From the category archives:

Grape Varieties

Muscadet – Melon de Bourgogne

4 June 2009

Muscadet was discovered by farmers who bottled grape juice and left it over the winter months, returning to a pleasant wine to sip after a long and hot day’s work in the summer. Otherwise known as Melon de Bourgogne grape and often referred to simply as “melon” – Muscadet is a dry white wine and [...]

Read the full article →

Semillon

27 May 2009
Thumbnail image for Semillon

Semillon has traditionally been overshadowed by grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc and is often blended opposed to used on its own. Though it is rarely in the limelight, Semillon can produce some fantastic wines. The grape has great potential and is beginning to gain recognition in areas such as France and the Upper and lower [...]

Read the full article →

Grüner Veltliner

18 May 2009
Thumbnail image for Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner, also dubbed Gru-Vee, has started to cause a real stir amongst noted wine writers and connoisseurs, which is surprising as it is an indigenous variety hailing from none other than Austria. Despite being better known for its Reislings, there’s actually ten times more Grüner Veltliner planted in Austria and their wine industry is [...]

Read the full article →

Viognier

13 May 2009
Thumbnail image for Viognier

Viognier is a type of white wine grape which is typically associated with the Rhone Valley in France. The popularity of this grape is growing incredibly fast and it is now produced in many regions across the world. The cost of Viognier has also risen, although it is now available at reasonable prices in some [...]

Read the full article →

Chenin Blanc

28 April 2009
Thumbnail image for Chenin Blanc

You have to feel a little bit sorry for the Chenin Blanc, particularly when it is often described as being a ‘mutant of the Pineau d’Anuis’ and is frequently excluded from the ‘premier list’ of many wine guides. However, with such a long history and versatility in the kind of wines that it can produce, [...]

Read the full article →

Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris

2 April 2009
Thumbnail image for Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris

Originating from Alsace in the guise of Pinot Gris, today the popular white wine Pinot Grigio (as named by the Italians) is more widely produced in a number of countries including Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States it is grown primarily in Oregon although California has put out an increasing number [...]

Read the full article →

Sauvignon Blanc

26 March 2009
Thumbnail image for Sauvignon Blanc

Introduction
Suave and sophisticated yet vivid and vibrant in colour and flavours, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, dry and refreshing white wine that is produced from the green-skinned grape variety that derives its name from sauvage and blanc the French for ‘wild’ and ‘white’ respectively. Originally grown in the French Loire Valley and Bordeaux, it is [...]

Read the full article →

Riesling

19 March 2009
Thumbnail image for Riesling

One of the best things to have come out of Germany is Riesling, a dry semi-sweet and sparkling white wine with a tart, acidic, ‘thirst-quenching’ quality that is rarely oaked and almost never fermented. Riesling is derived from the grape species Vitis vinifera, Germany’s leading grape variety, which has a sweet, fruity flavour and an [...]

Read the full article →

Chardonnay

16 March 2009
Thumbnail image for Chardonnay

Classy, charming and choicest when served cool, Chardonnay is a world renowned vintage, deriving its name from the French village of Chardonnay in the Mâconnais region.
Grapes and Key Flavours
Research from the University of California suggests that Chardonnay may be a cross between Pinot and Croatian Gouais Blanc grape varieties, produced as it is from [...]

Read the full article →