Cariñena is the same grape as the French Carignan. As in France, it used only as a blending grape, giving additional alcohol and adding structure to the wine. In Rioja, it is called Mazuelo and is sometimes found in blends along with Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is also used in Priorato to blend with Garnacha, [...]
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Monastrell is the same grape as the French Mouvedre. Monastrell does very well in the harsh and hot Spanish climate and is very resistant to disease. It produces wines that are very high in alcohol and body, and have a great deal of color. Monastrell is the most common grape used in the DO’s of [...]
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Graciano is a blending grape native to Rioja. It is used to add aromatics, tannins, and acidity to Rioja wines. Its production is very small, accounting for only 4% of the total grapes grown in Rioja. It is usually found planted in between the other grape varietals in the vineyard. If you want to impress [...]
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Garnacha Tinta, which is the same grape as the French Grenache, is the most widely planted grape in Spain. It does well in the hot and arid areas so common to Spain. Garnacha is an important grape in many Rioja blends, and it is the primary grape in wine from Priorato. Garnacha produces a wine [...]
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Tempranillo is the most prestigous grape grown in Rioja and Ribeira del Duero in Spain. It produces less alcholic wines than garnacha and can age very well, especially when it is blended. Tempranillo benefits from a cooler climate and requires more rainfall than garnacha. It produces a full bodied wine that has a fair amount [...]
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Malbec is a grape that originally found its home in Cahors in France, but has since fallen largely out of favor there and has risen to fame in South America, particularly in Argentina. It is allowed to be used as a blending grape in Bourdeaux and the Loire, although it is rarely seen these days. [...]
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Torrontés is the name for a grape that exists around Galicia in Spain, and in Argentina, although they are not actually the same grape. In Spain, the grape shows up in white wines from Ribeiro. In Argentina, there are actually three different strains– Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torrontés Mendocino, of which Riojano is the [...]
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Sangiovese is Italy’s most planted grape. It’s at its best in Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It has think skin and can be prone to rot. It can often have a long ripening season, with harvests in Tuscany often not coming until October. This makes a long-lived, high-alchohol wine in [...]
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Cabernet Franc is a cousin of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s less intense than it’s cousin, softer in tannins, and ripens earlier. It’s historic homeland is in the Loire valley and the cooler damper soils of St-Emilion. In St-Emilion it’s planted to blend with Merlot, and in the Médoc and Graves it is planted as insurance in [...]
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Almost every single red wine produced in Bordeaux is a blend of several grape varieties. This is in part because of the varying climate. Different grapes react differently to changes in weather: some may have thick skins that are more resistant to rot, while some others might ripen earlier or later in the season. The [...]
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