Grapes

You may have experienced the exquisite Friuli Pinot Grigio from Italy, also known as Friuli-Venezia Giulia. But it’s unlikely that you’ve tried a succulent glass of Friulano, a grape variety little known outside of Italy. If you ever happen to visit Friuli, you are bound to taste this wine, primarily because of how popular it […]

What Is Gamay Noir? Gamay Noir characteristics center on its’ gentle floral fragrance coupled with a high natural acidity and low tannin content. It is predominantly grown in France with smaller quantities produced in Switzerland, Canada, Turkey, and Italy. Rumored to be the wine of choice for Thanksgiving dinners, it is an agreeable companion to

What Is Pinot Blanc? Pinot Blanc is a mutation of Pinot Noir. It has a history stretching back to the medieval times. This grape shares a common ancestry with Auxerrois and another more obscure grape Gouais Blanc. Pinot Blanc characteristics are similar to Auxerrois, both share a common of fairly low acidity (Auxerrois has lower

What Is Marsanne? Marsanne is a white wine made from grapes which are rather small and not tightly bunched. This allows the delicate colors of gold green and brown to shine through the bunch. The Northern part of the Rhone Valley of France is the traditional home of Marsanne where it is the most popular

What Is Mourvèdre? Mourvèdre is one of the oldest wines and it seems it was introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians over two thousand years ago. Originally the area around Valencia was the center for this wine but the cultivation of the wine expanded over time into France, in particular, Provence and the Rhone. Mourvèdre

Fumé Blanc is a mostly oaked, dry white wine introduced to the American market by winemaker Robert Mondavi in the 1960s. The legendary winemaker developed this new wine style from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Back then, Sauvignon Blanc did not appeal to wine lovers due to its challenging pronunciation. Likewise, the fact that the Sauvignon Blanc

When we think of grapes, we often think of them as red, green, or purple-colored fruits. But they’re so much more than that! There are multiple varieties of grapes (more than a thousand) that are grown and cultivated across the world. And the wine grape characteristics are all unique. If you didn’t know already, grapes

What Is Valdiguié? Valdiguié is a think-skinned red grape variety that used to be widely planted in Languedoc-Roussillon in Southwest France. Today, it grows as a minor varietal in Vin de Pays, Provence, and Languedoc. Outside France, it was planted in California and had gathered a small following. There, the grape was known as Gamay

What Is Arneis? Arneis is a local Italian grape variety from Piedmont, a respected wine region. Arneis is similar to Viognier and other renascent varietals, as it almost faced extinction. In recent years, it is enjoying a revival. By the middle of the 20th century, only a few producers were making wine from Arneis. But

What Is Norton? Norton is a thick, dark-skinned hybrid varietal found in the Northeast of the United States. Also known as Cynthiana, Norton is considered a fantastic hybrid variety due to not having the intense animal aromas that usually spoil the brightness in wines. Furthermore, Norton wines have a medium-to-full body with vivid red fruit