Welcome to the third part of our beginner series Winemaking for beginners: From grape to glass. In the first parts we looked at what wine actually is, and how soil and climate (terroir) leave their mark on the wine. Now we turn to the raw material itself: the grape.
The grape variety is the single most important factor in how a wine tastes. Think of it as the main ingredient in a dish. You can prepare it in many ways, but it is still the basic flavour that sets the direction. In this part you will learn to recognise the great varieties and understand why a grape becomes precisely the wine you have in your glass.
What you will learn
- The most widespread blue and green grape varieties, and what characterises them
- How the grape variety shapes the wine's style, from colour to flavour
- Why the ripening of the grape determines when it is harvested
- How the grape's skin and contents end up as aroma and flavour in the glass
What is a grape variety?
A grape variety is quite simply a particular type of wine grape, just as an apple tree can be either Ingrid Marie or Cox Orange. Almost all classic wine is made from one particular species of vine, and within it there are many hundreds of different varieties. Only a couple of hundred are used for wine, and even fewer are truly widespread around the world.
The grape variety sets the framework for what the wine can become. We talk about blue grapes (also called red) and green grapes (also called white). A fun detail that surprises many: most grapes have colourless juice inside. It is only the skin of the blue grapes that is coloured. That is why you can actually make white wine from blue grapes, but red wine requires blue grapes, because the colour sits in the skin.
Each variety has its own personality. Some are almost thin-skinned and delicate, others have thick, robust skins. And it is precisely the skin that is decisive, because this is where a large part of the colour and aroma is hidden.
Well-known blue and green grapes
Let us meet some of the varieties you will most often come across.
Green grapes
Among the green varieties, Chardonnay is probably the best known. It is flexible and can give everything from fresh and crisp wine to something rounder and fuller. Riesling stands out by having a distinct aroma already in the grape, and it often gives fresh, aromatic wines. Sauvignon Blanc holds on to its freshness well far into ripening, which gives lively, crisp wines.
Muscat deserves a special mention. It is so aromatic and easily recognisable that the grape's own name is used to describe the aroma, namely "muscat-like". In Italy, Trebbiano is the most widespread green variety, and Verdicchio from the Marche region has been cultivated there since the 1300s.
Blue grapes
Among the blue grapes we find, among others, Cabernet Sauvignon, which is known for a slightly green, peppery note that becomes fainter the riper the grape is. Many blue varieties give wines with more colour and structure, because they have more to give from the skin.
Grape ripening and harvest
While the grapes hang on the vine, something important happens: they ripen. Simply put, the grape gathers sugar and gradually loses some of its acidity as the sun does its work. Think of it like fruit on a kitchen counter, which becomes sweeter and softer the longer it is left to sit.
The sugar matters because it later turns into alcohol during fermentation, and because it helps to determine how sweet the wine can become. The acidity provides the freshness and the balance. A good wine is about the interplay between the two.
Here the climate comes into play again. In cooler areas the grapes retain more acidity and taste fresher, while warmer areas typically give rounder, more ripe grapes with less acidity. That is why the winegrower follows along closely and chooses the time of harvest with care. Harvest too early, and the wine can become sharp and green. Wait too long, and it loses its freshness. To hit the right moment is one of the most important decisions in the whole wine year.
The grape's path to flavour and aroma
Why does a Riesling taste so different from a Chardonnay? The answer lies in what the grape carries with it, and most of it actually sits in the skin.
The skin holds both colour and a large part of the aromatic compounds that make each variety recognisable. Some varieties, like Riesling and Muscat, smell distinctly already as fresh grapes. Others are more reserved and only really unfold when they become wine. The thickness and structure of the skin help to determine how concentrated and characterful the wine becomes.
The size of the grapes also matters. As a rule of thumb, smaller grapes give a more concentrated flavour, because there is relatively more skin in relation to juice. It is a bit like the difference between a large, watery tomato and a small, intense cherry tomato.
So when you later taste a wine and sense something floral, fruity or fresh, a large part of that comes from the grape's own nature, shaped by the variety and by the ripening out in the field.
In short
- The grape variety is the single most important factor in how a wine tastes.
- The colour sits in the skin of blue grapes. That is why white wine can be made from both green and blue grapes, while red wine requires blue ones.
- During ripening the grape gathers sugar and loses acidity, and the time of harvest is about hitting the balance.
- The skin holds colour and aroma, and smaller grapes typically give a more concentrated flavour.
- A cool climate gives fresher grapes, a warm climate rounder and more ripe ones.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make white wine from blue grapes?
Yes. Most blue grapes have colourless juice, so if you keep the skin away from the juice, you can actually make white wine from them. Red wine, on the other hand, requires blue grapes, because the colour comes precisely from the skin.
Why does the same grape variety taste different from place to place?
Because the variety only sets the framework. Within that framework, the climate, the soil and the ripening shape how the grape comes to expression. The same variety can therefore give a fresher wine in a cool area and a rounder wine in a warmer place.
Ready for the next step?
Now you have a grip on the raw material. In the next part, From vineyard to press: Harvest and processing, we follow the grapes from the vine to the moment the juice is pressed out and the journey towards finished wine truly begins.
In the meantime, you are welcome to let curiosity lead the way when you look at our selection. Notice which grape varieties recur in the wines you come to enjoy. And remember: the best pairing is the wine you like, with the food you like. The rest is just a matter of tasting your way forward.