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What a brilliant evening! Organised by Wayne and hosted by Michelle Fraser from Clearview, a wine judge in her own right, plus with an extensive knowledge of viticulture and wine making.
Due to illness and holidays, we had only 27 attend the evening, but book your diaries for next year, as this may be repeated with next year’s Gold Medal Winners!
Michelle filled the evening with knowledgeable tips about the different growing regimes, different classes of grapes, the different way grapes are treated/processed, i.e. in stainless steel or oak barrels, skins in or out; plus her sayings that kept us laughing:
ABC – Anything But Chardonnay
Pinot Gris – Puma wine, younger girls juice
Chardonnay – Cougar wine, older women’s juice
Gewurztraminer – how to says this: Girls Get Meaner
She gave us updates on what some of the bigger personalities in the Hawkes Bay area are now doing, with Gordon Russell now in retirement, until he decides what his next project will be. However, his daughters are now up and running through their new brand Three Fates.
This was an evening that was full of surprises, and to those of you who couldn’t make it, the below wines that we tasted are available from New World, The Good Wine Company, and other NZ locations.
Lindauer Special Reserve Rose NV -Gold Trophy from a female wine maker, Jan DeWitt.
2022 Leefield Station Gewurztraminer -Double Gold Trophy for Champion Gertz this is owned by the same family who own NED wines.
2022 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay – Double Gold Trophy for Champion Chardonnay + Champion Wine of the Show again a female wine maker, Laura Kate Morgan
2021 Daisy Rock Reserve Pinot Noir – Gold Medal
2021 Esk Valley Artisanal Hawkes Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold Medal sadly Esk Valley is now more, so snap up this one if you like Bordeaux style wines.
The evening was well attended, and our presenter was Tim Turvey, winemaker, vineyard owner and the person who had returned tanned from Australia the day before after planting a pineapple plantation.
Tim regaled us with the history of how and why he set up the vineyard, built the house, established a native tree nursery and the expansions through to other regions of New Zealand for the different grapes he wanted to be able to use. He has 28 grape varieties they currently work with, plus a 100-year-old Olive tree that the original property owner, Vidals, planted.
He told us how the ‘White Caps’ range got its name, simply by white caps being the only colour available at the time for the new wines.
Our special treat was the extra tasting of their 2022 Reserve Chardonnay with a big buttery nose and taste from a challenging vintage, so it is in short supply.
The evening was finished with their Sea Red Dessert wine, a nice sweet touch.
A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:
Wednesday 13th September, 8 pm Start | Door Price: Members $10 / Guests $14
Clearview Estate has grown and owner-operated since 1986: Tim Turvey & Helma van den Berg.
TIM TURVEY & HELMA van den BERG
Purchased in 1986, the neglected but historic Vidal’s No.2 Vineyard at Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay, was set to become Clearview Estate. Tim Turvey, with business partner Helma van den Berg, took on the challenge of bringing it back to life. Together, they hand-grafted and planted the first vines in the winter of 1988. Clearview Estate Winery Ltd was established for the first red wine vintage in 1989, following experimentation in prior years. Chardonnay began in 1991 with the release of the first Reserve Chardonnay.
Over the next several years, Tim and Helma planted thousands of trees, including avocado, olive, bay, citrus, gums, and melia. And they didn’t stop there. Together, they expanded the vineyard by three acres each year, grafting and planting vines, ramming posts, running wires, training young vines, and, for many years, completing all of the pruning themselves.
Today, the business proudly remains owner-operated. Tim oversees the vineyards and works with chief winemaker Matt Kirby and assistant winemaker Rob Bregmen to create legendary, much-awarded wines. Helma manages the finance, restaurant, gardens and her extraordinary team. Steeped in history, Clearview Estate Winery Cellar Door and Clearview Estate Restaurant have become an iconic and awarded destinations for both locals and visitors from afar.
194 Clifton Road, Te Awanga, Hastings, Hawke’s Bay.
Wine News – Imbibe from NZ House & Garden April 2023
Sparkling and sweet wines such as champagne and late harvests – 6-10C
Mermaidary tackles the tricky topic of what wines to chill and by how much.
What temperature should you serve wine? The topic can be controversial. I have heard gasps of horror when pulling a bottle of chardonnay from the rack, opening and pouring it – bypassing the fridge. I prefer medium to full-bodied white wines at room temperature. And you can imagine the horror when I take a red wine from the fridge because I like reds slightly chilled, flying in the face of ‘the rules for how wine should be served.
The accepted serving temperatures are listed below, but I regularly flout those rules. I like my sparkling whites colder than 6C, which is a cardinal wine sin, but I find it gives the bubbles more vigour. I also enjoy reds when they are well below 13C, as it gives the wine more structure and definition.
In fact, in hotter climates such as in Australia, drinking red chilled is standard practice. Australian wine icon Taylors recently put a wine temperature sensor on its bottles which changes colour when the bottle reaches its optimum level of chill.
One place that always seems to get it wrong is your local bar or restaurant. Bar fridges are set to a standard temperature so juice, wine, beer and even milk are all stored in the same fridge at the same temperature. This means medium-bodied wines, in particular, can be served much too cold, which deadens the wonderful aromatics present in the wine. Red wines are invariably stored on a shelf in direct sunlight or near the warm kitchen. So, the best expression of your favourite wine might not be from your local eatery.
While there are guidelines, the perfect temperature is simply the one that you enjoy best. So open a bottle and you do you.
Agreed serving temperatures
Sparkling and sweet wines such as champagne and late harvests – 6-10C
Roses and light-bodied whites such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris – 8-10C
Medium full-bodied whites such as Chardonnay and Albarino – 10-13C
Light-bodied reds such as Pinot Noir – 10-13C
Medium to full-bodied reds such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon – 10-13C
What a great turnout for our Trifecta event from the Hawkes Bay vineyards!
This event was well attended by Club members, plus we had four guests attend. There were eight wines to sample for the evening, plus the owner Peter Robertson was there to let us in on some of his planting/vineyard secrets.
Peter explained to us how he started his wine career working for McWilliams making a rose spritzer that they used to export to Fiji! Times have certainly changed as have tasted in the 21st century.
2022 Fiesta Rose – a Syrah dominant variety, floral with strawberry and melon on the tongue
2022 Robertson Pinot Gris – this variety was from Brother John of Mission wines who introduced Peter to a 15-year-old bottle of this Pinot!
2021 Bergman Chardonnay – named after the Ingrid Bergman roses on their property. A more modern style rather than the heavy buttery style of old
2021 Barrique Fermented Viognier – surprisingly smooth in the mouth with fresh mineral notes
2021 Back Block Syrah – this variety had its first vintage in 2000, spicy and this is their biggest-selling wine!
2020 Ohiti Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – light and spicy but smooth with a year in old oak
2021 Hillside Syrah – actually grown on land that Peter was invited to use to grow grapes. Woody but smooth in the mouth.
2019 Reserve Vintage Gold Label Cabernet Merlot – a Bordeaux style wine, black fruits with subtle spice, this is wine is closed with the traditional cork stopper.
Our thanks go to Peter for his generous support for the Club, and to members for their support through the volume of sales.
In 2018 we contacted Gordon Russell to see if he could present a tasting some time, and he said yes, he would be delighted, but it would need to be 2021!
Roll onto 2021 when sadly, the Covid levels meant that our Esk Valley tasting had to be postponed to that year. So, imagine your committee’s disbelief when Gordon contacted us in the week of our tasting to say sadly that his wife had COVID-19 and that he was having to isolate himself. He said he was disappointed but then offered to fast courier the tasting notes and wine to us so the meeting could continue. Thankfully, Richard Taylor then stepped up to the plate and, using the tasting notes, entertained us with an interactive evening that went down well and was much appreciated.
The club’s appreciation of the wines presented was subsequently reflected in the 141 bottles ordered by members.
The wines for the evening were:
Hawkes Bay 2022 Rose’ – was our mix and mingle wine and a beautiful shade of almost metallic pink, gentle on the nose, smooth in the mouth
Hawkes Bay 2021 Pinot Gris had a slightly pinkish colour with greengage on the tongue – it was a lovely extra tasty Pinot Gris which comes from free-draining terraces with the grapes themselves approaching 20 years old! Interestingly it has some oak barrel fermentation too
Artisanal Hawkes Bay 2021 Chenin Blanc – this is a new brand that has only been on the market for 12-18 months; it was a pale shade and, at the moment, has baked apple/citrus/peach on the tongue
Great Dirt Seabed Chardonnay 2020 – this is their premium label and was buttery on the nose and white peach on the tongue. The terrain where these grapes grow was tidal river territory before the 1930s Napier earthquake.
Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Grenache 2021 – nice dark red colour; this is a low-yield crop and is 100% Grenache, fermented in open-topped concrete carrels
Artisanal Gimblet Gravels Tempranillo 2021 – almost purple in colour, dry on the nose, dark berries with a hint of vanilla on the nose – has been in American and French oak and comes from a single block in Te Awa planted in 2018
Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Malbec, Cav Sauv, Merlot 2000 – again almost purple in colour, blackberry/currents on the tongue. This would go well with Venison. Again this is a low-yield crop, fermented with wild yeast in concrete open-topped barrels and kept until 2032!
Of the above, the most ordered was the Chenin Blanc. This reflected both the quality of this wine and likely the fact of how starved we are of this variety in New Zealand. Thanks again, Richard, for arranging this tasting and then stepping in to deliver it for Gordon. I am told that Gordon has already offered to do this again in 2024. You would be most welcome, Gordon.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wine emojis to help you choose a bottle.
If you feel lost as to what wine to serve at your Moroccan-inspired dinner party this weekend, one website is on a mission to help – using a database of unique, and very cute, specialised emojis.
When lockdown forced Wellington’s Noble Rot Wine Bar to close in March 2020, three wine experts used the downtime to create a database of wine profiles. The ultimate goal was to simplify the wine-buying process for the average consumer.
Two years later, Wine-oji, is a website featuring 221 emoji-like images designed to help anyone pick the perfect bottle of wine, whether they know what wine they enjoy or not.
Noble Rot owners Josh Pointon and Maciej Zimny, with head sommelier Jessica Wood, launched Wine-oji last December. Wood says the response has been “amazing” from consumers and producers.
But what exactly is Wine-oji, and how does a collection of wine-related emojis help someone pick a bottle of wine?
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wine-Oji was an idea born out of lockdown.
The website is a colourful, busy and interactive library of images used to describe flavour profiles, production methods and ideal food pairings for wines.
The list is pretty extensive. Images are allocated to primary aromas, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as floral notes such as jasmine and honeysuckle or earthy tones of oak and wet stone.
Secondary aromas, which come from the winemaking process, oak ageing, oxidation and bottle ageing include popcorn, butterscotch, oak, berries and fruit and tar and rubber, among others.
Wood says while the library of wine emojis is fun, the interactive “find your perfect match” section is where customers can hone in on exactly what they are after in a wine.
“You can search any winery or flavour,” she says. Users can also simply search for the food they plan to eat and find the perfect pairing.
“If you’re cooking snapper tonight, you can type snapper, and it will bring up all the wines that have any of those Wine-ojis allocated to the profile.”
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF The initial idea began when Wood realised she was fielding questions from customers at Noble Rot about what certain wines taste like.
She says the site also allows people to open their minds a bit to try new wines.
“[You can find] things you’ll actually like, rather than based on wine that’s discounted heavily at the store, or because you tried it before, or like the label. It’s actually all about your experience of the wine.”
The initial idea began when Wood realised she was fielding questions from customers at Noble Rot about what certain wines taste like, and what wines pair best with certain foods.
And so the idea of creating a database of flavours, profiles and distributor information began to form.
“We … started composing a list of the key aromas and flavours, and structural components of the wine, that we could then build into a bit of a library. That became the new language – the language of Wine-oji,” she says.
The creation of the images was hugely important, Wood says. They brought in a local graphic designer to help create the library. They needed to be well-designed, but they also had to appeal to people who are not wine experts.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF People need no previous knowledge of wine to use the emoji wine website.
“They had to be easily recognisable, quite quickly, by the average consumer.”
“There is a huge problem in that people don’t know what wine they like, or what wine they should buy. There’s never really been an understanding of their flavour profile or their taste preferences.”
“We were thinking, how can we translate to people quickly and instantly what’s in their bottle of wine using images rather than words?” she says.
The resulting database is something Wood insists people need no previous knowledge of wine to use.
“You just need to know if you like something or not,” she says.
Using the interactive section of the site, a search for “lemon” results in 33 bottles of wine. Of those, two are Pinot Gris and 12 are Chardonnay. The selections can be further filtered by wine type or vintage.
For each bottle, the full Wine-oji profile can be viewed. There are eight sections: aroma, flavour, sweetness, acidity, body, oak, finish and food. Each is illustrated with the relevant Wine-ojis.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wine-Oji will give you the nous to have a good nose for wine – no experience required.
My 2019 Main Divide Riesling, for instance, had an acidity rating of 4½ lemons out of 5. Its sweetness is only worthy of one lollipop, however, and in terms of the body, my chosen riesling shows 2½ bodybuilders out of a possible 5.
My chosen wine also pairs well with prawn skewers, pad thai, Moroccan couscous and snapper ceviche.
And after two years of creating an extensive database of wine-related imagery, what are Wood’s favourite Wine-ojis?
She has a few, including lily, jasmine and ginger. She is also a fan of the food pairings.
The evening with Everything Pinot was a tippling success, with 37 people turning up for the Club’s own members to present to, plus a special guest for the evening’s last pinot – John Dawson with a whisky distilled in pinot barrels from Central Otago’s Lammermoor, ‘a farm to bottle distillery’: Lammermoor Distillery.
We tasted our way through the Club’s cellar after our opening pinot Waipara Hills Pinot Noir Rose’. Followed up with three 2017 Pinot Gris, from Peregrine Saddleback, Giesen Marlborough and Church Road McDonald series. The comparisons were quite distinct, and the discussion was good.
This was then followed by three 2016 Pinot Noirs, from Peregrine Saddleback Central Otago, Yealands Reserve Marlborough, and Russian Jack Martinborough.
We had a well-attended evening for the wine and food match, with 41 people attending.
It was notable that the vineyard used compostable plates and utensils for the tasting, so our green miles are good! And this goes in with the vineyard’s practices of being vegan friendly and on their way to being organic certified. Great for the planet.
The wines we tried were:
2020 Waipara Sauvignon Blanc
2018 Waipara Sauvignon Blanc partnered with toast and Bruschetta
2020 Waipara Pinot Gris partnered with Indian dahl
2020 Waipara Viognier
2016 Waipara Riesling partnered with Beef Thai salad
2020 Canterbury Pinot Noir partnered with Pulled Pork slider
2019 Waipara Pinot Noir partnered with spicy lamb koftas with couscous
2017 Waipara Pinot Noir
2016 Dr Khols Waipara Riesling partnered with Banoffee pie
While it would have made the evening more interesting to have a bit more banter about the wine from the presenter, this was a very enjoyable evening and the members were fed well.
A special note of thanks to Nicola Fraher and friends for the food, as well as to our pourers Carolyn & Terry and our food servers Fiona and Evelyn. It really was a great effort by everyone involved.
And it was pleasing to see all that mahi result in significant wine orders on the night, coupled with requests for personally signed cookbooks.
The presenter is Lyn Timms of Lyns Consulting, assisted by Nicola Fraher, daughter of The Crater Rim owner. Nicola is the person preparing the food and wine matches for this evenings wine and food match – the food is appetiser-sized tasty morsels to pair with the wines.
The Crater Rim is a family-owned boutique winery situated in the rolling hills of Waipara, in the South Island. They grow, make and market limited quantities of terroir-specific wines produced from their own two vineyards and contracted sites in the Canterbury sub-regions of Waipara, Omihi and Banks Peninsula and Central Otago.
These sites have been carefully selected for their particular mix of varietal, topography, soil and microclimate – creating high quality, site-specific wines of individual character and drinkability. The Crater Rim manage their vineyards and work closely with each grower to ensure that vines are cropped low and managed sustainably, guaranteeing the best quality fruit possible from each vineyard site. The result is exceptional wines from exceptional regions.
Crater Rim recommended that their wines are enjoyed with a meal that best brings out their flavours and have produced a book so that those who drink their wines may have a range of options to do this.
With the growth of The Crater Rim’s success, it was only natural that Nicola Fraher, one of the daughters of The Crater Rim’s owner, saw an opportunity to combine her passion for food and wine by producing a book that not only told that story but brought the wines together with nutritious recipes that can be easily made and enjoyed. Nicola is a trained nutritionist with her own business; she also works in a marketing role for the family enterprise.
The food and wine matches for the evening:
Start with a tasting of From The Ashes Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting of Waipara Sauvignon Blanc matched with Tomato and Garlic Bruschetta
Tasting of Waipara Pinot Gris matched with Spicey Vegetable and Lentil Dahl
Tasting of Waipara Riesling matched with Thai Beef Salad
Tasting of From The Ashes Pinot Noir matched with Pulled Pork Sliders
Tasting of Waipara Pinot Noir matched with Spiced Beef Kofta on Tabbouleh
Tasting of Dr Kohls Late Harvest Riesling matched with Key Lime Pies
Renowned sailors, the Butterworth Family (Brad & Warren), is the new custodian of Julicher vineyard, planted in the iconic soils of Te Muna. The J-Knot on every bottle, the strongest knot you can tie, is a tribute to their vineyard’s founder, Wim Julicher.
Wim Julicher originally planted the Te Muna vineyard as an Olive Grove, but the site’s unique aspect made it far too cold for the olive trees. Luckily, it creates the perfect amount of pressure for the divine struggle required to produce world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The Butterworth Family has a viticultural heritage dating back to the founding days of the New Zealand wine industry – the original 1890’s vineyard property is still in the family today.
The wines for our evening are from their Te Muna (Butterworth formerly Julicher vineyard and Layline ranges:
The main types of wine include red, white, rosé, sparkling, and fortified and dessert wines.
Exploring new wines can help expand your palette and knowledge of drinks to pair with different dishes.
Grapes from all over the world give wines a range of flavours from fruity to oaky to dry.
Wine types vary and each style has a distinct taste that suits different people’s preferences. d3sign/Getty Images
Humans have produced and enjoyed wine for over 8000 years, so it stands to reason that this grape-based beverage would be easy and stress-free to enjoy, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Wine education covers a great deal of information, from grape types to geographic regions to flavour profiles. While some drinkers love to geek out to the nuances and details of this subject, others can feel a bit overwhelmed when they walk into a wine shop.
While there’s no limit to the amount of information that you can learn, a few basic guidelines will help direct your shopping experience and allow you to get your hands on a bottle that suits your tastes and preferences.
As vast as the world of wine is, most wines can be classified into five main categories: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and fortified and dessert wines. Below, you’ll find a rundown of these categories, with a breakdown of 28 popular variety types.
To offer some expert insight, we’ve enlisted sommelier and wine educator Caroline Conner who teaches online courses to wine lovers seeking to enhance their knowledge and broaden their wine-related horizons.
Why is it important to know about different types of wine?
“The best way to learn about wine is to approach it like learning a language,” says Conner. “You can DIY it, but without lots of real-life practice, it’s hard to get anywhere.” Knowing what you’re tasting and why can help you along your wine journey in a number of ways:
Developing your palate: You may have heard the term “palate” tossed around by wine drinkers in the past, but it really just refers to a sense of taste, which can be developed by simply tasting. The more flavours you experience, the more sophisticated your palate will become because you’ll understand how taste elements differ from each other and how they work together to create unforgettable flavours.
Discovering food and wine pairings: Wine and food are a natural match for each other, and when you figure out which wines taste best with which dishes (according to your own palate), then you can take your meals to the next level.
Gaining a global perspective on wine: As corny as it sounds, you really can “travel the world” by tasting wines from different countries, continents, and regions. Learning about the climate and soil conditions of a particular country can help you understand how the wines from that nation develop their flavours. Paying attention to common wine and food pairings from that country will clue you in on how best to enjoy the bottles you purchase.
How to talk about wine
Because flavours are so subjective, it’s easy to dismiss wine-tasting terms as pretentious and less-than-useful. However, understanding a few basic phrases can give you all the vocabulary you need to describe the wines you enjoy (and the ones that you don’t). To get you started, here are a few commonly-used wine words:
Dry: “Dry” essentially translates to “not sweet”. Dry wines don’t contain residual sugar from the fermentation process (or, if they do, it’s in a very low quantity).
Off-dry: An off-dry wine features a small amount of residual sugar, which gives it a gentle sweetness. The French term for off-dry, “demi-sec,” is also frequently used in wine tastings and on bottle labels.
Sweet: A sweet wine — also known as a dessert wine — contains significant amounts of residual sugar and has a pronounced sweetness in its flavour.
Oaky: Many red wines and certain white wines undergo a process of ageing in oak barrels, and said barrels impart a woodsy, toasty flavour to the wine. The more time the wine spends in the oak barrels, the stronger the “oaky” flavour will become.
Full-bodied: This is a term generally used to describe red wines, and it refers to both the flavour of the wine and to its texture. A full-bodied wine boasts rich, complex flavours, a robust texture that coats your mouth and tongue, and (in most cases) a higher alcohol content than a light-bodied or medium-bodied wine.
Tannins/Tannic: Tannins are natural compounds found in wine grapes (particularly in the skins of said grapes). These compounds affect the texture of the wine in the mouth; the drying sensation that you may experience when drinking a glass of red wine comes from tannins. Tannins exist in both white and red wines, but because red wines are produced and aged with the grape skins still in contact, the tannic structure of red wines tends to be more prominent.
Grape: The vast majority of wines produced worldwide use grapes as their core ingredient. Wine grapes differ from “table grapes” designed for eating; they’re typically smaller, juicier, and more acidic. Most wine grapes are of the Vitis vinifera species, a style of grape specifically cultivated for wine production.
Style: Some wines are named after the style of grape used to make them; “Chardonnay”, “Cabernet Sauvignon”, and “Pinot Noir” are all examples of grapes that often lend their names to their wines. However, some wines take their names from the regions where they’re produced. French wines are especially notable for this pattern: “Champagne”, “Bordeaux”, and “Burgundy” all fit into the “wines named after regions” theme.
Now that you know how to talk about it, let’s get into the wines themselves. Below are many of the most popular wine styles you’ll find in stores and at restaurants, along with a few underrated gems.
Red Wines
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon is a very popular red wine, while a merlot offers a softer taste. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
Merlot is a red grape that’s grown throughout Europe, South America, Africa, Australia, and the United States. According to Conner, “some of the greatest wines in the world” are Merlots. “It’s plummy and juicy, and a bit softer than Cabernet [Sauvignon], which it is often blended with,” she says. It tastes delicious alongside charcuterie boards, roasted vegetables, and even cheeseburgers.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon can grow in a wide variety of regions and is, therefore, an easy bottle to scoop up at any wine shop. As for flavour, Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied and dry. “Cabernet Sauvignon is ‘bigger’ than Merlot, and it has lots of tannins, which are those chewy, drying particles in reds,” says Conner. “It’s wildly popular and you can find stunning examples all over the world.”
Pinot Noir
“Pinot Noir is widely loved because it’s one of the rare lighter reds, but has tons of flavour and complexity,” says Conner. “It’s most famously from Burgundy, but there’s great Pinot all over the place, like in Oregon, New Zealand, and even Germany.” But she does warn that these wines can be fairly pricey: “Pinot is picky and fickle, it’s prone to disease and only thrives in certain climates. You have to be a good winemaker to make the best of it, in any conditions! That’s why it’s so prized, because when it’s good, it’s good, and the winemaker took these grapes from the right place, treated them right, and made them sing.”
Syrah/Shiraz
Wines made with this red grape can claim two names, depending on where the grapes are grown and where the wines are produced. In the Rhȏne Valley region of France, these wines are called Syrah, but in Australia, they’re known as Shiraz. In both cases, you’ll find a rich, deeply-hued red wine with strong dark-berry notes and high tannins.
Zinfandel
Like Syrah/Shiraz, the Zinfandel grape produces “big” red wines with lots of stage presence. Notes of dark fruit, tobacco, and leather are common when tasting Zinfandels. It’s a popular grape in California vineyards (and most Zinfandel is indeed grown in the Golden State), but you can also find it in Italy, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Gamay
The Gamay grape is perhaps best known as the primary grape used to make Beaujolais. Made in France, Beaujolais wines are beloved for their light texture, high acidity, low tannins, and bright fruit flavours. Every November, the first release of Beaujolais bottles (known as “Beaujolais Nouveau”) makes a huge splash in the wine market both in the U.S. and abroad.
Sangiovese
If you’ve ever enjoyed a glass of Chianti at an Italian restaurant, then you’ve experienced the Sangiovese grape. This purple-red grape produces many styles of wine made throughout Italy, all notable for their medium body, high tannins, red fruit flavours, and hints of spice. If you need a wine to pour at a red-sauce dinner, then Sangiovese will do you right.
White Wines
Chardonnay
Some well-known white wines include Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Albariño. Mykhailo Lukashuk/Getty Images
“Chardonnay is a true winemaker’s grape; it can really do it all,” says Conner. “A lot of people think they don’t like it because all they’ve tried is their mom’s oak-bomb, buttered-popcorn ’90s Chardonnay. This style still exists, but it’s not very trendy anymore, so it’s easy to find Chards with less oak, more fruit, and more balance. Try Chablis from France if you want to taste a spectacular unoaked Chardonnay.”
Sauvignon Blanc
This white grape famously makes lightweight wines with clean acidity and pronounced fruitiness. “Sauvignon Blanc is all about that fruit,” says Conner. “It has two main styles: the super-intense version with passion fruit aromas coming out of New Zealand, and the more restrained, grassy French style from Sancerre. There are great Sauvignon Blancs from Chile and the USA too.”
Riesling
White grapes are typically easier to grow in cooler climates than red grapes, and Riesling, which originally hails from Germany, serves as a prime example. Riesling wine is highly versatile; it can be sweet, dry, still, sparkling, and anything in between. Its fruity, floral flavours tend to pair well with white meat, fish, and anything spicy.
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris
Known as Pinot Grigio in Italy and Pinot Gris in France, this white grape makes a highly approachable and popular wine with citrus notes, zingy acidity, and a pleasant undercurrent of minerality. Alongside a platter of fresh seafood or a cheese plate, Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris truly shines.
Gewürztraminer
The Gewürztraminer grape is native to Germany, and wines made with it tend to feature fruit flavours like apricot and pear, along with herbaceous notes. In the US, Gewürztraminer proves especially popular at Thanksgiving, thanks to the fact that the wine’s gentle fruit and herbal aromas pair perfectly with turkey, stuffing, and all of the fixings.
Chenin Blanc
Commonly grown in the Loire Valley of France and in South Africa, the Chenin Blanc grape translates to a white wine that’s light-bodied, appealingly tart, and easy to pair with a variety of dishes. Try it with soft cow’s milk cheeses like brie or with grilled or roasted veggies.
Albariño
If you’re a fan of Sauvignon Blanc but want a white wine with even more fruit presence, then Albariño, a wine style native to Spain, could be perfect for you. Albariño is a medium-bodied white, which means it works very well as a food wine. Pair it with shellfish, white meat, or an entrée salad.
Rosé
Rosé wine is made by removing skins from red grapes. Dulin/Getty Images
Contrary to popular belief, most rosé wines aren’t made by combining white grape juice with red grape juice. Instead, they’re made by removing the skins from red grapes after a brief period of time, resulting in a wine that’s light, refreshing, and a pretty shade of pink.
Provençal Rosé
Some rosés are made with only one type of red grape, but many — like the mega-popular, super-refreshing pale-pink rosés that come from Provençe, France — come from a blend of grapes. Conner urges us to embrace blended wines like Provençal rosés: “I think that blends are underrated,” she says. “Many of the famous European wines are blends, and all the better for it! Blending is part of the art of winemaking, and especially with climate change disrupting vineyards, it will continue to be important in order to achieve balanced wines.”
Zinfandel Rosé
Zinfandel rosés got a bad rap for many years due to the perception of “White Zinfandel” as overly sweet and not especially nuanced. However, you can now find plenty of quality Zinfandel rosés on the market, and many feature a delicate sweetness that makes them a great partner for BBQ dishes or grilled salmon.
Grenache Rosé
Grenache is one of the grapes most commonly used in the Provençal rosé blend, but you can also find rosés made solely from this red grape. Grenache rosés burst with summery fruit flavours like strawberry and watermelon, and they’re delicious with Caprese salads, grilled eggplant, and Mediterranean fare.
Sangiovese Rosé
Italian “Rosato” wine often comes from the Sangiovese grape, which gives this varietal a darker hue than some competitors and makes it a robust and spicy wine with plenty of red fruit flavour. There’s no better partner for Sangiovese rosé than pizza (especially grilled pizza).
Tempranillo Rosé
Spanish Tempranillo (also grown in the US and South America) has an almost savoury quality to it, which gives this medium-bodied rosé an advantage where food friendliness is concerned. Enjoy it with anything from grilled meats to tacos to seafood to Spanish classics.
Sparkling Wines
Champagne
Champagne isn’t the only type of sparkling wine — there’s also Crémant, prosecco, cava, and Lambrusco. Yulia Naumenko/Getty Images
Some drinkers use “Champagne” as a catch-all term for “sparkling wine,” but the only wines that can truly claim the Champagne name must be produced in the Champagne region of France from grapes grown there. You can use white grapes to make a Champagne (called a “blanc des blancs”) or red grapes (a “blanc des noir”), but either way, you’ll end up with a phenomenal bottle packed with citrus notes, a bit of yeastiness, and a prominent fizz.
Crémant
Not all sparkling wines produced in France fall into the Champagne category. If a wine is made using the same techniques as Champagne but isn’t from the Champagne region, then it’s known as a Crémant. Crémants boast many of the same flavour characteristics as Champagne, but they can often be purchased at a far lower price, making them one of the best bargains in the wine world.
Prosecco
These once-obscure sparkling wines of Venice now claim a major share in the wine market, and these Italian sparklers are bright, crisp, fresh, and very reasonably priced. Drink with a cheese and charcuterie board for a great start to a fun evening.
Cava
Cava, the sparkling wine most closely associated with Spain, uses the same production process as Champagne, but it’s made with a different range of grapes. The result is a dry and lively wine with a pleasant minerality — an almost flinty taste that comes from the soil where the grapes are grown. In fact, this minerality makes Cava a smart pairing choice for creamy dishes and sauces, since the wine has enough fortitude to cut through those weightier ingredients.
Lambrusco
All of the sparklers listed above are whites — even the Champagnes that are made from red grapes. But you can also find sparkling reds, a great example of which is a Lambrusco. Lambrusco comes from Italy and is made from grapes of the same name. It can be either sweet or dry, but all versions have a relatively light body and a potent fizziness that makes it a whimsical choice for pizza or pasta night.
Fortified and dessert wines
Port
Fortified and dessert wines include Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Moscato. Westend61/Getty Images
One of the most popular sweet wines on the market, Port takes its name from its country of origin, Portugal. It’s a fortified wine, which means that it has a distilled spirit added to it, upping its alcohol content. Port comes in four different varieties: Ruby (a red Port), Tawny (a barrel-aged Port), White (a Port made with white grapes), and Rosé (a Port made the same way a typical rosé wine would be made). Bold cheeses, BBQ with a sweeter glaze, and, of course, desserts all pair beautifully with Port.
Sherry
Like Port, Sherry qualifies as a fortified wine. It comes from the Andalusia region of Spain, and while all Sherry undergoes some level of ageing, darker versions (like Oloroso Sherry and Amontillado Sherry) spend more time in the barrel than lighter versions (like Fino Sherry). Sherry can be drier than other fortified wines, which gives it more food flexibility. It works just as well with an appetizer spread as it does with dessert.
Madeira
Madeira, a fortified wine from a Portuguese island off the coast of Africa, bears many similarities to Port and Sherry. It often features nutty flavours and a hint of caramel, along with fruit notes like orange and peach.
Moscato
A sweet Italian wine made from the Muscat Blanc grape, Moscato can be either still, sparkling, or semi-sparkling (with a lighter level of effervescence). The most popular Moscato, known as Moscato d’Asti, falls into the latter category. Moscato’s pronounced but not overwhelming sweetness lets it pair nicely with spicy dishes, savoury cheeses, and fruit-based desserts.
Insider’s takeaway
At the end of the day, a “good wine” is any wine that you enjoy. Spending serious bucks on high-end bottles isn’t necessary for a great tasting experience, but a bit of know-how will help simplify your shopping and will increase your chances of ending up with a wine that’s exactly what you want to drink.
