Grape reference
Learn the grape, then follow the place
Eight flagship guides turn familiar grape names into routes through taste, labels, regions and producers. Further guides will follow when the evidence can support the same depth.
The flagship guides
Choose a grape for the full reference, or open its places in the Atlas when geography is the clearer starting point.
- 01
White grape · Bourgogne, France
Chardonnay
Chardonnay does not arrive with one fixed flavour. It can be taut and citrus-led in Chablis, broader and creamier in the Côte de Beaune, bright in Champagne, or ripe-fruited in warmer places. Climate sets the fruit; oak, lees and malolactic conversion can change the texture and add savoury notes. Learn those choices and the label becomes much easier to read. - 02
Red grape · Bordeaux, France
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is built around black fruit, freshness and tannin. In Bordeaux it usually works as part of a blend; in Napa Valley, Coonawarra and many other regions it often takes the leading role. The grape keeps its firm outline across those places, but ripeness, blending and oak can move the wine from leafy and restrained to dense and polished. The first question is therefore not whether a bottle tastes like Cabernet, but which version of Cabernet it is trying to be. - 03
Red grape · Bourgogne, France
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a pale-coloured red that can carry surprising detail. Red cherry, raspberry and flowers sit over fresh acidity and fine tannin; with age, the wine may move toward tea, earth and mushroom. Bourgogne made the grape famous, but Champagne, Oregon and Central Otago show very different uses for it. Pinot rewards attention to place because small changes in climate, slope and extraction are often easier to taste than sheer power. - 04
White grape · Germany
Riesling
Riesling combines vivid acidity with unusually clear fruit and a wide range of sweetness. It can be bone-dry, gently off-dry, fully sweet or sparkling without losing its identity. Apple, lime and peach are common in youth; bottle age can add honey, toast and the distinctive kerosene-like note often called petrol. Germany is the centre of the story, but Alsace and Austria show how firmly dry and place-led the grape can become. - 05
Red grape · Piemonte, Italy
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo sets pale colour against formidable structure. Rose, red cherry and orange peel can rise from a wine with high acidity and tannin that grips hard in youth. Barolo and Barbaresco are its most famous names, but Langhe Nebbiolo, Alto Piemonte and Valtellina offer other ways in. Place and ageing rules sit at the centre of the label, so the best route to the grape begins with geography rather than a search for one flavour profile. - 06
Red grape · Northern Rhône, France
Syrah
Syrah brings dark fruit, pepper and violet into a firm but flexible frame. In the northern Rhône it can be savoury, aromatic and tightly drawn; under the name Shiraz in Australia it often becomes riper, broader and more generous. Those names refer to the same grape, not two varieties. Climate, whole bunches, blending and oak explain more than the word chosen for the label. - 07
White grape · France
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc makes its entrance through aroma and acidity. Lime, grapefruit, gooseberry, herbs and cut grass can appear before the first sip, followed by a dry, brisk palate. Centre-Loire wines often lead with place names such as Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé; Marlborough usually names the grape and turns the volume up. Bordeaux and Styria add more texture, blending and oak to the picture. The grape is direct, but it is not one-dimensional. - 08
Red grape · Toscana, Italy
Sangiovese
Sangiovese is often easier to understand at the table than in isolation. Red cherry fruit sits inside firm acidity and tannin, with herbs and earth close behind. In the hills of Toscana, the grape can make a brisk Chianti Classico, a more layered Vino Nobile, or the long-lived wines of Montalcino. The family resemblance remains, but place and cellar choices change the weight and pace.