Grape Type: The type of grape from the vitus vinefera group will have a large impact on the quality and taste of the wine.
Grape Types
Click on the Grape name links for more in depth information
Click here for an in depth glossary of wine varieties ...
Labrusca: Grape types native to North America such as Concord and Catawba.
Late harvest: A term used to describe dessert wines made from grapes left on the vines for an extra long period, often until botrytis has set in.
Chenin Blanc, white grape type that originated in France's Loire valley . Wines produced from this variety include the well known names of Vouvray, Coteaux du Layon and Saumur.
Others, like Harlem Vintage, are organized by grape types instead of geographical area.
Beginning tasters might select several wines from a different varietal (grape type) to demonstrate the differences between them.
Virtually all wine grape types have multiple clones - mutations that produce characteristics differing from the original. Certain clones may produce distinctly different wine aromas and flavors or be more or less prone to rot or disease.
They include codification of the most suitable growing places; the most suitable grape types (most Champagne is a blend of up to three grape varieties - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier - though five other varietals are allowed); ...
The primary pieces of information that Italian wines want to communicate to you, their celebrated consumer, are the wine's: Name, Growing Region (There are 37 designated wine growing regions in Italy), Grape Type (Italy has over 2,000!), ...
Some grape types are more prone to clonal variation, than others. The name of a particular varietal, therefore, should be considered a "surname" for vines that share a genetic history.
For example, in Italy, wines made from the Pinot Grigio (also know as Pinot Gris) grape are labeled both by the grape type and the region it was grown in. So, if you hanker for an Italian Pinot Grigio, just look at the label (i.e.
In the United States, the "American Viticultural Area" construct does little to define the regions beyond geographical boundaries. Grape type is legally irrelevant so long as it makes up 75 percent of the blend to be labeled as such.
Breed: according to Michael Broadbent, English wine authority, breed is "a distinctive and distinguished quality stemming from the combination of fine site soil, cépage (grape type), and the skill of the vignernon (winemaker)'.
Interestingly, Scuppernong varieties produce their grapes on individual stems from the branches rather than in "Bunches" or "clusters" of grapes that we see in both European vinifera and American labrusca grape types.
 See also: Grape, Wine, Region, Red, Flavor
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