A look at grapes and how they flavour the wines we love

Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir. These, and a few other French grapes such as Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah are all among the top ten most widely planted wine grapes in the world, with the Cab leading the way. 

Considering that there are more than ten thousand different varieties out there, it is surprising how few grapes people generally recognize.  

There are good reasons for that, of course. For the most part, the ones that dominate produce really good wine, and they continue to hold people’s attention easily.

Two of the other “Top Ten” are grapes that are virtually unknown. I was aware of Ugni Blanc –also known as Trebbiano Toscano - but can’t recall ever hearing about Airén. Airén is among the top three or four most widely planted grapes, predominantly in Spain. Like Ugni Blanc in France, it is used in the production of brandy. 

Tempranillo is another better-known grape high up in the Top Ten and is mostly found in Spain where it is the main grape used in the production of Rioja. Between it and Airén, they account for almost half of Spain’s grape production. 

If thousands of varietals aren’t confusing enough, many varietals are known by different names sometimes in the same country. Tempranillo also goes by Cencibel and other names in Spain and by Tinto de Roriz in Portugal.  

While Shiraz is well-known as an Australian red, it is the very same grape as Syrah in France where it accounts for some of the great wines of the Rhone which can retail for hundreds of dollars 

What we know as Zinfandel in California is the same grape as Primitivo in Italy’s Puglia region. There are a number of Primitivo wines in the $10 range on the regular list, and in Vintages, you can seek out the Alchyma Duca di Saragnano Primitivo 2019, $19.95. It carries a rating of 98 from Italian wine critic Luca Maroni, which should be enough to tell us that this is a fruit-laden wine. Various reviewers tell us to expect, ripe, sweet notes of olive and date, black cherry and vanilla notes. It will have good body with an emphatic sweet note towards the end. 

Compare this Primitivo to the Ironstone Old Vine Zinfandel 2018 from Lodi in California at $17.95, which critic Natalie Maclean scored 90, suggesting it is “juicy with spiced plum, dark berry, dark cherry, baking spice, white pepper and smoky, toasty oak flavours on the palate.” The grape may be the same, but where it is grown and how the wines are made can make for significant differences in taste and impact. 

In most of the New World, wines tend to be identified by the dominant grape from which they are made. Though there are wines that are blends, as long as the main varietal reaches a designated percentage, the wine will go by that name. 

For example, the Ménage ÀTrois Bourbon Barrels Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, $24.95, in Vintages has “a splash of Merlot and Petit Sirah” in it to smooth it out, but the supporting grapes don’t appear on the label. The LCBO tells us to expect “ripe currant, blueberry and blackberry fruit with touches of sweet spices and caramel.” 

In Europe, the wines tend to have regional names rather than the name of the grape. Burgundy is the best example where the grape may be exclusively Pinot Noir but is not mentioned on the label. Often, too, particularly in Bordeaux, the wines are blends.  In the Médoc, Cabernet Sauvignon rules but is almost always enhanced by other varietals such as Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, or Cinsault.  

A very good blended red wine is Ontario’s Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Meritage 2017. $25.95, currently available at the Wine Rack store at Rome’s and at the Churchill Plaza Metro. ‘Meritage’ is the term created to describe wines that approximate a Bordeaux blend, such as we find in France. In this case, Merlot is blended with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It undergoes malolactic fermentation, which converts sharper apple-like acids to softer more milk-like ones. It is aged for 15 months in barrel to develop a wine of fine complexity, full mouthfeel and expansive, rich, savoury flavours, culminating in a long finish with a dark chocolate accent. 

Some grapes, like Petit Verdot or Cinsault, are rarely seen on their own. Cabernet Franc, however, is a major grape in Niagara and can be found readily here. Sault Ste. Marie’s own Marc Pistor is a winemaker in Niagara who has his own wines, Fogolar – the word for ‘Hearth’ in the ‘Furlan’ dialect. Marc makes a few different Cab Francs. 

The White Label 2018 Cabernet Franc, $19.95, is a deep, smooth, and fulsome wine with dark fruit and an earthy accent. The single-vineyard Picone 2018, $39.95 has deservedly received rave reviews. It is smooth, silky, sophisticated, and delicious. Cabernet Franc’s characteristic dark fruit is clearly evident, and the finish lingers magnificently. You can order these wines and others by emailing the team at [email protected]. 

While Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio are the most recognizable white grape wines, others, like Chenin Blanc and Viognier, are other French varietals we can find, with Chenin Blanc showing up as South Africa’s signature white grape (there, it goes by the name “Steen”) and Viognier more and more common from the south of France. 

On March 19, look for the Rustenberg Chenin Blanc 2019, about $15, from South Africa’s Stellenbosch. 2019 was a tough vintage, but this wine is produced from bush vines and the fruit was hand-picked. It has a 91 from Decanter and is said to be cool and green on the palate with hints of apple, lemon, and lime sherbet preceding a mineral touch on the finish. 

A California version of Viognier will appear on the same March 19 Vintages release. Cline Viognier 2020, probably around $18, promises to be exceptionally full-bodied with impressions of peach cobbler. Bright yet creamy, it is smooth and stimulating with yellow apple, nougat and nectarine skin notes, according to the Wine Enthusiast – 88. 

Not to be outdone, Italy, too, has scads of tasty white wines made from relatively unknown indigenous grapes. Roero Arneis is a rare grape from the Piedmont, while Pecorino hails from the Abruzzi, and can be found in Marche. Vermentino is associated with Sardinia, but we can find an example from Tommasi made in Tuscany. The 2020 Poggio Al Tufo Vermentino, $17.95, is “medium-bodied with a very focused bead of lime driving through the palate. Some dry-almond character at the end, together with a hint of salt. Very Vermentino. Lots of tension here.”– James Suckling – 91. 

From Italy’s south, we can regularly find terrific dry whites such as Falanghina, Fiano and Greco, while from Spain there is Verdejo and Albarino. Verdejo originated in North Africa and was brought to Spain about a thousand years ago. It is vibrant and edgy, and we find it here in wines of the regular list blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Both Toro Bravo, $8.50, and the organic Castillo de Almansa, $9.95 fit these criteria. The latter has a round satisfying body and balanced flavours suggestive of green apples and citrus. If you were told that it cost $5 or $10 more, you wouldn’t bat an eye. 

Argentina’s signature white grape is arguably Torrontés. It is aromatic and can remind drinkers of Moscato wines, though it is usually vinified to be dry, not sweet.  

Susana Balbos Crios Torrontés, $14.95, is currently in Vintages. "This is made from 100 per cent Torrontes grapes…. Aromas of honeydew, apple blossom, peach and lime. The wine is aged 3 months sur-lie to add body. Light and crisp and mouth-watering." Natalie Maclean - 90. 

In the lesser-known – or “unknown” red category, we have such grapes as Monastrell, Tannat, and Nero di Troia. Castillo de Almansa Reserva 2017, $14, is a blend of Monastrell, Garnacha, and Tempranillo. Savoury and earthy with a touch of leather, it is smooth medium-bodied and demonstrating good length. The dark fruit is well integrated. The wine earned a “great Gold” and 90 from the French review, Glibert Gaillard. 

The grapes mentioned all have aliases –the Monastrell in France is Mourvedre and in Australia is sometimes known as Mataro. Confusing, isn’t it. Garnacha is the Spanish name for Grenache. Both these grapes are prominent in the southwest of France, commonly in blends. In Australia, you can find wines labelled GSM, indicating that along with Grenache, the blend contains lesser amounts of Shiraz and Mourvedre. 

To add to your discovery of ‘new’ wines, consider Tannat. Of Tannat, the Winetraveler site explains: “Native to France, Tannat has become the unlikely hero of Uruguay and put it on the winemaking map. It’s an interesting grape that continues to surprise with the way it expresses terroir so specifically. Where it’s grown and how it’s vinified will change its flavour profile considerably so it’s a pretty exciting grape for experimental winemakers to work with.  

On the nose, Tannat exhibits black fruit, topsoil, herbs and wet stones. On the palate, it can range from highly tannic and structured to softer and more rounded. It typically displays blackberry, currant, plum, smoke, minerality, dried spices, but the berry quality can be fruitier and softer when it’s from Uruguay.” 

You can try an example of Tannat both from Uruguay and from the Madiran in southwest France. Uruguay’s Garzon winery has both a Tannat/Cabernet blend at $19.95 and a pure Tannat Reserva at $24.95. The former offers “a tasty mix of ripe dark fruit with a refined suggestion of herbs.” The Reserva has a 91 from James Suckling who explains that it is “a full-bodied red with aromas of black cherries, blackcurrants, violets and black licorice. Tannic and chewy with a firm core of dark fruit.” 

The French Chateau Peyros Tannat/Cabernet Franc 2018, $17.95, is rich, and described by the Wine Enthusiast as having “spice, blackberry fruits and acidity… well integrated into a ripe complexity.” -91. Coming on March 19 is the Chateau Peyros Vielles Vignes Madiran Tannat 2017, which ranked #81 in the 2021 Top 100 Cellar selections for the Wine Enthusiast, which tells us “this rich, wood-aged wine comes from 40 to 50-year-old vines... It brings together dense tannins and old-vine concentration. The acidity, black-plum flavours and tannins will keep this wine developing for many years. Drink from 2023” – 93. 

A final example of a grape you may have never encountered can be found on March 19. Puglia’s Duca di Saragnano Nero di Troia 2020, $16.95, the “black grape of Troy” originated in the Balkans, but is now the third most widely planted grape in this southern region of Italy. You can expect mulberry, blueberry and balsamic traits in a wine that has balance, complexity, and a finish marked by velvety tannin. 

At the end of the day, we are left with this: while a handful or two of grapes rule the roost, there is a second – or even third - tier of grapes producing wonderful wines that end up making the whole experience broader and better.  Seek them out and enjoy them.