FingerlakesWineFun.com - Varietal Wines


	A French variety frequently blended with the later maturing Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc is aromatic and tends to be lighter in color, body, and tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, and it ripens in a cooler environment. Cabernet Franc usually makes a light-bodied or medium-bodied wine. Its vines are vigorous and fairly productive. Merlot is fruitier, less tannic, and more full-bodied than its sophisticated and long-lived blending partner. The wine usually has a strawberry or raspberry aroma. It is a vigorous, productive variety that ripens in midseason.		The world's most prestigious grape variety for the production fine wine that ages well. It is the principal grape variety in Bordeaux wine in which it is blended with other varieties such as Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc to make a mellower wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, which is known for its deep color, high tannin, and flavor of black currants or eucalyptus, ages well in French oak.Its vines are vigorous but not particularly productive. It is a late ripening variety. Pinot Noir is difficult to grow, has low, yield, and is very dependant on the type of soil in which it is grown. Pinot Noir is more fruity and has less tannin and pigment than Cabernet Sauvignon. When young, Pinot Noir has a taste of strawberries or cherries. Aged Pinot Noir usually has a velvety finish. It ripens early and is best grown in cool climates.

A French variety frequently blended with the later maturing Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc is aromatic and tends to be lighter in color, body, and tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, and it ripens in a cooler environment. Cabernet Franc usually makes a light-bodied or medium-bodied wine. Its vines are vigorous and fairly productive.

Merlot is fruitier, less tannic, and more full-bodied than its sophisticated and long-lived blending partner. The wine usually has a strawberry or raspberry aroma. It is a vigorous, productive variety that ripens in midseason.

A little-known variety considered a Russian variety but whose origins were probably on the border between Armenia and Turkey near Mt. Ararat. It is widely grown in the countries of the former Soviet Union, particularly Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Rkatsiteli is know for having a touch of spiciness, similar to but different from Gewurztraminer. It is relatively high in acid with high sugar levels; its vines are winter hardy, making it a desirable variety for cool or cold regions. Rkatsiteli is widely grown in Bulgaria and Rumania. Small quantities of the variety are grown in the Finger Lakes Region.

The world's most prestigious grape variety for the production fine wine that ages well. It is the principal grape variety in Bordeaux wine in which it is blended with other varieties such as Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc to make a mellower wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, which is known for its deep color, high tannin, and flavor of black currants or eucalyptus, ages well in French oak.Its vines are vigorous but not particularly productive. It is a late ripening variety.

Pinot Noir is difficult to grow, has low, yield, and is very dependant on the type of soil in which it is grown. Pinot Noir is more fruity and has less tannin and pigment than Cabernet Sauvignon. When young, Pinot Noir has a taste of strawberries or cherries. Aged Pinot Noir usually has a velvety finish. It ripens early and is best grown in cool climates.

Called Pinot Grigio in Italy, it is a widely planted grape that makes soft wine with body and color and a mildly perfumed bouquet. Pinot Gris is one of the best-known mutations of Pinot Noir. Its leaves are identical to Pinot Noir leaves, and the appearance of the berries is similar to Pinot Noir berries late in the growing season. Pinot Gris wine is made with a wide range of sweetness. It is a popular wine in Alsace, where it is a dry wine that is not overpowered by hearty food. It is called Tokay in Alsace. In some growing regions, it is low in acidity.

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Was the foremost wine grape in the United States in the 1800's. The vine is vigorous and productive but not particularly hardy or disease-resistant. This white variety ripens in midseason and is frequently used as a blend in champagne. Catawba wine is made in a wide diversity of styles. The variety has a high sugar content and high acidity. It has a clean taste and a spicy aroma. Its slightly tart flavor occurs occasionally as an aftertaste.

Is a highly regarded native white-wine grape with high sugar and only a moderate Vitis labrusca flavor. the vine is winter hardy but not particularly vigorous. Delaware grows in a wide range of soils. The variety produces a light, flowery-fruity, dry or semi-sweet wine with a delicious aroma. It is frequently used in champagne blends. Delaware is widely planted in Japan, probably because its early ripening quality is suited to Japan's damp autumns.

The vine is healthy and vigorous with above average yield. It ripens in early midseason. It is rarely made into a varietal wine; it is usually blended. Occasionally, it is fermented on the skins to produce pink wine. The wine has a foxy, grapey flavor with a musky aroma. When pressed and fermented in white-wine style, the foxiness is reduced, and the resulting wine is pale, growing paler with age.

The vine is very vigorous with extremely high production when grown in deep, rich soil. This white-grape variety ripens in early midseason. The wine is noticeably foxy and is usually made semisweet. Niagara wine is usually served very cold.

The most widely grown variety in New York State. This red-grape variety is principally grown for juice and jelly. Its dominant foxy, grapey taste makes it unsuitable for wine, and its powerful aroma makes it undesirable for blending. The vine is hardy, vigorous, productive, and disease-resistant. Concord ripens in midseason. It is occasionally used in making port or sherry.

The vine is healthy, vigorous, winter hardy, and moderately productive. This white-grape variety ripens early. The juice tends to be low in sugar and high in acid, giving the resulting wine a sharp aroma and a hard flavor. It is frequently used for blending.

Is hardy, vigorous, productive, and disease-resistant. The variety has deep-red color and ripens in midseason. The wine has a strong foxy flavor that makes it too highly flavored and heavy for producing a varietal wine. It is used mainly for blending.

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Information about varietal wine has been excerpted from the book, "Wineries of the Finger Lakes Region" by Emerson C. Klees and used with permission.
The publication can be purchased at amazon.com

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