Understanding the types of white wines varietals is a step toward understanding the wine culture as a whole, as well as the foods with which the wines can be paired. Here is a list of white wine varietals that you should know before a tasting:
Chardonnay. Chardonnay, the most popular white wine in California, originated in Burgundy, France, in the town of Chardonnay. Chardonnay grapes are flexible, an attribute that many winemakers enjoy. For example, the juice can be influenced by aging in American white oak to impart the wine with a vanilla flavor or go through a secondary fermentation process called malolactic fermentation for a buttery flavor.
Grape Flavors: Citrus and fruit, depending on where it is grown
Nuances After Processing: Vanilla or buttery
Best Paired With: Shellfish, chicken, halibut and pastas with cream-based sauces
Chenin Blanc. Another versatile varietal grape, Chenin blanc originated in France in the Loire Valley. This vine can be grown in a wider range of climates and soils than many other types of grapes and is also good at resisting diseases.
Grape Flavors: Honey, melon and grass
Nuances After Processing: Vanilla or smoke
Best Paired With: Seafood and salads
Sauvignon Blanc (or Fume Blanc). Sauvignon blanc wines are high in acidity and might be aged in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels.
Grape Flavors: Grass, green olive and grapefruit
Nuances After Processing: Vanilla, butter or toast
Best Paired With: White fish, plus dishes with tomatoes, raw garlic and smoked cheese
Gewurztraminer. Although its name implies otherwise, gewurztraminer grapes originated in Italy. Gewurztraminer wines can run the gamut of being dry to being a late-harvest desert wine.
Grape Flavors: Spicy
Nuances After Processing: Rose petals and lychee
Best Paired With: Fish, chicken and spicy dishes
If you are visiting a given vineyard for the first time, knowing the kinds of varietals that are grown there is the first step in understanding the wines that the vineyard produces.
 | Understanding taste is important with wine and food pairings, because you may want to complement or contrast the taste of the wine with the taste of the food in your pairings. |
 | Understanding the types of red wine varietals is a step toward understanding the wine culture as a whole, as well as the foods with which the wines can be paired. Here is a list of red wine varietals that you should know before a tasting. |
Wine and cheese pairing guidelines are just that: guidelines. Stick to classic combinations when you don't want to take chances with your guests' palates and save pairing experiments for your own enjoyment. |
Red wine goes with meat, and white wine goes with chicken or fish - or so the saying goes. But what about everything in between: spicy foods, sweet flavors, creamy cheeses, etc.? In actuality, many wines complement a range of dishes, and knowing what to drink with what food does not require the services of a personal sommelier. |
Forget everything you think you know about pairing food and wine. As a trained industry insider I can share that scientists have determined that our palates are affected very specifically by certain flavor combinations. |
