⌈ 18 Key Varietals ⌉

Grape Varieties

Every bottle begins with a grape. Know the grape, and you hold the key to the wine.

Red Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon The undisputed king — structured, commanding, and built to last bordeaux · napa-valley · margaret-river

Grenache Mediterranean sunshine in a glass — generous, spiced, and deeply satisfying rhone-valley · priorat · rioja

Malbec The Andes in a glass — dark, velvety, and alive with altitude mendoza

Merlot Softer, rounder, and more seductive than its reputation allows — the velvet red bordeaux · tuscany · napa-valley

Nebbiolo The king's grape — terrifying in youth, transcendent with age barolo · piedmont

Pinot Noir Heartbreakingly difficult, incomparably beautiful — wine's most seductive grape burgundy · willamette-valley · central-otago

Sangiovese The blood of Tuscany — cherry-bright, acidic, and built for the table tuscany · chianti-classico · brunello-di-montalcino

Syrah & Shiraz Ink-dark and crackling with pepper — two continents, one magnificent grape rhone-valley · barossa-valley · margaret-river

Tempranillo Spain's soul in a glass — leather, dried cherry, and the perfume of old oak rioja · ribera-del-duero · douro

White Grapes

Albariño Salt spray in a glass — Galicia's Atlantic white is as much a taste of the ocean as any wine ever poured. Rías Baixas (Val do Salnés, O Rosal, Condado do Tea), Galicia, Spain · Vinho Verde (Monção e Melgaço sub-region), Minho, Portugal · Adegas Valmiñor, Terras Gauda, Galicia

Chardonnay The world's great chameleon — shaped by oak, terroir, and winemaker alike. Côte de Beaune, Burgundy (Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet) · Chablis, Burgundy · Champagne (Blanc de Blancs)

Chenin Blanc Loire's most complex white: as dry as a bone or as sweet as honey, always with the tension of a tightly wound spring. Vouvray & Montlouis-sur-Loire, Loire Valley, France · Savennières, Anjou, Loire Valley, France · Saumur & Coteaux du Layon, France

Gewurztraminer No other grape announces itself so boldly — a cascade of rose, lychee, and spice that fills the room before the glass is raised. Alsace, France (primary heartland) · Alto Adige / Südtirol, Italy · Pfalz & Baden, Germany

Grüner Veltliner Austria's quiet pride — white pepper, fresh herbs, and a mineral backbone that makes it the sommelier's go-to for the difficult dinner party. Wachau, Austria (Spitz, Weißenkirchen, Dürnstein) · Kamptal, Austria (Langenlois, Zöbing) · Kremstal, Austria

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris One grape, two identities — Italy's breezy summer wine and Alsace's brooding, spiced giant. Friuli-Venezia Giulia & Alto Adige, Italy · Alsace, France (Grand Cru vineyards) · Baden & Pfalz, Germany (Grauburgunder)

Riesling The sommelier's secret obsession — ethereal, precise, and built to outlive everything else in your cellar. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany · Rheingau, Germany · Rheinhessen & Pfalz, Germany

Sauvignon Blanc Electric, aromatic, uncompromising — the grape that tastes like a cold sea breeze. Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé, Loire Valley, France · Marlborough, New Zealand · Pessac-Léognan & Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France

Viognier The Northern Rhône's rarest treasure — a brief, blazing window of apricot, peach, and violet perfume that demands you pay attention right now. Condrieu, Northern Rhône, France · Château-Grillet, Northern Rhône, France (monopole AOC) · Central Coast & Paso Robles, California

Discover which grapes match your palate — Sommvi learns your taste and recommends wines you'll love.