To enjoy a good glass of wine is not particularly difficult, and there are
certainly many great wines out there. Of course, there are plenty of bad wines
as well. But when it comes to picking a glass or bottle of wine, where do you
start? It’s helpful if you know something about the grapes from which the
wine was made. You can then focus your choice on wines made from grapes
that suit your personal taste preferences, the food you’re eating or just your
mood.
Depending on which reference you check or expert you believe, there are
between 900 and 1,500 unique grape varieties that are made into wine. Of
course the vast majority of these are obscure historical varieties that are
rarely, if ever, vinified commercially. The typical wine store is likely to offer
fewer than 40 different varietal wines.
Following are short descriptions of the most prevalent grapes used to make
different wines. Specific grapes always produce white wines. But some
grapes that typically are used in red wines, can also be used to make blush
wines.
White Wine Grape Varieties
Red Wine Grape Varieties
Blush Wine Grape Varieties
Sparkling Wines
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