WineVarietalsWhite
ALBALONGA A Rieslaner x Sylvaner cross developed and grown in Germanyfor its naturally high sugar level and early ripening qualities.
ALTESSE The finest of Savoie's traditional varieties, this grape makesdelightfully rich and fragrant wines.
Synonyms: Maconnais Roussette
ALVARINHO A Vinho Verde grape, grown in the Minho in Northern Portugal.
ARBOIS An interesting but very localized variety cultivated in theLoire Valley where it is sometimes blended with another obscure grape calledthe Romorantin.
Synonyms: Menu pineau, Petit pineau, Verdet
ARINTO One of Portugal's potentially excellent white grapes. Grownin the loam soil of the small region of Bucelas, just south of Lisbon.
ASSYRTIKO One of the better-quality indigenous varieties of Greece.
AUXERROIS Often confused with the Pinot blanc, but in fact a totallyseparate variety this grape is grown most successfully in Alsace and isup-and-coming in England. Its wine is fatter than that of the Pinot blancand so suits cooler situations.
BACCHUS A (Sylvaner x Riesling) x Muller-Thurgau cross that is one of Germany'smore superior crosses. In recent years a considerable acreage has been grownin Germany's Rheinhessen region. It is also grown in England because ofits inherently high sugar level and can produce vivacious, fruity winesin both countries.
BLANQUETTE A synonym for the Colombard in the Tarn-et-Garonne departementof France, the Clairette in the Aude departement, and the Ondencin Bordeaux. More is now grown in Australia than in all of France. Its intrinsicallyhigh acidity makes it useful for sparkling wines.
BOUVIER A modest-quality grape variety significantly cultivated in Austriaand one which, under its Ranina synonym, produces the "Tiger's Milk"wine of Yugoslavia.
Synonyms: Bouviertraube, Ranina
BUAL The second most sweet of Madeira's four classic grape varieties. It'swine is a sweet style that has a baked smoky complexity. Bual is also begrown in many parts of southern Portugal.
ALIGOTE A thin skinned grape of unexceptional quality grown in Chalonnais(south Burgandy) and Bulgaria. It makes tart wines of moderate alcoholiccontent, but in exceptionally hot years the wines can have good weight andrichness. The variety's best wines come from certain Chalonnais villages,especially Bouzeron, where the quality may be improved by the addition ofa little Chardonnay
Synonyms: Blanc de Troyes, Cbaudenet gras, Giboudot
CHARDONNAY
CHASSELAS A modest quality variety that produces the best forgotten Pouilly-sur-Loirewines (not to be confused with Pouilly-Blanc Fume wines of the same area)and is probably at its modest best (and known as the Fendant) in the Valais,Switzerland. The Chasselas is, by all accounts, the most popular table grapein France, but as strange as it might seem, good eating grapes rarely makegood wine grapes.
Synonyms: Chardonnay, Chasselas blanc, Chasselas dore, Dorin, Fendant,Fendant blanc, Frauentraube, Golden chasselas, Gutedel, Mosttraube, Royalmuscadine, Sussling
CHENIN BLANC
CLAIRETTE A sugar-rich, intrinsically flabby grape, best known for its manywines of southern France. It is the Muscat, though, not the Clairette, whichis chiefly responsible for the "Clairette de Die" in the Rhone.
Synonyms: Blanquette, Clairette blanc, Clairette blanche, Ondenic
COLOMBARD A grape that produces a thin and acidic wine ideal for the distillationof Armagnac and Cognac. It has adapted well to the hotter wine areas ofCalifornia and South Africa, where its proficiency allows the productionof off-dry inexpensive wines. It is the number one grape variety of California'sCentral Valley where it is known as French Colombard.
Synonyms: Blanquette, Colombar, Colombier, French Colombard, Guenille,Pied-tendre, Queue-tendre, Queue-verte
CRUCHEN BLANC A widely cultivated variety chat usually but erroneously hasthe tag of Riesling hung on it.
Synonyms: Cape riesling or Paarl riesling (in South Africa), Clareriesling (in Australia).
DELAWARE An American hybrid of uncertain parentage chat was developed inFrenchtown, New Jersey and propagated in Delaware, Ohio, in the mid-nineteenthcentury. Although grown in New York State and Brazil, it is far more popularin Japan.
EHRENFELSER A Riesling x Sylvaner cross; one of the best of Germany's newbreed of crosses.
ELBLING A variety once held in high esteem in both Germany and France. Themajor Mosel grape in the nineteenth century. It is now mostly confined tothe Obermosel where its very odd, neutral flavor makes it useful for theGerman Sekt industry. In Alsace it was known as the Knipperle and its formerposition was such that one of the Grand Cru Guebwiller slopes was namedafter it.
Synonyms: Alben, Albig Alva ( in Portugal), Briesgaver, Briesgaverriesling, Burger elbling Elben, Gelder ortlieber, Grossriesling Kleinberger,Kleinergelber, Kleiner rauschling, Klein reuschling, Knipperle, Kurztingel(in Austria), Ortlieber, Rauschling Seretonina (in Yugoslavia), Weisserelbling.
EMERALD RIESLING A Muscadelle x Riesling cross, developed for cultivationin California at U. C. Davis, by a Professor Olmo as the sister to his Rubycabernet cross.
FABER A Weissburgunder x Muller-Thurgau cross grown in Germany where itproduces a fruity wine with a light Muscat aroma.
FOLLE BLANCHE Traditionally used for the distillation of Armagnac and Cognac,this grape also produces the Gros plant wine of the Nantais districtof the Loire Valley. Gros Plant is normally dry, tart and devoid of fruitand body. If bottled sur lie it can hve sufficient depth to match its inherentbite, much the same as the Nantais district Muscadet.
Synonyms: Camobraque, Chalosse, Enrage, Enrageade, Folle enrageat,Gros plant, Gros plant du Nantais, Picpoul, Picpoule
FORTA A Madeleine Angevine x Sylvaner cross, a little of which is grownin Germany where it produces good quality grapes that are rich in sugar.
FREISAMER A Sylvaner x Pinot gris cross that is grown in Germany and producesa full, neutral, Sylvaner-like wine.
FUME´ BLANC Sauvignon Blanc.
FURMINT A strong and distinctively flavored grape that is the most importantvariety used to make Tokay in Hungary
Synonym: Sipon
GARGANEGA BIANCO An Italian variety that is the principal grape used inthe production of Soave, in the Veneto region, which an vary from thin andacidic to rich and crisp.
GEWURZTRAMINER
GLORIA A Sylvaner x Muller-Thurgau cross grown in Germany where it producesgrapes that are rich in sugar, but wines of rather neutral character.
GROS PLANT Folle Blanche
GRENACHE BLANC The white Grenache variant that is widely planted in Franceand Spain. It is an ancient Spanish variety that has the potential to producea good-quality full-bodied wine.
Synonyms: Garnacha blanca, Garnacho bianco, Garnaxta
GRUNER VELTLINER The most important wine grape in Austria, where it producesfresh, well balanced wines, with a light fruity sometimes slightly spicyflavor.
Synonyms: Gruner, Grunmuskateller Veltliner, Veltlini(in Hungary),Weissgipfler
GUTENBORNER A Muller-Thurgau x Chasselas cross grown in Germany and England.It produces grapes with intrinsically high sugar levels, but rather neutralwines.
HARSLEVELU A Hungarian grape that is the second most important Tokay variety.It produces a full, rich and powerfully perfumed wine.
HUXELREBE A Chasselas x Muscat courtillier cross grown in Germany and England,capable of producing good-quality wine.
JACQUERE The work horse grape of the Savoie in France.
Synonyms: Buisserate, Cugnette.
JOHANNISBERG RIESLING A synonym often usedto distinguish a wine made from the true Riesling grape. Many people believethat the Riesling is at its classic best when grown in the Rheingau vineyardsof Johannisberg, thus the synonym probably evolved as a way of indicatingthat a wine contained Riesling grapes "as grown in Johannisberg".
KANZLER A Muller-Thurgau x Sylvaner cross that produces a good Sylvanersubstitute in the Rheinhessen.
KERNER A Trollinger x Riesling cross grown in Germany, South Africa andEngland. It produces Riesling-like wines with a high natural sugar contentand good acidity, but a very light aroma.
LEN DE L'ELH A flavorsome, naturally sugar-rich grape used in Gaillac, inSouthwest France.
Synonym: Cavalier
MACABEO One of three Spanish varieties used to make a sparkling, Cava, wine.Macabeo "lifts" a blend with its fruit freshness. Bearing thename of Viura it is also responsible for the "new wave" of fresh,unoaked white Rioja
Synonyms: Alcanol, Alcanon llego, Lardot, Maccabeo, Maccabeu, Viura
MADELEINE ANGEVINE A Precoce de Malingre x Madeleine royale cross grownquite successfully in England, where it produces a light bodied, aromaticwine.
MALMSEY The seetest of Madeira's four classic grape varieties. It's wine,propably Madeira's best, is a dark brown wine, very fragrant and rich.
MALVASIA Pinot Gris
MANSENG The Gros manseng and Petit manseng are grown in southwest France,and are well known for producing the legendary Jurancon Moelleux.
Synonyms: Manseng blanc, Petit mansenc
MARIENSTEINER A Sylvaner x Rieslaner cross grown in Germany and generallyconsidered superior to the Sylvaner.
MARSANNE
MAUZAC A late-ripening grape with good natural acidity grown in southwestFrance. Flexible in the styles of wine it produces, it is particularly suitablefor sparkling wine.
Synonyms: Blanc-lafitte, Maussac, Mauzac blanc, Moisac
MELON DE BOURGOGNE A French variety transplanted from Burgundy to the Nantaisin the Loire, to replace the less hardy vines after the terrible winterof 1709. When fully ripe, it produces very flabby wines, lacking in acidity.Used primarily now as a blending grape with other varietals in Naintais.
Synonyms: Gamay blanc, Gamay blanc a feuille ronds, Gros auxerrois,Lyonnaise blanche, Melon, Muscadet, Pinot blanc (in California), Weisserburgunder(in Germany)
MERLOT BLANC A variety cultivated on a surprisingly large scale on the right-bankof the Gironde, yet according to ampelographer Pierre Galet it is not relatedto the more famous black Merlot variety.
MORIO-MUSKAT A Sylvaner x Pinot blanc cross widely grown in the Rheinpfalzand Rheinhessen of Germany. Intriguingly, its powerfully aromatic characteris the inverse of the neutral character displayed by both its parents.
MULLER-THURGAU A variety bred at Geisenheim in 1882 by Professor HermannMuller, who hailed from the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland, and namedafter him by August Dem in 1891. The variety was originally believed tobe a Riesling x Sylvaner cross, but not one single plant has ever revertedto Sylvaner, and the closest resemblance to it is the Rabaner, a Riesling(clone 88Gm) x Riesling (clone 64Gm). This seems to confirm the theory thatthe Muller-Thurgau is in fact a self-pollinated Riesling seed. It is moreprolific than the Riesling, has a typically flowery bouquet and good fruit,but lacks the Riesling's sharpness of definition. Although the variety hasa justifiably important position in the production of German tafelweins,its cultivation in the classic Riesling vineyards of the Mosel, devaluesthat great wine region. It is widely planted in English and New Zealandvineyards.
Synonyms: Mueller-Thurgau, Rivaner, Riesling-sylvaner
MULTANER A Riesling x Sylvaner cross. A small amount is grown in Germany,but the area planted is declining because the grapes need to be very ripeto produce good-quality wine.
MUSCADELLE A singular variety that has nothing to do with the Muscat familyalthough it does in fact have a distinctive musky aroma. There is, confusingly,a South African synonym for the Muscat - the Muskadel - though it is notrelated to the Muscadet or Melon de bourgogne despite the inference of oneof its synonyms. In Bordeaux, small quantities add a certain lingering "aftersmell" to some of the sweet wines, but the Muscadelle is at its sublimebest in Australia, where it is called the Tokay and produces a fabulouslyrich and sweet "liqueur wine".
Synonyms: Angelicant, Angelico, Auvernat blanc, Catape, Colle musquette,Douzanelle, Guepie, Guepie-catape, Guillan, Guillan-musque, Muscade, Muscadet,Muscadet doux, Muskadel, Musquette, Muscat fou, Raisinotte, Resinotte, Sauvignonvert (in California), Tokay (in Australia)
MUSCAT A family name for numerous related varieties,sub-varieties and localized clones of the same variety all of which havea distinctive musky aroma and a pronounced grapey flavor. The wines producedrange from dry to sweet, still to sparkling and fortified.
NOBLESSA A low yielding Madeleine Angevine x Sylvaner cross grown in Germanythat produces grapes with a high sugar level.
NOBLING A Sylvaner x Chasselas cross grown in Baden, Germany. Its grapeshave high sugar and acidity levels.
ONDENC A grape that was once widely planted in southwest France and wasparticularly popular in Bergerac, but more is now grown in Australia thanin all of France. Its intrinsically high acidity makes it useful for sparklingwines.
Synonyms: Bequin (in Bordeaux), Blanc select, Blanquette, Sercial(in Australia)
OPTIMA A (Sylvaner x Riesling) x Muller-Tburgau cross developed relativelyrecently (1970), yet already widely grown in Germany because it is an evenearlier, early ripening variety than the Muller-Thurgau.
ORTEGA A Muller-Thurgau x Siegerrebe cross that is grown in both Germanyand England. Its aromatic grapes have a naturally high sugar content andmake a pleasantly fragrant and spicy wine.
PALOMINO The primary Sherry grape variety.
PARELLADA The major white grape variety of Catalonia, used for still andsparkling Cava wines. In a Cava blend it imparts a distinctive aroma andis used to soften the firm Xarello grape.
Synonyms: Montonec, Montonech
PEDRO XIMENEZ A secondary grape variety of Southern Spain used to sweetensherries.
PERLE A Gewurztraminer x Muller-Thurgau cross grown in Franken, Germanythat can survive winter temperatures as low as -30.C (-22.F), and producea light, fragrant and fruity wine, but in low yields.
Synonyms: Alzeyer perle
PINOT BLANC
PINOT GRIS
POULSARD The Jura's famous pink-skin and pink juice grape that can producea fine and aromatic vin gris.
Synonym: Plousard
PROSECCO The grape responsible for producing a great deal of very ordinaryItalian sparkling wine.
Synonyms: Glera, Serprina
RABANER A Riesling (clone 88Gm) x Riesling (clone 64Gm) cross that has thedubious honor of being the variety diet most resembles the Muller-Thurgau.It is grown in Germany on an experimental basis.
RABIGATO This is the main white Port grape variety
Synonyms: Estreito, Moscatel bravo, Rabo de Ovelha
RKATSITELI A grape variety that is grown extensively in Russia, on a scalethat would cover the vineyards of Champagne at least ten times over. TheSoviets consider it to be a high-quality wine grape, it is also grown inBulgaria China, California and New York State.
Synonym: Rcatzitelli
REGNER A Luglienca bianca x Gamay cross. The parents are a curious combination.Why anyone would consider crossing a table grape with the red wine grapeof Beaujolais to create a German white wine variety is a mystery. It producessugar rich grapes and mild, Muller-Thurgau like wines.
REICHENSTEINER A Muller-Thurgau x Madeleine angevine x Calabreser-frohlichcross grown in Germany and England. It produces sugar-rich grapes and amild delicate, somewhat neutral Sylvaner like wine.
RHODITIS A grape used as a supporting variety in the making of Retsinain Greece.
RIESLANER A Sylvaner x Riesling cross mainly grown in Franken, Germany,where it produces sugar rich grapes and full bodied, rather neutral wines.
RIESLING
ROBOLA A good quality Greek grape confined to the island of Cephalonia.
ROMORANTIN An obscure variety confined to the Loire Valley. It can producea delicate, attractive and flowery wine if it is not over cropped.
synonyms: Dannery, Petit Dannezy, Verneuil
ROUSSANNE
SACY A minor grape variety that produces bland "stretching" wineand is grown in small quantities in the Chablis district. Its high aciditycould make it very useful in the production of sparkling wines.
Synonyms: Blanc vert, Farine, Gros blanc, Tresallier
SAINT-EMILION A synonym for the Ugni blanc in France and for the Semillonin Romania.
SAUVIGNON BLANC
SAVAGNIN The grape responsible for the sherry like "Vin Jaune"of the Jura, the best known of which is Chateau Chalon. The wine, in fact,takes the name of a commune, not a specific chateau. A Savagnin rose growsin the village of Heiligenstein, Alsace, where it is known as the Klevener,as opposed to the Klevner, which is a synonym for the Pinot blanc. The Savagninnoir is merely a synonym for the Pinot noir
Synonyms: Formentin (in Hungary), Fromente, Nature, Salvagnin, Savagninblanc, Sauvagnin
SAVATIANO The grape used by the Greeks to make their famous Retsina. A pure,unresinated Savatiano called Kanza is made in Attica, the heartland of Retsina.
SCHEUREBE A Sylvaner x Riesling cross that is one of the best of Germany'snew varieties. When ripe, it makes very good varietal wines, but, if harvestedearly the bouquet can be quite unpleasant.
SCHONBERGER A Spatburgunder x (Chasselas rose x Muscat Hamburg) cross grownin Germany and England. It produces sugar-rich grapes that make wine withgood aromatic qualities but low acidity
SEMILLON
SEPTIMER A Gewurztraminer x Muller-Thurgau cross grown in Germany, whereit is early-ripening and produces sugar rich grapes and aromatic wines.
SERCIAL This classic grape of Madeira is reputed to be a distant relativeof the Riesling. Judging by its totally different leaf shape, however, thisseems unlikely. It's wine is the dryest of the 4 Madieras. It is grown onthe upper vineyards and harvested last.
SEYVAL BLANC This Seibel 5656 x Seibel 4586 hybrid is the most successfulof the many Seyve-Villard crosses. It is grown in France, New York Stateand England, where it produces attractive wines.
Synonyms: Seyve-Villard, Seyve Villard 5276.
SIEGERREBE A Madeleine-Angevine x Gewurztraminer cross, widely grown inGermany
STEEN The usually accepted synonym for the Chenin blanc used in South Africa.The term "Stein" is also used in South Africa, but refers to asemi sweet style of white wine. However, many "Stein" blends docontain a large percentage of Steen wine.
SLYVANER Originally from Austria, this variety is widely planted throughoutCentral Europe. It is prolific, early maturing and yields the dry winesof Franken and Alsace. It is also widely believed to be the Zierfandlerof Austria
Synonyms: Botzinger, Franken, Frankenriesling Franken riesling Grosrhin, Grunedel, Gruner Sylvaner, Grunfrankisch, Grunling, Monterey riesling(in California), Moravka silvanske (in Czechoslovakia), Oesterreicher, Scharvaner,Silvain vert, Silvan (in Czechoslovakia), Silvaner, Silvaner bianco, Sonomariesling (in California), Szilvani (in Hungary)
TREBBIANO + (often with local place name added), See Ungi Blanc.
TROUSSEAU GRIS A grape now more widely grown in California and New Zealandthan in its traditional home of the northern Jura, France. It is yet anothergrape that has been erroneously tagged with the Riesling name in the newworld.
Synonyms: Gray riesling Grey riesling
UGNI BLANC A variety that usually makes light, even thin wines, which haveto be distilled. Because of this, they are ideal for making Armagnac andCognac. There are exceptions, but most are light, fresh, quaffing winesat their very best.
Synonyms: Clairette a grains ronds, Clairette ronde, Clairette deVence, Graisse, Graisse blanc, Muscat aigre, Rossola, Roussan, Roussanne,Saint Emilion, Trebbiano (often with local place name added), Whitehermitage.
VERDELHO A classic Madeira grape, second to Sercial in dryness and a shadeless sweet than a Bual. It's wine is particularly soft and with faint honeyand smoke flavors.
VERDICCHIO Apart from making Verdicchio wine, this grape is also used forblending.
Synonyms: Marchigiano, Verdone, Uva marana
VILLARD BLANC A Seibel 6468 x Seibel 6905 hybrid that is the widest-cultivatedof the Seyve-Villard crosses in France. Its slightly bitter, iron-rich winecannot be compared with the attractive wine of the Seyve-Villard 5276 orSeyval blanc grown in England.
VIOGNIER
WELSCHRIESLING No relation whatsoever to the true Riesling, this varietyis grown throughout Europe, producing ordinary medium-dry to medium sweetwhite wines.
Synonyms: Banatski rizling, Biela sladka grasica, Laskiriesling,Laski rizling, Grassevina, Grasica, Italianski rizling, Italiansky rizling,Olaszriesling, Olasz rizling, Riesling italico, Riesling italianski, Rieslingitalien, Rismi, Rizling vlassky, Talijanski rizling, Walschriesling
WURZER A German variety with the same Gewurztraminer x Muller-Thurgau originsas the Perle.
XARELLO A Spanish grape that is very important to the sparkling Cava industryIt makes firm, alcoholic wines that are softened by Parellada and Macabeograpes.
Synonyms Pansa blanca, Xarel-lo