White Wine Types

White wine types tend to be smoother in texture and much more delicate than red wine. They can range in style from dry to sweet and subtle to very strong. I have found that the more I taste, the more I am able to gain the ability to distinguish the subtle nuances between the various varietals.

Aromas include fruits, floral, spices, nuts, herbs, grasses, soil, cream, butter and more. The flavors are quite similar to aromas but also include more distinct nuances such as oak, apricot, citrus, apple, peaches and certain types of berries.

It still amazes me how you can taste all these fruits except grapes! My favorites are the ones where you can taste both oak and fruit. They just seem to be more balanced for my palate. Tannins are very minimal or almost non-existent in white wine because the skins are not a part of the fermentation process. When wine is oak aged, tannins get into the wine from the grape’s seeds and skin.

White wine grapes are yellow, gold and even green which tend to be more of the herbal varietals. White wines can also be made with reddish grapes as long as the skins are not left in contact with the juice during the fermentation process. Check out Table Wine - Blush Wine

The most common white wine types are:

Chardonnay (my favorite)
Chenin Blanc
Gewurztraminer
Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio
Muscat / Moscato

Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Viognier

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Here’s an easy way to decide which wine to choose with which foods. My general rule of thumb is… red meat, red wine. White meat, white wine. Red sauce, red wine. White sauce, white wine. Get the picture? Or, foods that are on the heavy or rich tasting side choose a red wine. White wine goes well with lighter foods.

I believe why so many people don’t go beyond trying something other than Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay is because they know little about any of the dozens of other wine grapes available.

Take a look below at some of the popular white wine grape varieties and what they look like. Don’t a lot of them look similar?