White wine grapes

The world’s great white grape varieties showcase a surprisingly diverse array of flavours and styles. A creamy, rounded, oaked Chardonnay from California is a world away from the rapier, linear tones of an Australian Riesling. Even within individual grape varieties, how and where it is grown and vinified will make that same Chardonnay a far leaner, more chiselled wine in, say New Zealand than in California. As with red grapes, most white grapes can trace their heritage to particular European regions, most notably in France. So Chardonnay dominates Burgundy, Riesling’s spiritual home is in Alsace, while Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc jostle for prominence in the Loire. Such varieties have helped make the name of individual regions in wine’s so-called New World, where they have become brands in their own right – hence the fame of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, South African Chenin Blanc and Aussie Riesling, among others.