What is the difference in taste between the main wine varieties?
Can anyone offer me a quick, few-word description of the different wine varieties in taste? I am referring more to the best-known of these, such as:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noit
Merlot
Muscat
Chardonnay
Riesling
Thanks again.
Tagged with: cabernet sauvignon • chardonnay • merlot • muscat • noit • riesling • wine varieties • word description
Filed under: All Things Wine
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Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be one of the more full bodied Reds. Some of the most famous reds in the world are made with mostly cab. This includes wines from Bordeaux France like Chateau Lafite Rothchild. Cab wines age very well.
Pinot Noir tends to be less tanic than a cab but still creates a very full bodied red. Great Pinot Noir wines are produced in the US in Washington and Oregon and it is the red grape of choice in Burgandy France.
Merlot is the lighest of the reds that you listed. More fruity than either a cab or pinot noir. Probably the most popular red right now. Merlot wines tend to be made for drinking young (do not age well)
Muscat - white wine that is somewhat astringent. It is the white grape of choice in the Loire in France where the most popular wine is the Muscadet. Known for its pairing with shelfish.
Chardonnay - The most popular white in the world. Versitile grape that is a part of many of the great white wines.
Riesling - Tends to be a sweeter white than most although some of the best are the driest rieslings made in Alsace France and Germany. In my opinion, some of the best wines in the world use this grape as well as some of the worst.
There are many other great wines/grapes that you missed in your list
"Quick, few word description …"
Cabernet Sauvignon - King of the Reds. BIG, complex, lots of tannins.
Pinot Noit - Elegent red. Refined. Silky. The heartbreak grape.
Merlot - Friendly, soft, fruit forward red
Muscat - Dessert wine
Chardonnay - Crowd pleasing white. Crisp, fresh white. Buttery if oaked, fresh is unoaked.
Riesling - Sweet fruit forward white.
Cabernet: Very popular grape, very tannic, can be quite complex. It is made into some of the best wines in the world (great California Cabs and French Bordeaux) that being said it can also be made into very bad wines. Just because some call it "King of the Reds" doesn’t means its better than any other (and this title is held by more varietals than just Cab anyway). These wines tend to be full and in your face unless aged for a significant amount of time. Often full to medium bodied with high alcohol content.
Pinot Noir: The most famous of the Pinot family it is one of the lighter reds around. Very finicky, this grape produces wines with the most variation within the varietal out of all those listed. They can be amazingly crisp and bright, or on the other side, weak and two dimensional. Mostly light to medium bodied with average alcohol content. Less tannins and higher acidity than Cab. Try a good Burgundy
Merlot: often thought of as a middle of the road between Cab and Pinot Noir, Merlots are most people’s beginner wine. That’s not to say they can’t be exceptionally complex and balanced. Medium to full bodied, this is the other important player in Bordeaux. Good Merlots have a nice balance of fruit, tannins and acidity.
Muscat or Moscato (Italian) — Varietal in one of the largest families of grapes. It is often turned into Dessert or slightly sweet wines. Two of Italy’s famous Sparkling sweet (though not sweet enough to be Dessert wine) wines "Moscato d’Asti" and Asti are made from this grape. It is also often blended with other grapes in dry whites. Very fruity and floral with good acidity.
Chardonnay: Most popular white grape in the US by far, this can make wonderfully rich and complex, intense whites. That being said it often doesn’t. The fullest of the whites great Chardonnays posses wonderful aging potential. France deals with this one better than the US in my opinion. Try a good white Burgundy
Riesling: The King of the White Grapes (just not in the US) more wine is made from Riesling than any other White Grape. If you could give it to a country this would be Germany’s grape. Bright and fruity with wonderful acidity yet still possessing a great depth of character. By far my favorite white. Riesling is made into every style of wine from bone dry to the sweetest desserts. Find a good Spatlese from the Rheingau.