Vintner Views – March '07

Making Sense of Wine Classifications

   When a consumer browses the wine shelves of his or her local bottle shop, it can be overwhelming, especially for the novice, to see so many different types of wines.  How do we make sense of it all?

   Wine produced in the USA is usually labeled according to the grape variety used to make it.  For example, a bottle of Chardonnay is made from Chardonnay grapes.  By law, a wine must be made with at least 75% of the variety stated on the label.  What about Claret?  Claret is simply a blend of varying amounts of the five or so grape varieties from the Bordeaux region of France including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec.

   The ancient European grape vine that is the foundation of the world’s wine industry is known as Vitis Vinifera.  This grape species is responsible for roughly 95% of the wines made around the globe.  There are a large number of grape varieties that fall within Vitis Vinifera.   A handful of these varieties are widely known by consumers as they meander through the wine aisles.  The “Big Three” are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Nearly every winery has at least one, quite possibly all three of these common wines.  Some of the other well known varieties you’ll see are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, also known as Shiraz, and Pinot Grigio, also known as Pinot Gris.  Some lesser known varieties might include Cabernet Franc, Muscat, Petite Verdot, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Carignane, Viognier, Mourvedre, Grenache, and Tempranillo.  Incidentally, many Vitis Vinifera varieties grow well in Western Colorado. 

   These grapes all have individual characteristics that distinguish them in some way.  Some differences are clearly apparent for all to see, other differences are detected only by the grower and/or winemaker.  Most reasonably educated wine consumers accept the idea that aromas, flavors, colors and textures vary according to the variety as well as how the wine was made.  In other words, Merlots have certain characteristics that make them distinguishable from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and the rest of the gang.  FYI, this is not always the case, especially with dry red wines such as these.  In a blind tasting, well respected wine professionals more often than not cannot accurately name the grape used to make a particular red wine.  There are trends and generalizations that can be made, but there is plenty of room for deviation.

   What about wines from other places, like France, Italy and Germany?  European wines are labeled according to where the wine was made and by whom, and not so much what kind of grape was used.  A person familiar with the region and its producers will know what kind of grapes were used.  Apparently, we Americans would rather know what’s in our beverage than who made it.  Is one nomenclature system right and the other wrong?  Of course not.  They are just different ways of labeling wine, and each has its pros and cons.

   Next month, we’ll take a look at those flowery, imaginative descriptions we read about wines.

This article appeared in the March 14, 2007 edition of the Grand Junction Free Press.

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