pear-flavored wines that may carry a hint of fruity sweetness. The California version of Pinot Grigio is a bit heavier, but vintners in Washington make intense, tart wines that match well with seafood.

How To Describe The Taste Of Wine

So, to recap: red wine is red because it was fermented with the skins, making it more tannic. White wine has less tannin, and is more acidic. Dessert wines have higher alcohol content and are usually sweeter, and sparkling wine has bubbles.

Easy, right? Of course not. Stopping at red vs. white wines would be like ending a discussion on vehicles at cars vs. trucks. If were going to peg the kind of wine that you enjoy drinking, were going to have to get a bit more specific. Yes, that means were going to have to talk about how a wine tastes.

This is where wine drinkers lose most of us. There is perhaps nothing more subjective about humanity than taste, and trying to find common ground when talking about wine seems ill-fated from the start. But in spite of the glut of snobby descriptors for wine that youll stumble across, there are a few terms that mean pretty much the same thing to everyone.

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The Different Types Of Wine

Five Main Types of Wine

All wines can be organized into five basic groups. Within each group there are hundreds of different grape varieties and winemaking techniques!

Red Wine

Still wine made with black grapes. Red wines range from

White Wine

A still wine produced from white and occasionally black grapes. Flavors in

Rosé Wine

Still wine from black grapes produced by removing the skins before they stain the wine deep red. Rosé red and white wine together. Both dry and sweet styles of rosé are common.

Sparkling Wine

A style of winemaking involving a secondary fermentation that makes bubbles! Sparkling wine can be red, white, or rosé and ranges from lean and dry, to rich and sweet.

Dessert Wine

A style of winemaking involving fortifying wine with spirits. Typically, dessert wines taste sweet, but many dry, fortified wines exist, such as

8 Common Wines To Know

Just getting started in wine? Here are 8 common wines that everyone should know.

What Is The Difference Between Glass And Crystal

All crystal is glass, but not all glass is crystal. In general, the difference in lead content determines whether something is classified as glass or crystal. The presence of lead softens the glass in crystal, making it easier to cut and engrave. Unlike traditional glass, crystal is heavier and diffracts light. In traditional lead glassware, the lead tends to leach out of the crystal. To combat this, today’s crystal glassware is typically unleaded.

When deciding between crystal and glass, consider the environment in which the wine glass will be used and your washing situation. You may choose to purchase some of each, so you can use either glass in the correct situation depending on your needs.

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What Are The Types Of Red Wine

While there are numerous types of red wine, we will focus on the most popular ones in this post. Wine enthusiasts are more than likely familiar with this list of red wine types:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Pinot Noir

Even if these types of red wine are familiar to you, you may wonder how to tell if a red wine is sweet or dry. Lets start by covering the red wines that typically feature a sweeter taste.

What Are The Eight Most Common Types Of White Wine

Christina says, Theres no one Sauvignon Blanc, for example, but rather the taste of wines made from this variety differs depending on climate, soil, farming methods and most crucially human interference or intervention in the winery.

There. Are. So. Many. Varieties. But we havent got all day! So, heres eight increasingly popular varieties of white wine, you may or may not have heard of before.

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Difference Between A Dry Wine And Wine That Dries Out Our Mouths

Wines that are dry lack sweetness. Wines that dry out our mouths have tannins. Tannins act like an astringent and suck the saliva out of our cheeks. The wine jargon is very confusing because in reality dry is the opposite of wet, not the opposite of sweet. Most white wines do not have tannins, so its safe to assume the wine is dry and not drying.

Food Pairings For Pinot Grigio

Given the high level of acidity and lack of tannins and sweetness traditionally in Pinot Grigio, it is best enjoyed with food! And by food, we mean tangy herbs. The honey, citrus undertones of Pinot Grigio typically pairs well with white meats, seafood, and fresh vegetables.

Meat Pairings

Tilapia, scallops, sea bass, perch, sole, haddock, trout, cod, redfish, halibut, snapper, mussels, clams, oysters, chicken, turkey,

Cheese Pairings

Look for semi-soft firm cows and sheeps milk cheeses. Gruyere, Muenster, Grana Padano

Herbs & Spices

Parsley, mint, tarragon, thyme, fennel, chives, white pepper, coriander, turmeric, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, clove, Allspice

Other Pairings

Fresh vegetables and salads, shallots, garlic, ginger

Vegetables

Cucumber, yellow squash, celery, onion, parsnip, jicama, kale, green apple, green melon, white beans, cauliflower, broccoli

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Food Pairings For Riesling

Due to its even balance of sweetness and acidity, Riesling pairs well with most foods, especially those with a bit of spice. Riesling has long been noted for how well it pairs with spicy food, and it is one of the few wines that is excellent with the robust heat of Thai and Indian cuisine. It also pairs well with white fish, chicken, and pork . Sweeter Rieslings also pair with most sweet foods.

Meat Pairings

Carrot

Difference Between Sweet Wines And Fruity Wines

This is where it starts to feel like our mouths and noses are playing tricks on us. Determining a white wines dryness can be a bit challenging if the wine is fruity. A huge percentage of the descriptions about white wines are fruits, sweet fruits at that. We describe white wine like smelling and tasting like apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and plenty of other sweet things YET we determine that the wine is dry. Distinguishing between fruitiness is sweetness is quite difficult but you must remember that sweetness is residual sugar and not fruitiness or juiciness.

I run a wine tour company and I teach people how to properly taste wine. This is by far the hardest thing to convince our brains that what were tasting is dry even though it reminds us of a lot of things that are sweet. The sugar in the grapes has been converted to alcohol but the flavor of those sweet things remains.

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Pinot Gris Or Pinot Grigio

Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio is a dry white wine grape originating from the vineyards of Burgundy, France. It has since spread to other regions as well, such as Italy, Hungary, Australia, and New Zealand. The Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio varietal can vary in flavor depending on where it’s grown and can be sweet or dry.

It has subtle honey notes or floral aromas becoming apparent under certain conditions, such as an almost salt-style minerality that comes through at times when tasting Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio.

It also makes a great food wine, with a wide variety of dishes that go well alongside it! From raw fish ceviche to creamy curry dishes – this versatile grape has something for everyone.

What Is A Standard Pour Of Wine

There is no legal measure for a standard pour of wine. In the restaurant industry, it falls somewhere around the 5 oz. mark. This allows a sommelier or host to pour roughly 5 glasses out of any 750 mL bottle of wine. Some restaurants will pour as much as 6 oz. and some may offer less, depending on the price of the wine. Some glasses have pour lines printed on them for a precise pour every time.

For tastings, a standard pour falls around 2 oz., enough to properly smell and taste the wine without initiating a buzz too quickly. Similarly, dessert wines are usually served in 2 oz. pours since they are much sweeter and higher in alcohol than other types of wines.

The size of the glass also contributes to how much wine is poured at a time. A smaller glass will give the appearance of more wine while a big balloon glass will make even a generous pour look light. Sparkling wine is often served in 5-6 oz. servings, like white or red wine, but it might look like a smaller pour because of the shape of the flute. It’s important not to overfill a wine glass, as the extra space in the glass is there intentionally to hold aromas.

To further create a seamless wine experience for your guests, learn how to open a bottle of wine using the proper corkscrew for the job.

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What Are Sweet Wines

If a white wine or sweet sparkling wine contains over 30 grams/liter residual sugar, its a sweet wine. And it all comes down to stopping the fermentation process , so there are still grape sugars left. And drying the grapes, letting them overripe, or using Botrytis also produces sweet wines.

So, they are often called dessert wines because of their sweetness and because they pair well with your favorite dessert!

Difference Between A Dry Wine And One That Dries Out Your Mouth

Commonly confused, a dry wine is not the same as a wine that dries out your mouth.

A drying wine is not the same thing as a dry wine.

While some dry wines may dry out your mouth, very few of them are white. Thats because they do not have tannins in their mix.

Tannins are an astringent common in many red wines that will dry out your mouth and your cheeks. Tannins are not connected to the dryness of a wine, which is an indication of its overall sweetness.

Many sweet red wines will dry out your mouth due to their high tannins content. Understanding these different terms is essential.

For example, your friend may accidentally misinform you by telling you that a wine is dry when it is instead drying. Thankfully, white wines rarely cause that drying effect because they lack tannins, so you should be safe when talking about whites.

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You Can Tell If A Wine Is Dry Or Sweet Using The Label

If all else fails, you can look directly at your label to get an idea of the dryness of your wine.

How can you perform this simple test? First, check the label and look at the alcohol content of your wine. Youll find that wines with a low alcohol content typically have a sweeter taste.

Anything under 10% is considered sweet. Wines between 10-12% are off-dry and anything over 12% should be very dry. Be very careful when buying alcohol-heavy dry white wines. Youll get more of a punch with each drink.

What Is Sweet Wine

As the name suggests, a sweet wine is one thats sweet in taste. Seems like a no-brainer, but thats the simple contrast when thinking about wine in one of two ways: sweet or dry.

Many people also look at wine in terms of color. While a lot of white wine is considered to be sweeter than red , its important to understand that both red and white wines can be sweet or dry.

In the end, a wines sweetness is dependent upon its fermentation. How much sugar is left over? If theres less than 1%, the wine is considered dry. Greater than 1%, and you have yourself a sweet wine.

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What Is The Driest White Wine

• Assyrtiko is one of the driest white wine you can find. Assyrtiko comes from Greece, mainly from the island of Santorini. It has searing acidity and an interesting saline quality. Assyrtiko is also used to make Vin Santo, a very sweet dessert wine which it is why it appears on both sides of the White Wine Dryness Chart.

Everything You Need To Know About White Wine

Lets set the record straight, white wine is in noway less sophisticated than red wine.

Lets set the record straight, white wine is in noway less sophisticated than red wine. It can be just as complex, and just as delicious. Its just about knowing exactly what youre talking about when it comes to making that all-important wine order .

But where do you even start?

Under the tannin-loving, watchful eye of wine writer and co-founder of LITTLEWINE, Christina Rasmussen, weve pulled together a handy little white wine guide, right down to the most popular white wine varieties.

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Flavors: Flowers Citrus Rind Apricot Peach

Viognier is intensely aromatic, and when perfectly ripened, smells of apricots, peaches, and citrus rind. Its a difficult wine to make, as it can be quite bitter and austere when not-quite ripe, and turn flabby and hot when overripe. Excellent wines using this grape that are made in Washington, California, and Australia tend toward the ripe, hot, peachy styles. Viognier is also blended and/or co-fermented with Syrah, adding wonderful high notes of citrus and flower to the finished red wine.