Grape guide

Your no-nonsense guide to 25 common grapes, and the wines they make - with suggestions of great food matches.

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Red wine

  • Barbera

    Can be cheap and cheerful or rich and complex - a good all rounder

  • Cabernet Sauvignon

    A global classic - perhaps the most noble of the noble great varieties

  • Gamay

    The grape behind Beaujolais - perfect summer drinking

  • Grenache

    The flavour of summer holidays

  • Malbec

    An increasingly popular grape after falling out of favour in recent years

  • Merlot

    Produces hugely popular, easy to drink wines - perfect for a Friday night in

  • Nebbiolo

    The James Dean of the Italian wine industry

  • Negroamaro

    A regional speciality that's gaining international fame

  • Pinot Noir

    A worldwide charmer, hard to grow but can produce wine of exceptional quality

  • Pinotage

    South Africa's unique grape, created in 1925

  • Sangiovese

    The basis of Tuscany's Chianti wine

  • Syrah / Shiraz

    One of the international celebrities on the grape scene

  • Tempranillo

    The most popular of Spanish red grapes

  • Zinfandel

    A grape with a long history that produces dark, plummy wines

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White wine

  • Albariño

    Spain's seafood white - drink it young, fresh and cold

  • Chardonnay

    One of the few grape varieties that's become more famous than the wines made from it

  • Chenin Blanc

    Could easily be classified as one of the great 'noble' grapes - find out about this grape's range

  • Colombard

    An easy-to-grow stalwart of the supermarket bracket - the wine blender's favourite

  • Gewürztraminer

    The wine student's favourite - packed with exotic aromas

  • Muscat

    A grape with a long history - it actually tastes and smells of grapes

  • Pinot Gris

    A grape that produces delicately floral wines

  • Riesling

    The wine writer's favourite - this grape has capacity to produce great wines across the world

  • Sauvignon Blanc

    Produces mouthwatering and fresh wines in a global charm offensive

  • Semillon

    A chameleon grape and great mixer

  • Viognier

    One of the great success stories of recent times

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