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GRAPE VARIETIES
In Bordeaux, almost all
wines are blends of several grape varieties. The wine maker harvests and
vinifies the grape varieties separately, then blends them to create
the desired taste. The type of grape that can be planted in each
appellation is strictly controlled by the
A.O.C. law. |
Check out our wine collection from our wine list We have a wide selection of Imported Wines from: France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and more.
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 For Red
Bordeaux |
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Merlot The most widely planted grape variety in Bordeaux. It is especially prominent in Pomerol, Saint-Èmilion, and Côtes wines. With lower tannin and acid levels and higher sugar content than Cabernet Sauvignon, it produces smoother and fruitier wines than ones blended predominately with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. (98,800 acres) Cabernet Sauvignon Esteemed by connoisseurs as the noblest of all grapes. It is especially prominent in Médoc and Graves wines and is distinguished by intense black currant aromas, balanced tannin, and medium to high acidity which together yield a complex, elegant, and strong-bodied wine that ages with grace. (61,750 acres) Cabernet Franc The primary blending grape that provides acidity, fragrance, and strawberry-like fruit qualities. (32,110 acres) Secondary authorized grape varieties used for blending red wines are Malbec (also known as the Cot or Pressac) for color and body, Petit Verdot for color, tannins, and high acidity, and Carmenère for color.
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For White
Bordeaux |
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Sémillon The dominate grape for sweet white wines. It is also used to add richness, structure, and aging potential to some dry white wines. Sémillon is particularly susceptible to noble rot, the fungus that concentrates grapes' sugars and yields a sweet wine with rich, deep, mellow flavors. It has a honey and apricot bouquet. (29,640 acres) Sauvignon Blanc The dominate grape for the top dry white wines (Graves, for example). It is also used to add acidity to some sweet blends. It produces crisp, clean, medium-bodied wines with full, fruity flavors and often grassy, herbaceous and citrus bouquet. (11,115 acres) Muscadelle Used most often to add fruity flavors and floral fragrance to blends for semi-sweet and sweet white wines. (4,500 acres) Secondary authorized grape varieties used rarely for blending white wines are Merlot Blanc, Ondenc, Mauzac, Colombard, and Ugni Blanc. They are blended into some regional wines and are used because of their high yields rather than any particular quality added to wine.
CHENIN BLANCAlthough a native of the Loire, this golden grape produces wines from bone dry to luscious and sweet and is found in nearly every wine growing region of the world, particularly South Africa where it was introduced as early as the mid 17th. century it is also widely used in the U.S. and Australia. The wines have appley flavours that will 'honey' with age. CHARDONNAYThe most popular white grape grown world - wide. This native of Burgundy is now extensively grown globally particularly in Australia and South Africa. The wines are best aged in oak lending an oaky flavour to the crisp green apple taste of Chablis and the more buttery and fruity wines of California and Australia. It is one of the major grape varieties used in the making of Champagne. GEWÜRZTRAMINERFound all over the world but a native of Germany. The soft, golden wine is easily recognisable, it is musky and spicy with a smell of roses and lychees. The wine is low in acidity and high in alcohol content. GRENACHEA native of Spain, where, as Garnacha it is one of the principal varieties in the wines of Rioja it also constitutes as much as 70% of Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It is widely used in Australia, California and France(Provence) to make a number of roses. Pale in colour and high in alcohol the wines have a herbal, peppery flavour. PINOT NOIRA traditional native of Burgundy, it produces a pale, light red with a soft, fragrant raspberry flavour, elsewhere the wines have more complex flavours with a hint of sweetness. The grape thrives best in Burgundy - Pinot Noir from California tends to be fatter and richer. In Champagne the grape is vinified into a white wine and used with Chardonnay to make the famous fizz. RIESLINGA native of Germany - Riesling is to Germany what Chardonnay is to France. The grape is at its best in Germany but is grown in many wine-producing countries world-wide. The wines range from dry to sweet with an aromatic flavour that becomes honeyed and richer the sweeter the wine is. New world Rieslings have less acidity and more body. SYRAHThe classic native of the Northern Rhone, the grape is also grown widely in Southern France and Australia where it is known as Shiraz. It produces dry, deep coloured tannic wines with rich fruit flavours (cherry, blackcurrants) and a bouquet of violets. ZINFANDEL An important grape variety, also thought to be the variety once known as Black St. Peter in early 19th century California lore, currently grown in California and used to produce robust red wine as well as very popular "blush wines" called "white Zinfandel". The oldest vines found in the Dry Creek and Amador regions are notable for their ability to produce superior juice; eg. the "Bevill-Mazzoni" clone from the Dry Creek appellation was recently reported (7/2000) as yielding excellent results even as a young vine. Zinfandel is noted for the fruit-laden, berry-like aroma and prickly taste characteristics in its red version and pleasant strawberry reminders when made into a "blush" wine. While its origins are not clear it has been positively identified, via DNA analysis at UC Davis (California), as the Primitivo (di Gioia), a variety grown in Apulia, southern Italy. According to an Italian report of 1996 the latter variety may have a relationship to members of the Vranac variety cépage grown in Montenegro, the state that, combined with Serbia, constitutes what remains of the former Yugoslavia. Other contenders were certain mutated members of the Mali Plavac, (a.k.a Plavac Mali), cépage varieties which are mainly grown in the coastal area known as Dalmatia, a province of Croatia recently a part of the former Yugoslavia and located just across the Adriatic sea from the shores of Italian Apulia. Research is presently (7/98) underway to explore possible relationships. The origin of the grapename "Zinfandel" in California is currently not known but is thought by some to be a corruption of Zierfandler, a completely unrelated white variety still grown in the Balkan region of Europe. It has been noted that mid-19th century catalogs mention a red (ie. "roter") mutation of that variety. A plausible hypothesis is that a naming error arose due to attribution and shipping mistakes made during unreliable early-19th century transport and handling to New World destinations.
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