Grapes 1: which grapes?

Which are the grapes you should know? Well, first, you should know that the colour of a wine is determined by the colour of the grape skin so we divide the world of grapes into red and white varieties. The major red grapes are pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and merlot; the major white grapes are riesling, chardonnay, chenin blanc, semillon and sauvignon blanc.

Other red grapes you should learn about, at some stage, include cabernet franc, grenache or garnacha, gamay, mourvedre, tempranillo, nebbiolo, barbera, sangiovese, carmenere, zinfandel and pinotage. Other white grapes of note include pinot gris, gewurztraminer, gruner veltliner and muscat.

All of these grape varieties generally impart consistently recognisable characters to the wines they make - be that colour, aromtaics, sweetness/acid or tannins. The major grapes do in this in a way that makes top quality, frequently age worthy wines - the lesser varieties can often make top quality wine but only in a limited number of regions.

Grapes 2: riesling

Riesling makes the finest white wines in the world as riesling edges out chardonnay in terms of ageability even if chardonnay wins hands down in terms of ubiquity! Riesling is originally German, and produces crisp, fresh white wines with an apple and lime or pineapple flavour. In Germany, due to the predominantly cool climate, the wines are pale coloured, with crisp green fruit aromatics, high acidity usually balanced with residual sugar and can age for 20 - 60 years without difficulty. In Alsace, where the climate is a little warmer the wines are dry, usually firm but at times austere.

In Austria, riesling is made in a firm, dry style with great minerality especially in the three key regions of Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal. Some riesling is grown in Italy and throughout other parts of Europe, though not enough to make it hugely important. In the new world, riesling is grown in the USA and New Zealand, but it is in Australia that riesling attains great stature. In fact, riesling wines from Clare Valley are among the two truly world-class white wines produced anywhere in the southern hemisphere. In youth, the wines are lime-zingy but age after 20 years into toasty, fabulous wines.

Grapes 3: pinot noir

Pinot noir is the finest red grapes, due to the exceptional wines it produces in its homeland of Burgundy, in France. Naturally pale in colour, in Burgundy the cool climate generally ensures quite pale wines, though not always. Its ethereal flavours are what make it so sought after. Aromatics range from cherry to raspberry top strawberry and black fruits, with beetroot, cabbage, game and spice thrown in for good measure. Naturally high acidity can result in tart, green wines in poor years but in good years the wines are stunning.

Burgundy is a region with many variations and pinot is the ideal grape to highlight the differences between villages and vineyards. Deep, dark and powerful in Gevrey-Chambertin, it can be fragrant and light in Givry; raspberry fruits in Beaune or dark cherries in Nuits-St-Georges - all in all a wild ride in terms of flavour and style. Now grown widely around the world, good pinot can be found in California, Australia, Chile and New Zealand. Most new world pinots demonstrate ripe, fresh fruit with fresh but balanced acidity and a lovely flavour.

Grapes 4: chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world, yet seems to have fallen out of fashion. Which just proves how stupid anyone who simply follows fashion is as the grape makes some fantastic wines in terms both of quality and versatility. Chardonnay's home is Burgundy, in France, where it makes stunning dry white wines ranging from crisp Chablis to round Meursault and elegant Montrachet. Typically pale in colour, the aromatics are apples of various sorts - fresh granny smoiths in Chablis and warm cox's pippins further south. Its breadth on the palate makes it an excellent grape for oak ageing and the best wines get up to 100% new oak barrels.

It is widely grown and Australia is the ideal spot with cool climate Adelaide Hills, Margaret River, Beechworth and Tasmania competing with warm to hot Barossa. Chile provides elegant lemony-apple wines, California superbly expensive wines and it is found every where else besides. Chardonnay is one of the top two white grapes in the world and is a great match with a wide range of foods. While the top wines can be stunning, the ordinary wines are approachable, affordable and agreeable.

Grapes 5: syrah

Syrah is deeply coloured, fairly tannic and in the Rhone Valley in France makes some seriously stunning wines, especially in Cote Rotie and Hermitage. This depth of colour stems from the fact that it is one of the deepest coloured grapes naturally rather than the climate. It normally has black fruit aromatics but, when young can show quite a stark flavour of black olive brine. Tannins can be firm but it is generally quite a round and generous grape.

In France, its influence is spreading as syrah is found more and more in the southern Rhone and even in the Languedoc. Around Europe you can find syrah in Germany, Austria, Spain and even Italy but, while some are very good, none has yet reached the heights of the Rhone. In the new world, although popular in the USA, South Africa and now Chile, it is in Australia where shiraz has found its southern home. From the most basic brand right up to the most expensive and ageworthy wines, shiraz is grown throughout the country and makes a fabulous range of superb wines.

Grapes 6: chenin blanc

Chenin blanc has a great reputation amongst the wine idiots like me but which struggles to achieve any status amongst ordinary consumers. The reasons are simple - it has a tart character and is only grown in the Loire Valley in France and South Africa. Chenin blanc is, as the name suggests, a white grape and in the Loire makes every style of wine from sparkling to still, dry to sweet, simple and fresh to deep and age-worthy. In the west, near Angers is the village of Savennieres and here chenin is made into a firm, minerally dry white wine which ages very well. Typical fruit character is cooking apple. South of the river is the Coteaux du Layon where chenin makes sweet wines, from grapes affected by noble rot. In Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume the wines are rich, intense and age for 40 years or more in a good vintage. Further east is Vouvray where the slightly warmer climate leads to a richer, rounder fruit style - more cooked than cooking apples!

In South Africa, chenin has been used for years to make wine for distillation but in the mid 1990s, the good women of Old Vines started a chenin revival and there is now some really interesting wine coming out of here.

Grapes 7: semillon

Semillon is one of those grapes which is famous among connaisseurs but otherwise unknown. In it's home of Bordeaux it is used to make the great dry and sweet white wines of Pessac, Sauternes and Barsac. Typically, it is pale coloured with a herbaceous, waxy character, slightly citric, with moderate acidity and a fairly well-rounded palate. In top properties where it is barrel-fermented, the wines have a great complexity which makes them one of the wine world's best kept secrets (an expensive one as well!). For the sweet wines semillon has the great advantage of a thin skin so it is susceptible to a specific rot known as noble rot. This dehydrates the grape causing sugar levels to rise - when fermentation stops you have a wonderfully rich sweet wine.

In Australia semillon is fairly widely grown but in the Hunter Valley it reaches its antipodean apogee (alliteration, wha?)! Here, in the cloudy, overcast region near Sydney the fruit barely ripens and the wines, in youth, are pale, slightly weedy and with 10.5% alcohol. Afetr 20 years, however, they are rich and toasty and one of the world's best wines - cheap too!

Grapes 8: cabernet sauvignon

Cabernet sauvignon is one of the classiest red grapes in the world. Often difficult due to its firm, tannic style it is still one of the most savoury grapes and is ideal with food. Originally a Catalan variety its home now is the Medoc region of Bordeaux - which is odd as even here it rarely ripens fully. As a consequence it has a leafy, blackcurrant fruit flavour, with lots of tannin fron naturally thick skins. Acid can be slightly high but, in those years when it ripens fully, the grape produces rich, elegant and long-flavoured wine.

Grown widely around the world it does very well in areas which are warmer than Bordeaux. Surprisingly little grown in Europe, outside of Tuscany, it is popular in Australia, South Africa, the USA and Chile. In Napa and Sonoma in California it produces wines which can, at their best, rival those of Bordeaux having a richer flavour. In Chile, the wines are classic blackcurrant and some now match the finest in the world. Australia's Coonawarra and Margaret River regions produce excellent wines as do both Constantia and Stellenbosch in South Africa. 

Grapes 9: merlot

Merlot is a difficult grape to like, at time, yet can also produce some of the finest and most luscious wines you can buy. Grown widely in Bordeaux (it is the most planted variety in the region) it ripens earlier and easier than cabernet sauvignon and, consequently, is the basis of most Bordeaux wine. Soft and round, with moderate acidity and supple tannins it is usually very approachable and easy to drink when young - hence its popularity as a blend-mate for cabernet. In Pomerol, where it makes about 90% of the wine, it produces rich wines (in every sense!) which can age very well - you've heard of Petrus even if you haven't tasted it yet! In St-Emilion, where it shares honours with cabernet franc it adds flesh to the blends and rounds out that most savoury of grapes. However, around the world, merlot has not really done well - it was popular but its wines can disappoint. Chile seemed to be its home from home until it was realised that most merlot grapes planted there were actually the spicy carmenere! In South Africa there are some very good wines but it is at its best in a Bordeaux-style blend. In Australia it is hardly gown at all and, given the Australian ability to fashion good wine from anything this speaks volumes about the grape. Yet, in the right place and in the right hands it can be lovely so keep trying!

Grapes 10: sauvignon blanc

Sauvignon blanc is one of the most popular white grapes in the world, largely based on two very different wine styles. Originating in central Europe it first became famous as the grape of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, two villages in the Loire region of France. Here the wines are firm, slightly nettle in flavour, with crisp acidity. Their lean style made them popular as aperitif wines in Paris in the 1960s and 1970s and their fame grew from there. Lovely with goat's cheese, the wines do well with a range of foods (try mackerel with gooseberry sauce) but are also easy to drink on their own. Also grown in Bordeaux sauvignon became very popular during the white wine revolution of the 1980s when Pierre Coste, and others, realised a fresh, easy-drinking style could be made more easily with sauvignon than semillon. However, it is the amazing success story of Marlborough in New Zealand to which the world owes its sauvignon debt - these zingy, goosebery and passion fruit wines became hugely popular in the 1990s and this style is widely copied. However, South Africa, while making copycat wines, also makes some superb mineral wines and Chile is producing some excellent sauvignon blanc. Indeed, Chile is the most exciting place for this varietal at present with cool climate zones such as Leyda, Aconcagua and Limari all making fabulous wine. Other styles include the oaked Fume Blanc style from California.