Aligoté is one of Burgundy’s most underrated white wine grapes. It has long lived in the shadow of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but that does not make it minor or unimportant. At its best, Aligoté offers bright acidity, citrus freshness, mineral detail, and a clean, food-friendly style that makes it one of the most refreshing…
The Macabeo grape is one of Spain’s most important white wine varieties, yet it often sits just outside the spotlight. That is partly because it goes by more than one name, and partly because it is so adaptable that it can disappear into different wine styles rather than announce itself loudly. In some places it…
The Pinot Blanc grape, known as Weissburgunder in Germany and Pinot Bianco in Italy, is one of the most underrated white wine grapes in the world. It rarely gets the same attention as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Riesling, yet it can produce wines that are elegant, fresh, food-friendly, and quietly complex. In the right hands,…
The Silvaner grape is one of the most quietly impressive white wine varieties in Europe. It does not usually arrive with the fame of Riesling, the broad popularity of Chardonnay, or the instantly recognizable aroma of Sauvignon Blanc. Instead, Silvaner works in a different register. It is a grape of detail, finesse, freshness, and terroir…
The Pinot Gris grape is one of the most adaptable and intriguing white wine varieties in the world. It can be crisp and light, rich and textured, floral and delicate, or broad and spicy depending on where it is grown and how it is made. That range is a big part of its appeal. Pinot…
The Chardonnay grape is one of the most important and influential white wine varieties in the world. It is often called the queen of white wines, and unlike many overused wine clichés, this one is justified. Chardonnay can produce some of the most mineral, restrained, and age-worthy white wines on earth, but it can also…
The Sauvignon Blanc grape has become one of the most recognizable white wine varieties in the world, and for good reason. Few grapes deliver such an immediate sense of freshness. At its best, Sauvignon Blanc is bright, aromatic, crisp, and intensely expressive, with flavors that can range from lime and grapefruit to passion fruit, gooseberry,…
The Riesling grape has one of the most impressive reputations in the world of white wine, and unlike some famous varieties, that reputation is fully deserved. Riesling can be delicate or intense, bone-dry or lusciously sweet, youthful and electric or mature and deeply layered. It is one of the clearest examples of a grape that…
Gewürztraminer is one of the easiest grapes to recognize and one of the hardest to confuse with anything else. Even people who are still learning wine can often spot it once they have smelled it a few times. The perfume is unmistakable. Rose petals, lychee, tropical fruit, ginger, spice, and sometimes a faint exotic sweetness…
Viognier is one of the most distinctive white grapes in the wine world. Even people who are not deeply into wine often remember it once they smell it. The aromas can be intense and unmistakable, with apricot, peach, honeysuckle, orange blossom, and sometimes a richer, almost exotic perfume that makes it stand apart from more…
