 Within v. vinifera, there is a great diversity of varieties. One of the most interesting is Pinot Noir, which produces some of the most seductive and enchanting wines in the world. The grape is inconsistent, however, and the wines can vary from rich and full bodied, well-oaked styles to thin, sour pink wine. The main fruit aromas include cherry, raspberry, strawberry and plum jam. As the wine matures, it can show baked red fruits, violets, game, rotten vegetables and truffles.
The quality of Pinot Noir is determined in large part by its physical structure. It is a variety that produces compact bunches, which can lead to rot in humid conditions. This is the reason that vintage variation is so important. Pinot also buds early and ripens early, and because of this the climate of the growing region is important, since acidity can drop and cooked flavors develop before complexity develops in warmer regions.
Cooler regions have their own risks, however – since Pinot buds early, it can be susceptible to frost. Finally, Pinot has a thin skin, which means that the resulting wine will normally have soft tannin and light color (and also be susceptible to rot). Many critics complain that Pinot styles are overemphasizing extraction. Oz Clarke speaks of the “Cabernisation of Pinot” in his Encyclopedia of Grapes. In some regions, Pinot can be chaptalized to excessive alcohol, while in others, late picking can result in heavy, awkward wines with little charm.
Gamay produces deeply colored wines with high acidity, low tannin, medium body, low to moderate alcohol, and a fruity grape aroma. The fruity character is often made more pronounced through the use of carbonic maceration. In addition to its traditional home in the southern Burgundy region of Beaujolais, it is also blended with Pinot Noir in Switzerland.
 Cabernet Sauvignon gives wines of a very different character than those made from Pinot Noir. This, again, is because of the structure of the grape. Cabernet is a grape with smaller berries and a much thicker skin than Pinot. Since the color and tannin are found in the skin, wines made from Cabernet are deeply colored and have comparatively firmer tannins. The grapes are also less susceptible to rot.
These wines usually have fairly crisp acidity, generous alcohol and full body. The fruit character has elements of blackcurrant, cedar, and violets. As it ages, it shows cedar, smoke, cigar box, tobacco and wet stones. The best wines show a deep color and very ripe fruit, while lesser wines have a washed-out look and a green bell pepper aroma.
Extraction of color and tannins are fairly easy with Cabernet. Here the challenge is to ensure equilibrium in the wine, and avoid harsh tannins that can obscure the fruit – gentle extraction is usually preferred. Cabernet is often aged in oak, because this helps to soften astringent tannins, and blended with Merlot (among other grapes) to soften the natural austerity of the grape.
 Merlot is a common grape for blending with Cabernet that has only risen to prominence as a lead player in its own right in the last fifteen years or so. It buds and ripens more quickly and easily than Cabernet and has a thinner skin. This means that the wines are forward and fruit driven, with higher alcohol, but less tannin and acid to balance the fruit. The acidity drops precipitously at the end of the ripening cycle. The grape can also be prone to rot, although the bunches are fairly loose.
The Bordeaux of the right bank (St. Emilion, Pomerol and surrounding communities) are much more reliant on Merlot than on Cabernet. The Merlot here is firm and structured because it is grown in cool, moist clay soils. This cool environment emphasizes the structure of Merlot, while gravel soils can make the Merlot soft and lacking in depth. Merlot is joined in right bank wines by Cabernet Franc, which is also well adapted to the region because it ripens sooner than Cabernet Sauvignon yet gives some of the same aromatic character.
Cabernet Franc is an enigmatic grape – it is not very well regarded, yet composes 60% of the blend in many years at Château Cheval Blanc, one of the finest crus of the right bank. It shows perfumed aromas of currants and violets and smoky red fruits with a characteristic “lead pencil” note. It can be green and unripe poor years, with high acidity and moderate tannins. With Merlot, its most important terroir is the right bank of Bordeaux. Here, oak is traditionally used for maturation, but elsewhere, however, it is less common, such as in the Loire Valley. Chinon and Bourgeuil are the most well-regarded appellations in this regions. Cabernet Franc is also grown in the Southwest of France as well as in Friuli.
Syrah is widely regarded as one of the noblest grape varieties. Like Cabernet, the berries are small and the skin is thick. This produces deeply colored, tannic and full-bodied wines. Although Syrah from the Rhone and Shiraz from Australia are essentially the same grape, there is some clonal variation. The “grosse” clone is not true Syrah, it is actually Mondeuse. This variety is more vigorous and productive and correspondingly less interesting. The clone known as ”petite” is true Syrah, and this is the type planted in Australia. This is where confusion creeps in, however, because the grape called Petite Syrah in California is actually the Durif grape.
On the nose, wines from warmer climates show aromas of savory roasted meats, bacon fat, tar and pepper. In cooler climates, it is much more common to show pure red and black berry fruit aroma, still with a peppery edge. Syrah takes a while to open up in bottle, and frequently is aged in oak. High yields can produce a grape with little color, prone to oxidation and high sugar levels. Like Merlot, acidity plunges at the end of ripening.
 Grenache is the backbone of the wines of the southern Rhone valley, and the most widely
planted black variety in the world. It is a thin-skinned grape with loose bunches that ripens late and is prone to oxidation. It can ripen to very high sugar levels, though, producing high alcohol wines with high sugar, low acid (oxidizing easily) and light color. The aroma is typically fairly neutral red berry fruit with peppery overtones. Grenache is often grown in poorer regions, because it can be grown as bush-trained vines, which are relatively low-cost to maintain. The best examples of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Priorat show the great possibility of this grape.
Cinsaut also plays a role in the wines of the southern Rhone. The grape is widely planted, and gives a wine that has more acidity and color than Grenache, but fairly low tannin. Cinsaut is also one parent in the Pinotage hybrid that is ubiquitous in South Africa.
Mourvedre is another Rhone varietal. It is known in Spain as Monastrell, where it is second only to Garanacha. It produces wines that are high in acid and tannin, and has pronounced aroma of blackberry. It is a featured player in Bandol and in California as Mataro.
Carignan is the last of the significant Rhone grapes. It gives wine with a fairly neutral red berry fruit and earthy, spicy notes, deep color, high alcohol, high extract and high tannin. Old vine
Carignan is common in the Languedoc, and produces concentrated, characterful examples.
Carbonic maceration has also proven successful.
 The most widely planted fine wine variety in Italy is Sangiovese. Several clones exist, including Grosso (Prugnolo, Brunello, Morellino), which is widely planted and ripens earlier than other clones. The Piccolo (Sangioveto) has tighter bunches, smaller grapes. Sangiovese often lacks deep color, and is subject to oxidation. It can produce a wine relatively high in acidity and low in extract, with medium sugar, and medium to high tannins. It has an earthy aroma, and is often blended with Cabernet to give it forward fruit. Sangiovese di Romagna is a separate grape with its own clones. Yield is generally higher, but quality is not necessarily lower.
 Nebbiolo is considered the finest grape of Italy, and it is used in such widely renowned wines as Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. A difficult grape to grow, it is one of the last to ripen, and it is prone to mutation. The different clones include the Lampia, which gives yield, colour, body and perfume, the Michet which has low yield but gives good structure (it is known as the best clone), and Rose which has a low yield and light body, but gives perfume to the blend. Although it is fairly low in coloring agents (anthocyanins), Nebbiolo is high in tannin.
The classic descriptor for Nebbiolo is “tar and roses” on the nose, although the mineral component is minimized in some of the more modern styles. Recent years have seen an increase in the use of small French barrels for aging Nebbiolo, so that the sweet spice of new barrels is not uncommon now. On the palate, Nebbiolo-based wines are tannic and structured, with the ability to age gracefully for 30 – 50 years.
Barbera is considered the second grape of Piedmont. It is high in acidity, low in tannins, and high in coloring agents – typically showing a shocking pink rim. Barbera D’Alba is firmer, with more structure, while Barbera from Asti is suppler and less full bodied. Some modern producers age their best Barberas in small French oak, which can produce wines that are very international in style, and are priced closer to Nebbiolo.
Dolcetto is the everyday grape of the Piemontese farmer. It gives a deep purple wine with soft tannins, low acids, and moderate alcohol. The fruit character is fairly neutral, and some describe it as showing mulberry and quince aromas.
In the Northeast, Corvina gives wines with crisp acidity, low tannins and fairly light color, although two clones exist, and the one known as Corvinone gives deeper-coloured wine higher in alcohol and tannin. Rondinella and Molinara are used in the same areas as Corvina, since they ripen earlier, although they have less aroma and finesse.
Aglianico is a warm-weather grape from the south that gives wine that is rustic and full-bodied, but shows good depth of character. It is considered the best black grape of Southern Italy, and is grown in Campania, Calabria, Apulia, and Basilicata, where it is known as the base of Taurasi and Aglianico del Vulture. The fruit has a ripe red and black berry nose with a distinct earthy, minerally note which can sometimes be medicinal.
Other black varieties from the south of Italy include Piedirosso from Campagnia and Uva di Troia from Puglia, both of which show great potential. They are mostly used in blends. Negroamaro from Puglia is thick skinned; giving dark, tannic wine w/ a bitter edge. It is popular in the Salento peninsula. Nero d’Avola, used in Sicily (notably in Corvo), gives full body and ripe, earthy fruit.
Primitivo from Puglia is a relative of the American Zinfandel (by way of Croatia). It gives high alcohol wines used in blending. Zinfandel itself is almost always high alcohol, with lots of extract, and usually soft acidity. The nose can show brambly, stewed, raisined fruit. Because it ripens unevenly it can show at the same time ripe and unripe, green flavors.
The traditional Port grapes are also very popular for Portuguese table wine: the Touriga Nacional (grown in the Douro and the Dao) is a grape that produces tannic, alcoholic wines with a pronounced rustic red and black fruit aroma. Tinta Amarela (known as Trincadeira in Alentejo) also produces a characteristic deeply coloured, fruity wines. Baga, used in Bairrada, has a thick skin, giving rustic wines with deep color and high tannins. Castelao Frances (known as Periquita in the Alentejo) has a silkier texture, and is softer and more aromatic than the Baga.
Tempranillo is the main grape in the classic Rioja blends. This grape is grown throughout Spain, and in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. In the Douro it is used for both Port and for dry table wines. It gives fairly tannic wine moderately high in alcohol and low in acidity with a relatively neutral aroma.
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Wine Regions of the World
