Top 9 Most Popular Varieties of Wine

There is an enormous variety of wines out there. If you’re interested in learning more about pairing wines with your meals, then you’ll probably want to start with the popular wine varieties before delving into some of the lesser known varieties.

Oh, and before we get started, if you love to try new wines, then you can’t go wrong with a wine of the month club, they’re fun and you’re always expanding your wine palate.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular wine varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon

Often abbreviated to the less-than-lovely name ‘cab-sav’, the flavorful cabernet sauvignon is a classic French wine that is one of the most widely recognized red wine varieties.

This well rounded red goes wonderfully with steaks and roasted lamb as well as being delicious on its own.

Merlot

This soft, full bodied red has significantly less tannins than do most other red wines. Merlot is bottled on its own as well as being a part of many red wine blends. Merlot is an excellent wine to pair with chicken and other poultry.

Shiraz

Also known as Syrah, Shiraz is a deep red colored, medium bodied wine whose flavor includes hints of black pepper and berries. This is one of the best wines to go with barbecue as well as many other meat dishes. Shiraz can be aged for a long time and improves well with age.

Shiraz was originally produced from grapes from the Middle Eastern countries although South Australia’s brilliant wine region is now said to produce some of the finest award-winning Shiraz wines in the world.

Served with peppery or mustard-based sauces on spicy, garnished meats, Shiraz is the perfect complimentary red wine.

Grenache

Grenache has a soft taste on its own with a very slight black pepper and plum flavor. It is often blended with Syrah, especially in Spain and France. Grenache also accompanies spicy foods quite well.

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir has a medium to light body, an aroma reminiscent of red and black fruits and floral notes – these become especially pronounced when the wine has been well aged.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the most popular white wines, being made into a wine in its own right and being a major component of most white blends. These wines tend to have notes of melon and lemon and are generally aged in oak for anywhere up to 3 years. Chardonnay goes well with flavorful fish such as salmon and tuna.  Chardonnay is easily one of the most popular white wines anywhere. Traditionally these wonderfully melon flavored wines are allowed to mature in oak barrels for up to 3 years. Chardonnay is ideal served along with salmon.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon blanc produces a very flavorful, somewhat acidic wine with gooseberry and lemon flavors. This wine pairs excellently with seafood and grilled vegetables and is wonderful on its own.

Semillon

This classic full-bodied dry French white wine is often misunderstood by people living outside of France or Australia. Often criticized for lacking in intensity, Semillon has a distinctly fruity flavor that is more subtle than some of the ‘heavier’ white wines and so it’s often blended with a Sauvignon Blanc to create a wonderful light drinking wine.

Riesling

Originally a German wine, Riesling is now produced all over the world. These whites have a fruity, floral taste which reminds many of green apple and are made both in sweet varieties and dry. The dry Rieslings go well with spicy dishes.

Now get out there, start trying new wines (join a wine club if there are no vineyards nearby), and enjoy.