Grape Varieties

'Grape varieties' refer to the types of grapes that are cultivated and maintained from the natural species of grape plants. European countries like South America, Austria, Mexico and other eastern countries are the major grape producing countries in the world.

Grape is a juicy fruit found in a variety of colors such purple, white, red or green. It is a type of berry used for eating, making wines, and also as a dry fruit. Grape is also used for preparing jelly, vinegar, candy, grape seed extract and seed oil and jam. The origin of grape comes from the ancient Vitis Vinifera and Vitis Labrusca regions. Vitis Vinifera include the Mediterranean region, southwestern Asia, Spain and central Europe that cultivated European or wine grapes. American grapes originated from the Vitis Labrusca, and are found in Canada and the eastern United States. The main purpose of cultivating grapes is to prepare wines.

What are the Different Grape Varieties?

The major grape varieties are divided into two, white and red grapes. Here is the list of types of grapes along with the name of producing countries and the name of wines prepared from the grape variety.

Red types of grapes

Merlot: Merlot grapes are cultivated along with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, that are suitable for Bordeaux wines. If you are a chocolate lover, a wine made from merlot grapes will be a good option since it has a chocolate taste. California, Washington, Long Island are the cultivators of Merlot grapes.

Cabernet Sauvignon: These grapes - small and red in color are cultivated in Australia and California. Cabenet Sauvignon grapes are mixed with merlot grapes to prepare red wine that tastes similar to blackberries.

Syrah: Syrah also called as Shiraz grapes in Australia. Alike other grapes, Syrah grapes are too used in preparing wines in tannin. These grapes are found in the Rhone Valley in France.

Some other varieties of red grapes are Lagrein, Rosenmuskateller, St. Magdalener, Kalterersee Auslese, Edelvernatch (schiava), Südtiroler Merlot Rosé and Blauburgunder.

White Types of Grapes

Weissburgunder (pinot blanc): Weissburgunder or pinot blanc grapes are the mutation of Pinot Grip grapes. These grapes taste like chardonnay grapes. The major countries that cultivate Weissburgunder grapes are Italy, Alsace and Austria for the wine production.

Chenin Blanc: France is one of the largest producers of Chenin blanc grapes. Chenin blanc wine is known as a viscous wine due to its high acidity.

Riesling: Riesling grapes are coined by Germany used to prepare Ice Wine. Warm climate is the optimum necessity for growing these grapes. Riesling grapes are planted in Germany, France, New York and California.

Chardonnay: These white type of grapes taste like peach and melon. Chardonnay grapes can be cultivated in different climate and are used for preparing Champagne. A small amount of oak chips are added with Chardonnay grapes while making the wines. Champagne, California, south Africa and Burgundy are the countries known for producing Chardonnay grapes.

Sylvaner: The wine made from Sylvaner grapes is available in two flavors, floral and light spice. Alsaca is famous for its cultivation.

Gewürztraminer: The cultivators of Gewürztraminer grapes are Columbia, New Zealand, Northern Italy, Austria and Germany.

Other varieties of white grapes include Sauvignon, Muller Thurgau, Goldmuskateller and Grauburgunder (pinot gris). Some people consider the grape varieties to be of three types. According to them the third grape variety is wine grapes. The wine grapes are of different types such as Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet grapes, Muscat etc.

Now let's take a look at some of the interesting facts about grapes. Historians predicted that the first grape fruits grown in the world are by the Greeks and Turks. Later on, European countries cultivated grapes as the most refreshing fruit, mainly used for preparing wine. Generally, juices are prepared from the variety of Vitis labrusca grapes because these grapes have a loose skin that can be easily peeled off; whereas Vitis vinifera grapes have a tight skin and can be used for the wine production. It has been figured out that about 27% of the grapes all over the world are used as fresh fruit, 71% grapes are used for wine making, and remaining 2% are used in the form of a dry fruit. A 100 gram of grapes contains a large nutritional value, grapes are a rich source of carbohydrates 18.1 g, protein 0.72 g, fats 0.16 g and free of cholesterol. Thus, the grape varieties are not only varied but also have multiple dimensions in terms of health benefits.