White wine varietals

WHEN it comes to white wine “the big eight” varietals are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc (also called Fumé Blanc), Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, Semillon, Viognier, and Chenin Blanc.

  Sometimes you will hear a white wine referred to by its regional or Old World name.  For example, a white Burgundy or Chablis is simply Burgundy’s white wine made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes or Bordeaux’s Sauternes is a sweet, full-bodied white wine made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.

When to drink white wines

  White wines can be light-bodied, medium-bodied and full-bodied depending on the grapes used and the alcohol content of the specific wine. Rieslings are typically lighter bodied, with Sauvignon Blancs being a popular medium-bodied white wine and Chardonnay representing a classic full-bodied white wine. Alcohol levels will range from eight per cent to around 14 per cent for most white wines with German Rieslings being at the lighter end of the alcohol scale. 

  Consumers often corral white wines to lighter meals like lunch, appetizers or as an apéritif themselves. Yet most fuller-bodied white wines can more than handle their fair share of hefty meals laden with butter and cream sauce and Bordeaux’s white Sauternes are the wine of choice to handle the palate heft of ultra-rich foie gras. It’s the acidity in white wines that make them particularly food-friendly and they tend to be more refreshing, in both style and taste than the majority of their red wine counterparts. 

Courtesy, wine.about.com