The Drinks Guide - Grapes

Sauvignon Blanc

This crowd pleaser has its spiritual home in the eastern Loire Valley (but now arguably it could be Marlborough in New Zealand). Both regions produce very different styles: Sancerre with its cooler climate gives grassy, flinty flavours, while Marlborough is all about tropical fruits from warmer temperatures.

Descriptors
Cut grass, gooseberry, nettles, passion fruit, guava, cat’s pee, flint, asparagus. It is always fresh and vibrant on the palate.

Try: Sherwood Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough vs Selfridges Selection Sancerre

Chardonnay

This one can grow everywhere. Alone, it’s fairly neutral in flavour but it works incredibly well with oak (sometimes too well). Its natural home is in Burgundy, where it ranges from nutty to buttery, and Chablis, where it is steely and chalky, but it does very well in the New World too, where it shows a riper, more mellow side.

Descriptors
With oak: buttery, toasty, creamy, melon, stone fruits, pineapple, citrus, nutty. It generally has less acidity than Sauvignon Blanc.

Try: Selfridges Selection Unwooded Chardonnay vs Selfridges Selection Chablis

Semillon

The least well known of the eight, this is the grape variety that, with some Sauvignon Blanc, makes Sauternes famous. It is also the grape that makes the Hunter Valley sing. It is often blended with Sauvignon to give it freshness and can be oaked to add a creamy texture to the palate.

Descriptors
Dry: honey, toast, greengages, apricots and pears.The sweet versions are often affected by noble rot, and honey, dried apricots, barley sugar, beeswax, orange and a very smooth, velvety texture are evident.

Try: Chateau Giraud ‘G de Giraud’ vs Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Semillon

Riesling

It’s known as the king of grapes by sommeliers and wine lovers alike but often people are apprehensive of this grape. Although Riesling can produce some of the greatest sweet wines in the world, the dry wines are are becoming more and more popular. Germany, with its intense, minerally wines with racy acidity, leads the way, with New World regions such as Australia’s Clare valley producing zesty, lime laden, crisp, fresh styles.

Descriptors
Young: lime, floral, peaches, apricot. You often find a mineral note to it. Older wines: honey, marzipan, petrol, kerosene.

Try: Weingut Gottleman Riesling vs Frammingham Estate Riesling

Merlot

There is a lot of bad Merlot out there, but when well made or blended with grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot can produce some of the best wines in the world such as Petrus. Merlot from Bordeaux tends to be leaner and less overtly fruity than its New World counterparts and is often tempered with other grape varieties. California has embraced this varietal and can produce rich, plummy styles with soft tannins.

Descriptors
Plums, damsons, raspberries, cinnamon, cloves, tobacco, mint, coffee

Try: Chateau Ferrand vs Andeluna Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

For the Claret fans in the house this is the most noble grape variety (the Burgundians would not agree). It travels well and can be planted in most areas but Bordeaux’s left bank is where it is most revered. Here in the top chateaux it produces powerfully structured wines. In the New World, where the fruit tends to be riper and more intense, it does very well all over.

Descriptors
Cassis, black fruits, cedar, cigar box, bell peppers (when unripe – vegetal). The tannins are quite grippy and powerful.

Try: Hawks Crest Cabernet Sauvignon vs Chateau Martinens

Pinot Noir

This is the most fickle grape to grow and it rarely reaches the heights of its power outside Burgundy. There it can range from light and delicate, almost ethereal, to dense and brooding, needing years to yield its true beauty. The New World tends to produce more fruity styles emphasising strawberries, raspberries and sweeter tannins.

Descriptors
Strawberries, cherries, vanilla, violets and minerals come through. As it ages, game, mushrooms, leather and woodsmoke start to emerge.

Try: Savigny les Beaune J Fery vs Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir

Syrah/Shiraz

The name will often indicate the style of the wine in the bottle. The Old World tends to use Syrah and in these wines you will find more of the flavours from the northern Rhone with white pepper and red berry fruits. Shiraz is style of the New World, intense dark fruits and rich spices. Both have lovely sweet tannins on the finish.

Descriptors
Blackcurrants, hedgerow fruits, pepper, menthol, Christmas spices, rosemary, thyme, smoky, violets, prunes, dark chocolate, meaty.

Try: Mt Langhi Shiraz vs St Joseph Gonon

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