For those who are just starting to explore the wonderful world of wine, you may well be confused by the vast variety of wines – whites, reds, blends, bubblies – and the many choices within each of those broad categories. We’ll select just one of those for this brief introduction – white wines. We’ll give you a short tour of the most common varietals (types of grapes), tell you what to expect from each of them and what distinguishes them from each other.

 

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is definitely the most popular white wine in America – in fact, it’s reportedly the only white wine many wine lovers consume. Chardonnay is quite often the first white wine a new wine fan will discover, largely because it is so easy to enjoy. Chardonnay is usually on the dry side, meaning not very sweet, and it frequently has flavors of tropical fruit, apples, vanilla, and butter, and a varying amount of oak, depending on the winery where it was produced. “White Burgundy”, from France, is nearly always pure Chardonnay. Many other wine regions throughout the world produce Chardonnay, among them Chile and Australia. There are many good choices of American Chardonnay available for under $20. Well-knownand consistently reliable producers include BV, Columbia Crest, and Chateau St. Michelle, among others.

 

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes called Fume Blanc, is another very popular white wine. Sauvignon Blanc is often characterized as “freshly mown”, meaning that it reminds the taster of freshly mown grass. It is a medium-bodied white wine with noticeably fruity aromas like grapefruit, melon, and peach, and is dry and refreshing with medium acidity. Sauvignon Blanc is a particularly nice summer wine, especially good with seafood and it’s a perfect match for appetizers and picnics. A very nice choice, for under 15 dollars, is made by Babich (New Zealand).

 

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, also called Pinot Gris (the actual grape name), is Italy’s most popular white wine, and is popular throughout the world, although the Italian Pinot Grigios can be somewhatbland. Pinot Grigios are easy to drink, having a crisp, light taste. The Pinot Gris offerings from Oregon tend to have more character, offering medium body, with more pronounced fruit and more acidity. Higher quality bottles have fruity flavors of apple, pear, honeydew and a touch of spice. Two very nice Pinot Gris from Oregon, available for between $12-$18, are Chateau St. Michelle and King Estate, among others.

 

Riesling

Riesling wines are quite possibly the most popular German wine, and they are produced in two considerably different styles – dry and sweet. Rieslings are categorized by the ripeness of the grapes when they’re picked. Kabinett signifiesnormally ripe grapes, and is a light to medium-bodied, mostly dry wine. You’ll oftenfind the word “trocken” on a bottle of Riesling, which means “dry” in German. “Spatlese” is produced from grapes picked when riper, and results in a bit richer, somewhatsweeter, wine. “Auslese”, which means late harvest, is made from even riper grapes, and is usually verysweet. Rieslings are typically fruity, with peach, honeysuckle, and apple flavors and floral undertones. Rieslings are relatively inexpensive – you can find excellent bottles for under $10. One consistently excellentchoice is Strub Niertsteiner Riesling Kabinett, as well asChateau Ste. Michelle Riesling.

 

Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is another popularwhite wine from Germany, while also being produced in Australia, New Zealand, France, and the U.S. Gewurztraminer is also availablein both dry and sweet styles. Gewurztraminers have a bold, full-bodied taste, considerably more so than most other whites. Typical aromas associated withGewurztraminer are rosewater and lychee nuts, and its flavors include pear, apricot, cinnamon, and honey. A nice, inexpensive Gewurztraminer is produced byTrimbach (France, under $15).

 

A final note

The best way to figure out your own preferencesin white wine is to just pick out a samplingof bottles, and give them a try. For each varietal, you’ll want to choose a bottle that’s typical of the style you’re investigating. Websites like Wine.com can be very helpfulwith finding solid, yet inexpensive choices. Once you find a varietal and style and producer you find particularly enjoyable, you might want to buy a case to have on hand for entertaining, or to just enjoy at home. Most white wines won’t improve with aging, so you shouldn’t keep them around for years. You do, however,want to be sure to store your wine properly, so they keepthe wonderful flavors and aromas you anticipate. You might want to investin an inexpensive wine cooler, to keep all your wines at their absolute best.

White wines are best served moderately chilled, so you may want to refrigerate them beforehand, then take them outabout 15-20 minutes before serving. Better yet, you may want tobuy an electric wine chiller, which will chill (or warm) a single wine bottleto the optimal temperature automatically – just set the pre-programmedwine varietal, pop in the bottle, and the chiller will automatically cool (or warm) your wine to the optimal temperature, and keep your wine at the right temperaturethroughout your wine tasting.

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