Are you wondering or curious to know what the best wine to choose is? Well, choosing the best bottle of vino for yourself can be, for the most part challenging and stressful. Just examine all those bottles of wine lining the shelves of a wine store or convenience store.
With a plethora of choice, you can get easily confused and, worse, you can leave the store without a bottle of wine. To help you out, we have listed the world’s most popular wine grapes. And because bottles of each wine variety are, for the most part, widely available and straightforward to find, you can opt to explore styles, regions, and countries to find your preference.
Once you get to know these popular wine grapes in the world, for sure, it will be easier for you to choose a bottle of vino that will suit your taste and style. So, what are you waiting for? Read on!
Pinot Noir
This variety of wine grape is both loved and hated by most winemakers, such as Sokolin’s top wine makers, all over the world. Pinot Noir is the most demanding, sexiest, prettiest, and least foreseeable of all leading red grapes. The template for this wine grape varietal is, for the most part, dispersed among the many small communities of Burgundy, where the most remarkable bottles can, believe it or not, sell for hundreds of bucks upon its release.
Besides Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is a primary base ingredient of most sparkling wines and Champagnes as well. It is almost incessantly bottled as an unblended, pure varietal wine. Pinot Noir is not uncommon for an Oregon or California winery to produce up to a dozen single-block, single-clone, or single-vineyard bottlings in any specified vintage.
The grape is extraordinarily vintage specific and site specific. Finished wines from cool places result in more refined, elegant, and age-worthy wines. On the other hand, finished wines from warm sites might have dissolute flavors.
And because of the vast differences in terrior and style, Pinot Noirs are, for the most part, usually light-bodied to medium-bodied, with hints of earth and dried herbs, and tart red berry. Pinot Noir has a delicate texture and structure, but it can age for a long time.
Merlot
It is no secret that Merlot’s reputation was criticized by the movie Sideways. The harm and deface of the reputation of Merlot is because of the extensive amounts of flavorless, cheap Merlot that pervaded the market.
Nevertheless, if you want to have the best bottles of Merlot without breaking the bank, look first to Long Island, New York, and Washington State. Well-stuffed, supple varietal bottlings abound that have both the acidity and texture to age well. Moreover, Merlots from Napa Valley can be immediately delicious, broadly fruity, ripe, and rich.
In St-Émilion and Pomerol, on the right bank of Bordeaux, Merlot achieves a high-profile status. It is usually blended with Cabernet Franc in costly and rare wines such as Château Angélus and Pétrus. Commonly, Merlot is behind Cabernet Sauvignon as the most important grape in most Medoc reds. Merlot accounts for huge amounts of red wines from Eastern Europe, South America, California, and Italy.
Cabernet Sauvignon
This varietal is the primary grape of almost all great Bordeaux red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, as a solo variety, has, for the most part, single-handedly established the reputation of Napa Valley. It has grown all over the world, usually blended with other Bordeaux red grape varieties.
The best versions have aimed their attention on grace, power, and purity that no other reds can, for the most part, equal. In Napa Valley, the popular style focus towards heavily oaked, superrich Cabernets, producing meaty tannins and high-alcohol levels.
On the other hand, the best versions in the Washington State walk the line between opulence and precision. Moreover, high-quality Cabernets are, more often than not, made in Chile and Australia. They are supple and sappy in Australia, while briary, spicy, and lightly herbal in Chile.
Sauvignon Blanc
This grape variety is, believe it or not, grown globally, yet it seems quite unpopular for most wine enthusiasts. Often labeled as Fumé Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc is a wine that can stimulate such uninviting descriptions like the pee of a cat on a gooseberry bush. Sure, such a description do not undoubtedly inspire you to buy a bottle. But it is certainly a wonderful grape.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is famous all over the world because it can mature almost anywhere. Some of the best Chardonnays are, for the most part, made in the Côte de Beaune region in Burgundy. Furthermore, it is versatile or goes well with an extensive range of foods, from pasta and salads, cheeses, poultry, to pork dishes.
Takeaway
Over time, wines became more popular and prominent globally. The production of grapes for high-profile wines has also followed the trend. There are thousands of different grape varieties today, but the most popular grape varieties are Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
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