A staff training infographic worth 1,000 words

Every grape used for making fine wine has its own unique flavor profile , but the more wines you taste , the easier it becomes to discern that these fruit fall into just a handful of overlapping “ families ” of flavor .

Most white wine varieties share a broad apple-pear flavor profile , as with chardonnay and pinot blanc . However , a few stand out with aromatics that are either unusually herbal and leafy , like sauvignon blanc , or uncommonly floral , like moscato . Others , like riesling and pinot gris , may combine elements of more than one family as shown below , though their flavor intensity may depend on degree of ripeness .

Red grapes are harder to categorize , since winemaking variables play a larger role on top of ripeness . Many of the most popular , like cabernet sauvignon and malbec , smell and taste of the darkest black fruit , say blackberries or blueberries . A smaller number that makes paler wines , like pinot noir and sangiovese , taste like brighter red berries , such as strawberry or cranberry . Others feature an unusual concentration of additional scents , like black pepper and star anise , as with syrah or grenache , particularly when fully ripe . It ’ s helpful to think of these as being members of a separate “ spiced fruit ” family that can overlap with the others . BD

WHITE WINE GRAPES RED WINE GRAPES

Sauvignon Blanc

Grüner Veltliner

Vernaccia Semillon

Verdicchio Verdejo

Riesling Malvasia

Torrontés Friulano

Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio

Fiano

Gewurztraminer

Moscato / Muscat

Viognier

Sangiovese

Pinot Noir Gamay

Cabernet Franc

Mencia Dolcetto Cinsault

Nebbiolo Pinotage

Grenache / Garnacha

Negro Amaro

Zinfandel Malbec

Aglianico

Syrah / Shiraz Nero d ’ Avola

Monastrell / Mourvèdre

THE MAGIC OF BIOCHEMISTRY In the wine trade , grape varieties have traditionally been organized according to their native region or parentage , but flavor resemblances are more often driven by biochemistry . In white wine grapes , floral grapes tend to be high in aromatic esters and terpenes , while herbal grapes more often contain pyrazines . In red wine grapes , the black fruit / red fruit divide is often driven as much by the grape ’ s skin thickness as by specific flavor compounds , while a spiced fruit character derives from a wide variety of aromatic molecules , including esters , aldehydes , terpenes and ketones .

MARNIE OLD is one of the country ’ s leading wine educators . Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan ’ s French Culinary Institute , she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK such as Wine : A Tasting Course . Marnie currently serves as director of vinlightenment for Boisset Collection .

www . beveragedynamics . com July 2023 • Beverage Dynamics 7