Part 1: Getting to Know... Your White Wine Grape Varieties

26 May 2022 - Justin Sims

In this opening round, and in true speed-dating style, prepare to get better acquainted with some of the most popular white wine grape varieties of the moment. Find out more about their personality, are they cool or are they sun-seekers, and who else they might like to pair up with. We’ll also find out their favourite foods and whether or not they like to travel.

Are you ready?

Meet Airén

You might not recognise the name immediately but let me assure you, Airén is the ‘David’ and ‘Maria’ of Spain. Formerly the most planted grape variety..in..the..world, it now has to settle for third place behind Cab Sauv and Merlot. Most commonly found in La Mancha and southern Spain, it’s more visible than the Sunseekers in Puerto Banús!

A sun lover and pretty hardy too, Airén might be straightforward and simplistic but it’s certainly dependable. Wearing two hats, it makes the perfect base for Spanish brandy as well as a key component for everyday drinking plonk. Even the grapes are tasty to eat too.

When Airén’s vines gain age, it’s personality blossoms channelling Penélope Cruz & Antonio Banderas. Super sociable, it loves buddying up with the showier Moscatel, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo and Viura.

Chill down and drink with what Spain does best, fish and vegetable-based tapas.

Are you up for sharin' some Airen?

Meet Chardonnay

Everyone knows Chardonnay and boy does this one like to travel, à la Bill Murray and Dame Helen Mirren. In the raw, just like our global treasures, it’s got that ‘boy/girl next door’ thing going on, but in the right location and with some careful adornments (limestone-based soils, extended lees contact, some oak influence), it can comfortably hold centre-stage and dazzle.

Currently trending in cooler spots around the world, especially mountainous and coastal zones, where it reveals its stylish and sophisticated side, and invariably creates a stir when it’s sparkling!

As comfortable on a Californian beach with sunnies accompanied by fish and chips, as in designer labels in the über-chic city wine bars or Michelin-starred haunts of northern Europe. Another sociable one, Chardonnay is everyone’s friend – especially the Pinot brothers (Blanc, Meunier & Noir), Semillon, Chenin Blanc and even Sauvignon too.

Shop for all things Chardonnay

Meet Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon definitely likes to get in your face, in a Jonah Lomu and a gladiatorial Russell Crowe kind of way. And like NZ’s Premier, Jacinda Ardern, it’s been stealing the limelight in recent years with its populist appeal. Personally, I prefer the more restrained ‘old guard’ found along the central Loire valley (Touraine, Menetou-Salon, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé) but sadly with the current financial squeeze, the latter three have been left on the shelf while Chile’s Casablanca, Italy’s Veneto and Romania are stepping up to fill the void.

Sauvignon is almost as well-travelled as the late Sir Edmund Hillary, and like Sir Edmund, prefers those cooler, more challenging zones. Sauvignon also thrives with trickier foods like goat’s cheese, sushi and anything smothered in herbs and spices. It also loves anything you’d squeeze a lemon over (okay, maybe not your stained Nike Air Max’s).

There’s very little that doesn’t jar against Sauvignon’s big personality but the more neutral Semillon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Colombard and Verdejo are more than up to the job.

Get some Sauvignon in your basket here

Meet Riesling

There’s something altogether different about Riesling but it’s hard to put your finger on exactly what. Is it the appearance, is it that incredible fruity scent that might put you in mind of Rihanna or Justin Timberlake perhaps? Like our celebrity performers, it’s known for being a bit of a chameleon too. Dry, fresh and reserved one day (when in Washington State for example), fruity and flamboyant the next (when in Germany’s Mosel valley), it certainly has that je ne sais quoi, a kind of quirky allure that’s rare and seductive.

Another trait Riesling shares with our pop icons is it definitely thrives in cool environments and it LOVES food. White meat, fish, Asian, Caribbean, fruit and spice – this is super versatile. It might like it cool but it also needs endless afternoons of warm and dry sunny days in the autumn. Especially when nearby rivers create morning fog, inducing botrytis (noble rot), bringing out the most hedonistic side of Riesling in the guise of super sweet, low alcohol nectars that age gracefully for decades.

So strong is Riesling’s personality that it prefers to stay independent so you only need a hint if pairing up with others.

Reach for the Riesling

Meet Pinot Grigio (AKA Pinot Gris)

The first thing that hits you about Pinot Grigio is it wants to be your mate. Like Gino D’Acampo, it’s super easy-going, light and fresh and keeps you feeling entertained and at the same time, chilled. There’s nothing to dislike about Pinot Grigio or, indeed, its natural habitat in Italy’s beautiful north-east around Verona and Venice. If you want to see its more serious side, oh yes, this variety does have depth of character, then head to neighbouring Friuli (particularly Collio) and Alto Adige. Or travel to Alsace, New Zealand or Australia’s Mornington Peninsula where it takes the moniker Pinot Gris, or to Germany and Austria where it takes the name Grauburgunder.

Pinot Grigio, like Riesling, also likes it cool and they often hang out in the same locality. The lighter side of Pinot Grigio likes salads, seafood and light pasta and risotto dishes while the richer, more serious side takes a more Riesling-style approach comfortably handling spice, heat and richness, like cream sauces. As light Pinot Grigio, it’s often found partnered with the weightier Garganega to form GPG but Pinot Gris is generally a soloist.

Pick up some Pinot

Meet Chenin Blanc

This may be Sauvignon Blanc’s sibling, sure both have marked acidity and their mutual spiritual home lies in the Loire valley, but that’s pretty much where the similarity ends. A bit like Paddy McGuinness and brother Tony or Holly Willoughby and sister Kelly, the differences are clearly obvious but that doesn’t take away from Chenin’s affability, individuality and charm. It has something of Riesling’s range, representing everything from sparkling to bone-dry to lusciously sweet, when and where conditions allow. It’s also pretty well travelled too with a huge presence in South Africa and smaller pockets in Australia, the US and Argentina as well as the Limoux region of France’s Languedoc.

Chenin is an all-weather variety. At the edgier end of its range in the Loire, it can take on a Piers Morgan-esque acerbic trait. Show it some sun and it turns more Pru Leith. It might not be the most striking or obvious choice out there but it can be seriously formidable when managed with care. Chenin also handles food a bit like Dame Leith, skilfully and totally comfortable in a range of settings. Another sociable one, it’s often found teamed up with Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc (as in Crémant de Loire), Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Viognier.

Don't shy away from the Chenin

Phew... That's part one done. Keep an eye out for the next instalments. In the meantime, If you’re interested in another hook-up with any of these or simply finding out more, just speak with your account manager who will be only too happy to arrange a face to face.