My name is Ann Wallace and I am a fine wine representative with Trinity Fine Wines and I work with Vintages Wine and Spirits in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
This is and introduction to white wine varietals. For the most parts, all grapes have a clear grape juice in so the wine gets its color from the amount of time that the wine has with the grape skins. So white wines typically do not see any age and any fermentation with their skins and that’s hence the color.
We’ll start with chardonnay which is probably the most classic white wine varietal. Chardonnay is a novel variety of Burgundy France and it is the most widely planted white wine varietal and anyone varietal for that matter in California. Chardonnay is going to be a bit heavier type of wine and most of the time it’s going to have a lot of oak to it. It is a very easily manipulated grape and so you can add some yeast content. Play around with the yeast. You can add some oaks, mild lactic fermentation, some different types of things to really manipulate the wine into what you want it to be.
So chardonnay characteristics are typically going to be toasty, a little bit more buttery. Sauvignon Blanc is a varietal that originated in Bordeaux, France. It is one of the three approved white wine varietals that can go into any white wine that is labeled from Bordeaux. So nice crisp to get some pear some grape fruit depending on where in the world the Sauvignon Blanc comes from you can have some grassy characteristics some herbatiousness.
Riesling comes from Germany. Riesling is a great that thrives in cool dry climates such as Germany, the outskirts region of France and the cooler coastal climates of California, Washington, and Oregon. Riesling is a wine that is low in alcohol content, maybe 8 to 10%. It is typically bonafide and a sweet or an out dry style. It’s very popular among people that are new wine that enjoy the sweeter pallets of it and as they explore the world of wine a little bit more, they tend to get more familiar with some dryer styles.
As far as flavor profile Riesling typically is a sweeter style. We’ve got a lot of honey suckle, some apricot, maybe pear, some peaches, papayas. It is kind of creamier texture, sometimes it can have oak to it, sometimes it does not. Pinot Grigio originated in the northeast part of Italy in an area called Friuli. Pinot Grigio, the very light, light wine is also called Pinot gris. Some places in the United States and on sauce. Gris mean gray and that gives its name because the grapes look a little bit gray on the vine.
Pinot Grigio just surpass Sauvignon Blanc as the 2nd most popular white wine varietal to be consumed in the united states, the 1st of course being chardonnay. Pinot grigio, it’s a porch pounder I like to call it. It’s light, it’s crispy, it’s a great aperitif something to serve before dinner with some light appetizer, some bursketter, some cheese and crackers. It is just a clean, crisp, a little tomato, basil leaves. Sometimes you get a lemon and lime characteristics to it. It’s a great little summer wine, typically very inexpensive as well. It’s a great introductory to wine. And that was an introduction to white wine varietals. Thank you for watching.
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