How to organise your cellar

If you have a wine collection that’s lost its way, cellar consultant Luke Campbell shares five steps for getting it back on track.

Common Types of Wine

Wine is made with grapes, but not typical table grapes you’ll find at the grocery. Wine grapes (latin name: Vitis vinifera) have thick skins, are small, sweet, and contain seeds. There are many different kinds of wine grapes–over a thousand,–but just a few of these varieties (listed below) are grown commonly all over the world.

Single-Variety Wines and Wine Blends

A wine made with one type of grape is a single-variety wine or, varietal wine, and a wine made with several different grapes is a blend. Some wine blends are named after the place they originated. For example, a Bordeaux Blend is a blend of several grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and comes from Bordeaux, France. Another familiar example is Chianti (“key-aunt-tee”), a Sangiovese-based blend from Tuscany, Italy.

TIP: The term “vintage” refers to the year the grapes were grown. Non-Vintage (NV) wines are a blend of several vintages.

 Common Types of Wine (The Top Varities)

The 8 wines included in this article represent 6 of the 9 styles of wine. Trying all 8 wines will give you a good example of the potential range of flavours found in all wine. Each wine listed below also includes alternative varieties that taste similar. So, if you prefer a particular wine, you might also like its alternatives.

Cabernet Sauvignon “Cab-er-nay Saw-vin-yawn”   Taste: Black Cherry, Black Currant, Baking Spices, Cedar  Style: Full-bodied Red Wine  Description: Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied red wine that originated in France. Today, it’s the most popular wine variety in the world. Wines taste full-bodied with bold tannins and a long persistent black peppery finish.  Food Pairing: lamb, beef, smoked meats, French, American, firm cheeses like aged cheddar and hard cheeses like Pecorino Cabernet Sauvignon Alternatives Merlot: lighter and smoother with more cherry flavors Cabernet Franc: lighter with more red pepper and herb flavors Carménère: (Chile) lighter with more red pepper and cherry flavors Bordeaux Blend: a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot from Bordeaux, France Sangiovese: (Italy) spicier with more herbal and tart cherry flavors
Syrah “Sear-ah” (aka Shiraz)  Taste: Blueberry, Plum, Pepper, Chocolate, Tobacco  Style: Full-bodied Red Wine  Description: Syrah (aka Shiraz) is a full-bodied red wine that originated in France. Wines are full-bodied with bold fruit flavors and subtle tannin that drops off into a smooth finish. Syrah is commonly blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to create the red Rhône blend.  Food Pairing: lamb, beef, smoked meats, Mediterranean, French, American, salty cheeses such as feta, firm cheeses like white cheddar, and hard cheeses like Manchego Syrah Alternatives Malbec: (Argentina) lighter and smoother on the finish with more plum flavors Petit Sirah: (United States) bolder and more tannic with blackberry flavors Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre): (Spain) bolder and smokier Pinotage: (South Africa) bolder and smokier
Zinfandel “Zin-fan-dell”  Taste: Strawberry, Blackberry, 5 Spice Powder, Sweet Tobacco  Style: Medium-bodied Red Wine  Description: Zinfandel (aka Primitivo) is a medium-bodied red wine that originated in Croatia. Wines are fruit-forward and spicy with a medium length finish. Zinfandel is a red grape that may be better known as the rosé wine White Zinfandel.  Food Pairing: chicken, pork, cured meat, lamb, beef, barbecue, Italian, American, Chinese, Thai, Indian, full-flavored like cheddar and firm cheeses such as Manchego Zinfandel Alternatives Grenache (aka Garnacha): Lighter and less spicy with more raspberry flavors Tempranillo: (Spain) Less fruity and more tannic with red cherry flavors. Rhône Blend: a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre originally from Rhône Valley of France Carignan: Lighter with more juicy red fruit flavors
Pinot Noir “Pee-no Nwar”  Taste: Cherry, Cranberry, Clove, Mushroom  Style: Light-bodied Red Wine  Description: Pinot Noir is a dry light-bodied red wine that originated in France. Wines are somewhat tart with a burst of fruit that leads into a long soft finish.  Food Pairing: chicken, pork, veal, duck, cured meat, French, German, cream sauces, soft cheeses, nutty medium-firm cheeses like Gruyère Pinot Noir Alternatives Gamay (aka Beaujolais): (France) Lighter, juicier and more bitter on the finish
Chardonnay “Shar-dun-nay”  Taste: Starfruit, Yellow Apple, Butter, Chalk  Style: Full-bodied White Wine  Description: Chardonnay is a dry full-bodied white wine that originated in France. When oak-aged, Chardonnay will taste creamy and buttery. Unoaked wines are lighter and zesty with apple and citrus flavors. Chardonnay is the white wine of Burgundy.  Food Pairing: lobster, crab, shrimp, chicken, pork, mushroom, French, cream sauces, soft cheeses such as triple cream brie, medium-firm cheeses like Gruyère Chardonnay Alternatives Sémillon: Lighter with more lemon flavors Viognier: More perfume and vanilla flavors
Sauvignon Blanc “Saw-vin-yawn Blonk”  Taste: Gooseberry, Honeydew Melon, Passion Fruit, Grass  Style: Light-bodied White Wine  Description: Sauvignon Blanc is a dry light-bodied white wine that originated in France. Wines are zesty, typically with herbal green fruit flavors. Sauvignon Blanc is an older heritage grape, a parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon.  Food Pairing: fish, chicken, pork, veal, Mexican, Vietnamese, French, herb-crusted goat cheese, nutty cheeses such as Gruyère Sauvignon Blanc Alternatives Vermentino: from Italy Verdejo: from Spain Grüner Veltliner: from Austria Colombard: from Southern France
Pinot Gris “Pee-no Gree” (aka Pinot Grigio)  Taste: Lemon Pith, Honeydew Melon, Nectarine, White Peach  Style: Light-bodied White Wine  Description: Pinot Gris is a dry light-bodied white wine that originated from Northern Italy and France. Wines are zesty, thirst-quenching and often lighter in alcohol (12% ABV) making them ideal for outdoor dining.  Food Pairing: Pinot Gris Alternatives Albariño: from Spain Soave: The grape is Garganega, and the wine is from Italy Muscadet: The grape is Melon de Bourgogne, and the wine is from France
Riesling “Reese-ling”  Taste: Lime, Apple, Beeswax, Honey  Style: Aromatic (sweet) White Wine  Description: Riesling is an off-dry aromatic white wine (dry styles also exist) that originated from Germany where it is the most important wine. Wines are mouth-watering and tart with a lemon-honey-like sweetness. Riesling is considered a low alcohol wine when it is sweet at around 9%–10% ABV.  Food Pairing: chicken, pork, duck, turkey, cured meat, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Moroccan, German, washed-rind cheeses and fondue Riesling Alternatives Muscat Blanc (aka Moscato):sweeter with more candied pear flavors Gewürztraminer: richer with more rose flavors Torrontés: less sweet with more peach and flower flavors Chenin Blanc: less sweet with more apple flavors

Source: winefolly