Name that grape!
wine,Good Housekeeping,kitchen wisdom
Empty bottles of wine
By GH wine writer Richard Ehrlich
Why do some wines include the grape name while others don’t? The answer to that question is complicated, and relates to an important issue: the issue of whether varietal wines (those containing just one grape variety) are better than those made from a blend. Click through our gallery to discover the answer...
A shame not to name?
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Vineyard
Some wines never have and never will include the name of a grape variety as part of their name. Mostly these are European wines, including some of the most famous in the world: Chablis, Rioja, Chianti, etc. In Europe, wine names have traditionally been defined by place of origin first, regardless of whether they’re varietal wines (such as Chablis) or blends (such as Rioja and Chianti).
A question of commerce
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Lots of wine
It was the Australian wine industry that first recognised consumers’ eagerness for easily understood wine labels in the 1980s, when they were trying to establish themselves in international markets. They hit upon varietal naming as a way of making things easier for consumers. There was a clear and simple formula: brand name followed by name of grape variety. Jacobs Creek Chardonnay. E&J Gallo Cabernet Sauvignon. And consumers liked it. Where they might have felt out of their depth faced with French or Italian wine names that meant nothing to them, they could take to varietal names much more easily.
Varietal sense and nonsense
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Chilean flag in wine bottles
The problem with varietal naming was that it led some wine drinkers down two mistaken paths. One, they often thought of grape varieties as a brand, so that if they ordered a glass of Merlot or Chardonnay they knew what they’d be getting. This is simply not true: all grape varieties create different flavours from one place to another and one winemaker to another. Simply knowing the grape variety won’t tell you all you need to know about the wine.
Blends vs Varietals
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Glasses of wine
The second error was to think that varietal wines are automatically better than those made from a blend of varieties. While some varieties are almost never blended because their character doesn’t need it (Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer and Riesling are prime examples), others are at their best in a blend. What’s weak in one variety is filled out by the strengths of another. To choose just one example: Merlot is by nature a juicy, generously-flavoured variety; Cabernet Sauvignon is by nature more austere and sometimes rather “hollow” on its own. Put them together and you have the backbone of claret, the greatest family of red wines in the world.
A little something extra
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Glass of wine
Just to make matters really confusing, not all wines with a varietal name are made from that grape variety only. Magpie Shiraz from Noel Young, for instance, contains just under 15 per cent Grenache even though it calls itself a Shiraz. This is entirely legal, and I don’t doubt for an instant that that seasoning of Grenache makes a better wine. But some consumers might well wonder why the name is Shiraz if the wine is partly Grenache. I share their confusion. Personally, I’d rather see varietally labelled wines consist solely of the grape name on the front label. Would you accept beef mince that was legally allowed to contain 15 per cent pork mince? I didn’t think so….
Varietal Reading
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Grapes and Wines, by Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand
The fascinating complexities of grape varieties are dealt with expertly and readably in one of the best books on wine to have been published in recent years: Grapes and Wines, by Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand. Sadly – and somewhat disgracefully – the book is out of print. But there are second-hand copies available from the wonderful Abe Books, and I urge you to order one.
