To really understand wine, you must first understand the word varietal.

The best way to describe this is to think of something that we are all familiar with – apples. Red delicious, Fuji, and Granny Smith are just a few of the more common varieties of apples. As you know they all have unique characteristics that serve a specific purpose for both eating and cooking. The inexpensive Red Delicious is sweet and juicy with low acidity. The more expensive and high profile Fuji, is one that has a distinctive floral/fragrant aroma with medium acidity. Granny Smith, is always preferred for cooking due to its tartness or high acidity.

Like varietal apples, varietal wine grapes also have their own unique characteristics and distinctive nuances that are ultimately imparted into the finished wine. These different types of wine grapes are ones that I know you are all familiar with such as the red grape varieties: CABERNET SAUVIGNON, MERLOT, PINOT NOIR and the white varieties: CHARDONNAY, SAUVIGNON BLANC, and REISLING. The final wine is actually named after the specific varietal grape that is used to make it. Example: CABERNET SAUVIGNON varietal grape is used to make the wine labeled as CABERNET SAUVIGNON wine. The CHARDONNAY varietal grape is used to make the wine known and labeled as CHARDONNAY.

All of these varietals are from the genus (vitis) and species (vinifera). This is the common grape vine family native to Europe/Asia that is now grown successfully all over the world.

The best, most expensive, and sought after varietal wine grapes are all grown within a specific latitude and geographic proximity. In the United States, varietal wine grapes are grown in 49 out 50 states with Alaska being the only state where it is too cold for vines to thrive. High quality vitis vinifera varietal wine grapes seem to do better when grown on Western edges of continents in places such as Napa, California (North America) and Bordeaux, France (Europe). This is most likely due to the favorable soils and weather conditions.

In order for a wine to be considered a varietal wine, it must bemade up of at least 75% of one specific varietal wine grape. In other words if the vintner states CABERNET SAUVIGNON on the label than there must be at least 75% or more of that specific varietal grape used to make that wine. The wine would not be called a CABERNET SAUVIGNON if it had only 74% or less of that varietal grape. This is the law that wineries must follow when producing a designated varietal wine.