How many varieties of grape are there?

10 000 varieties
There are around 10 000 varieties out there. But there are many good reasons to stick to the well-known and famous. One being that it is easier to sell the wine. However, there is a trend, among certain producers and certain wine geeks at least, to search for old, forgotten grape varieties on the verge of extinction.

What are the four varieties of grapes?

The four most common wild grape varieties are:

  • Riverbank grape (V. riparia)
  • Frost grape (V. vulpine)
  • Summer grape (V. aestivalis)
  • Catbird grape (V. palmate)

What grape varieties mean?

Varieties are types of grapes, i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Chardonnay grapes, Zinfandel grapes, etc. A varietal is a wine that is labeled as being made from one grape variety. Typically you’ll see varietals from New World countries, while Old World wines are more frequently labeled by their region of origin.

How do I identify grape varieties?

These days the most reliable way to identify a grape variety is to do a DNA test (made famous in the wine world by the Swiss botanist José Vouillamoz). But few people carry around a DNA test kit in the vineyards.

What are wine varieties called?

A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot.

Is Pinot Grigio a grape variety?

Pinot grigio is a white wine grape varietal from the pinot grape family, which includes pinot blanc and pinot noir. Pinot grigio grapes typically have a grayish-blue color when ripe (grigio means “grey” in Italian).

What is the difference between varietal and variety?

Variety can refer to either the grape itself (Malbec, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris), or to the style or kind of wine, as in red, white, or sparkling, etc. Varietal is used to describe a wine made from a single variety of grape. So, a glass of Chardonnay would be a varietal wine, made from Chardonnay variety grapes.