Popular Wine Varieties
There are many types and varieties of wine available. For anyone wanting to try and match a great wine with a specific type of meal, then you can’t go wrong making your choice form one of the more popular varieties around.
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
Known to many as cab sauv for short, this is a flavorful, full bodied red wine which originated in France. This is one of the best known and most popular wines on the market.
This full-bodied red wine blend can be the ideal accompaniment to a fine steak, a roast lamb or on its own as a drinking red wine.
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.
Shiraz pairs well with strong and spicy sauces – it is ideal for spicy cuisines and barbecue.
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
This is one of the most popular white wine varieties. Chardonnay makes a lovely wine on its own and it is often blended with other white wines. Chardonnay has notes of melon and lemon, as well as oak; the wine is generally aged in oak for between one and three years. This wine is the perfect complement to salmon and tuna dishes.
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
This is a German wine which has found favor worldwide and is now grown in many different countries. This is a white wine with a pleasing green apple and lemon flavor which may be either dry or sweet. The dry varieties of Riesling are excellent paired with spicy foods.
Now get out there, start trying new wines (join a wine club if there are no vineyards nearby), and enjoy.
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