What are the Differences in White Wine?

You already know to serve white wine with fish, poultry, Asian food and pasta with cream sauces, but there are so many white wines out there, you are confused with what they all are and how to select the right one for your dinner. Yes, there are about as many different varieties of white wine as you can imagine, but the types really are not that complicated.

Chardonnay

Probably one of the most commonly served white wines is the chardonnay. This wine is grown in France in the regions known as Burgandy and Chablis. It gets its name from the type of grape that it is made from grapes from the chardonnay vine. This white wine is full-bodied and fruity, so the best types of meals to serve with it include those that are bitter or astringent, like salads with more bitter greens or charbroiled meats.

Riesling

Another white wine is the Johannesberg Riesling. It is known as Johannesberg only when it the vines that this wine is created from are grown along the Rhine in Europe. However, this is not the only place that a good Riesling may be bottled in fact, a White Riesling is grown in the New York area of the United States. This wine is off-dry and compliments teriyaki dishes or honey mustard glazes quite well.

Sauvignon Blanc

Like the Chardonnay, this white wine is most often produced in France, but found in the Loire region rather than the regions of Burgandy or Chablis. This wine can also be bottled in Austria and most recently in New Zealand. A Sauvignon Blanc is a hearty white wine with an earthy flavor that lends itself quite well to acidic foods like Asian dishes that contain soy sauce.

Chenin Blanc

This is yet another white wine that lends itself well to sweeter foods like pasta with Italian tomato sauce. The grapes that are used to create this wine are most often grown France and South Africa. One really intriguing aspect of this white wine is that it can contain little to no residual sugar. A good chenin blanc, however, can be expensive because the grape is slow to mature and ages well within the bottle for up to ten years.

Of course, there are quite a few more varieties of white wines beyond what is listed here however, these are a good beginning foundation for your wine collection