Viticulture - Grape varieties
15 important questions on Viticulture - Grape varieties
What are the factors to consider when planting a certain grape variety?
- Around 10'000 grape varieties --> 13 of them 1/3
- Main aspect to consider:
- The climate
- To check if required a specific region or appellation (E.g. In Barolo, winemakers must plant the Nebbiolo varietal to obtain the Barolo label)
What kind of white grapes do we have?
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon
- Riesling
- Chenin blanc
- Ugni blanc
What are the characteristics of Chardonnay?
- Hot and cold climates
- Light to full-bodied
- Dry white wines
- Napa valley in US and Burgundy in France
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What are the characteristics of Sauvignon?
- Cold climates
- Light-bodied wines
- Refreshing and dry
- Marlborough in New Zealand and Loire Valley in France
What are the characteristics of Riesling?
- Cold climates
- refreshing, light to medium-bodied wines
- Sweet wines
- Alsace in France and Mosel region in Germany
What are the characteristics of Chenin blanc?
- Usually cold climates but sometimes also hot
- Refreshing, light to full-bodied wines
- Sweet wines
- Loire Valley in France and Stellenbosch in South Africa
What are the characteristics of Ugni blanc?
- Hot climates
- Refreshing, light to medium-bodied wines
- Provence in the South of France and Trebbiano in Tuscany
What kind of red grapes do we have?
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Gamay
- Tempranillo
What are the characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon?
- Hot climates
- Full-bodied wines with strong tannins
- Bordeaux in France and Napa Valley in US
What are the characteristics of Merlot?
- Mild to hot climates
- Full-bodied with soft tannins
- Ticino in Switzerland and Mendoza in Argentina
What are the characteristics of Pinot noir?
- Cold climates
- Light to medium-bodied wines
- If the climate is warmer, it produces full-bodied wines with soft tannins
- Burgundy in France and Central Otago in New Zealand
What are the characteristics of Gamay?
- Cold climates
- Light to medium-bodied wines with soft tannins
- Vaud in Switzerland and Beaujolais in France
What are the characteristics of Tempranillo?
- Hot climates
- Full-bodied wines with strong tannins
- Rioja in Spain
What are the characteristics of Syrah?
- Relatively hot climate, international grapes
- Medium to full-bodied wines
- Rhone valley in France, Valais in Switzerland, Barossa in Australia (very hot place) but there they don't call it that, they call it Shiraz
Why do we blend to make a wine?
Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot to make a "Bordeaux Blend": Cabernet Sauvignon has strong tannins and the Merlot gives the wine a rounder taste.
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