Wine Category

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of fruit, usually grapes. There are four broad categories: table wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines, and fruit wines. Table wines are the most common, and they're grouped by color--red, white, and blush, which is sometimes called rosé. A red wine should be served at room temperature, and it goes well with hearty, meat-based dishes like steak and spaghetti. White and blush wines should be served chilled, and they go best with lighter fare, like fish and chicken. Many wines, called varietals, are named after the variety of grape used to make them. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir are popular red varietals, while Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Johannisberg Riesling are popular white ones. In Europe, some wines, often blends of different varietals, are named after the place where the wine is produced, like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Rhine, and Rhône. These European wines are often superb, but American wines that have borrowed these regional names, like California Chablis, are almost always mediocre. If you're buying a domestic wine, it's often better to go with a varietal, like a California Cabernet Sauvigno

mirin, sweet rice wine, sweet sake

This is a very sweet Japanese rice wine that's used to flavor rice and sauces. It's not usually consumed as a beverage. Aji mirin is salted, so adjust the recipe accordingly.

Muscadet

This is a district in Brittany, France, that produces a crisp, light white wine that's especially good with seafood. Always serve it chilled. Don't confuse this with Muscatel or Muscat, which are both dessert wines.

Muscat, Moscatel, Moscato, Muscadel, Muscatel

This is a sweet and fruity dessert wine made from Muscat grapes. Don't confuse it with Muscadet, which is a dry white wine.

This is wine that's made from pears. It's usually somewhat sweet, and with a low alcohol content.

Petite Syrah, Petite Sirah

This is a grape variety which produces an excellent red wine that's very dark and often described as "peppery." Don't confuse Petite Syrah with Syrah, another red varietal wine.

Pinot blanc

This is a good, but unexceptional, dry white wine that's good with seafood and poultry.

Pinot Grigio, Pinot gris

This is a dry white wine that goes especially well with seafood. Pinot Grigio is the Italian name, Pinot Gris the French.

Pinot Noir

This earthy red varietal wine goes best with beef, ham, poultry, salmon, or tuna. Unfortunately, making it is tricky business, so the quality varies tremendously. A good one will be expensive and sublime.

plum wine

These are wines that are made from plums. Some producers leave the stones in while the plums are fermenting, giving the wine a bit of almond flavoring as well.

port, port wine, ruby ports, tawny ports, Vintage ports, wood ports

This is a sweet Portuguese fortified wine that's sipped as an after-dinner drink, or used as a cooking ingredient. Vintage ports are the best, but they are very expensive. The sediment at the bottom of the bottle is a sign of quality. Crusted or late-bottled vintage ports are both less expensive and less elegant. Cheaper yet are the lighter and fruitier wood ports, which include the tawny ports and the lowly ruby ports. Wood ports don't age well in the bottle, so try to drink them within a year or two of purchase. Once opened, port should be consumed within a week or so and stored in the refrigerator.

Pouilly-Fuissé

Pouilly-Fuissé

This is an area in the Burgundy region of France that's renown for its exquisite white wines. Made with Chardonnay grapes, these wines are great with seafood and hors d'oeuvres.

This is a highly regarded dry white wine.

red wine

Red wines are heavier and more strongly flavored than white wines, and they go best with heavier, more strongly flavored foods, like red meat, pasta, and ripe cheeses. They should always be served at room temperature.

retsina

This is a white Greek wine that's flavored with pine resin. It's popular with Greeks, but hasn't caught on elsewhere. It should be served at room temperature.

Rhine Wine

Riesling grapes are used to make white Rhine wine.

Rhône wine, Rhone wine

Vineyards along the Rhône River in Southeastern France produce red, white, and blush wines, but they're best known for their excellent red wines. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the region's most famous appellation, while Côtes-du-Rhône is the catch-all name given to lesser Rhône wines.

rice wine

Technically, this should be called "rice beer," since it's fermented from a grain rather than a fruit. The Japanese produce two kinds of rice wines: sake, a dry wine that is used for drinking and cooking, and mirin, a sweet wine which is used just for cooking. Chinese cooks use a product similar to sake, called Shaoxing wine.

Riesling, Emerald Riesling, Franken Riesling, Gray Riesling, Sylvaner

If made in Germany or Alsace, a Riesling is a very good, somewhat sweet white wine. If made in America, it's usually a so-so white wine that's usually made from Sylvaner = Franken Riesling, Gray Riesling and Emerald Riesling grapes, mediocre varieties which coast on the reputation of their superior relative, Johanissberg Riesling.

Rioja

This is a region in Northern Spain that's known for its economical and fairly good red wines.

sake, rice wine, saké, saki

This is a Japanese rice wine, or more correctly, beer. It's usually served warm in tiny porcelain cups, but some trendy American restaurants served it chilled like white wine. Sake doesn't age well in the bottle and should be consumed within a year of bottling.

Sangiovese

This is the red grape variety that's often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to make Italian Chianti. California Sangiovesi are hearty and good with Italian food. The quality of this wine varies tremendously, but a good Sangiovese is sublime.

Sauternes

Sauternes is a district in France that produces exquisite and expensive white dessert wines. The district includes the commune Barsac, which produces some of the best Sauternes. Sauternes are sweet and are delicious with blue cheese, pâté de foie gras, and light desserts, though they should never be served with chocolate. Don't confuse Sauternes with Sauterne, which is a cheap domestic imitation.

Sauvignon blanc, blanc fume, blanc fumé

Sauvignon blanc

This light white wine is often described as having a "grassy" flavor. It's terrific with seafood, poultry, and other delicately flavored dishes.

Sémillon, Semillon

This is a grape variety that's sometimes developed into a dry white wine, sometimes into a excellent dessert wine.

Shaoxing wine, Chinese rice wine, Hsao Shing wine, Shao hsing wine

Chinese rice wine varies in quality, so cookbooks often specify Shaoxing rice wine, which is quite good. The Chinese drink it from small porcelain cups, in the same way that the Japanese drink their sake. Shaoxing cooking wine may be salted.

sherry, Amontillado, Amoroso, Cooking sherry, cream sherry, Fino sherry

This fortified Spanish wine is typically served in small glasses before dinner, but many cooks also keep a bottle handy in the kitchen to perk up sauces, soups, and desserts. There are two categories of sherry: fino and oloroso. Fino sherry = Palma sherry is dry, fruity, and expensive. Examples of fino include the exquisite Manzanilla and the potent and nutty Amontillado. Oloroso sherry is more heavily fortified than fino. Examples include Amoroso and cream sherry, both of which are sweetened and especially popular in Britain. Once bottled, sherry doesn't age well, so you should plan to use it no more than a year or two after you buy it. Once opened, fino sherries should be consumed within a few days and stored in the refrigerator. Oloroso sherries can be stored a bit longer, say a week. Cooking sherry usually has added salt, and is shunned by more experienced cooks.

sparkling wine, bubbly, Champagne

When first opened, sparkling wine becomes effervescent as bubbles of carbon dioxide gas escape from the liquid. It was first produced by Dom Pérignon in the 17th century, who cried out after sampling it, "Come quickly. I am drinking stars!" Champagne is perhaps the finest example of sparkling wine, and is named for the region in France where it's produced. The brand Dom Pérignon is considered to be the finest champagne. Sparkling wine and champagne are rated by their relative sweetness. The driest is brut, followed by extra dry, sec, and the sweetest of all, demi-sec. Sparkling wines are used to toast special occasions like weddings and the New Year, but they're also served before meals. They're especially nice with caviar.

spumante

This is Italian sparkling wine. Asti spumante is a well-known sparkling wine produced in Asti, Italy.

sweet vermouth, bianco, Italian vermouth, red vermouth, rosso

This comes as either red vermouth (rosso) or sweet white vermouth (bianco). It's used to make many cocktails, including Manhattans and Negronis. If you're planning to make martinis, you probably want dry vermouth.

Syrah

This wine is called Syrah in Europe and America, and Shiraz in Australia. It's a dry red wine that's especially good with barbecued meats, sausages, strong cheeses, and spicy foods. Don't confuse Syrah with Petite Syrah.

table wine, still wine

Table wines are intended to be served with meals, and they're often classified by color: red, white or rosé.

Ordinary Tokay table wine is mediocre, but some Tokay grapes are affected by Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that pokes holes in their skins and makes them shrivel on the vine. This concentrates the sweetness and makes for an exquisite dessert wine. Look for bottles labeled Tokay Aszú, the Hungarian name for botrytised Tokay wine.

This is a relative of the Pinot Noir grape, and it makes a red wine that goes well with hearty meat-based dishes. Don't confuse it with Gamay or Gamay Beaujolais.

vermouth

This is a fortified wine that's heavily flavored with sugar, herbs, roots, flowers, and spices. It's sometimes served as an apéritif, but it's better known as a key ingredient in many cocktails, including martinis and Manhattans. It's also used to perk up sauces, especially those that accompany seafood. There are two main types: dry vermouth and sweet vermouth. Noilly Prat and Martini & Rossi are well-respected brands.

Viognier

This assertive white wine from California exudes a complex perfume of flowers and fruit. It's expensive and hard to find, but it's delicious with seafood and poultry.

Vouvray

This is a slightly sweet French white wine made with Chenin blanc grapes.

white Grenache Learn more

white Merlot

This blush wine goes well with poultry and seafood.

white wine

White wines are more delicate than red wines and are always served chilled. Dry (i.e., not sweet) white wines include Chardonnay, Chablis, and Sauvignon Blanc. These are normally served with fish, poultry, veal, blue cheeses, and anything with a cream sauce. Sweeter white wines are often described as "fruity" and include Gewürztraminer, Johannisberg Riesling, and Chenin Blanc. These are good with spicy foods, fruit, and desserts.

white Zinfandel

white Zinfandel

This is the most popular blush wine, and it goes well with pork, poultry, and spicy dishes. It's not at all like ordinary Zinfandel, a dry red wine.