White Wines

Chablis

From the most northern vineyards in Burgandy comes Chablis, a steely, dry, and often ageworthy white wine. Chablis vineyards are ranked (in descending order of quality) as Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru or 1er Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis. Chablis is made, like all fine white wine in Burgandy, from Chardonnay. In the New World, the name Chablis has been burrowed as a generic name and is used to describe dry white jug or box wine that bears no true resemblence (other than color) to Chablis.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is to white wine what Cabernet is to reds. It is used to produce France's magnificent white Burgundies and is the main grape in Champagne. But Chardonnay also has a populist bent - in the last decade or so, it has become the world's most often-purchased dry white wine. Indeed, because of its great adaptability, it grows in nearly every wine-producing area of the world; some California Chardonnays are stellar examples of the genre. When Chardonnay wines are made with care, they are bold, rich and complex and taste of ripe figs and peach, honey and butter, hazelnuts and spice. The best are medium-bodied, medium dry and high in acidity. Chardonnays, more than any other white wine, love to be aged in oak.

Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc, in recent years, has become the Rodney Dangerfield of California varietal wines: it's viewed as being somehow common, slightly uncouth and just can't get no respect. It is still one of the most widely grown grapes in California, but has largely disappeared from the most famous growing regions (such as Napa and Sonoma) because vineyard owners can get higher prices for Chardonnay and other grapes. Chenin Blanc is perhaps the Beaujolais of white grapes-the best examples (such as French Vouvray) have a beguiling fresh fruit character with hints of pears, peaches and fresh grapes that is utterly charming. Chenin Blanc can be made in a full range of styles from dry and crisp to semi-sweet and fruity to full blown late-harvest dessert wines (such as Coteaux du Layon and Quarts du Chaume from the Loire) which can rival Sauternes in honeyed complexity of flavors and ageability. You can detect honey, straw and even exotic scents like oil of Bergamot (think Earl Grey tea) in the best examples. Chenin Blanc can also make charming sparkling wines, especially from Anjou and California. Chenin Blancs will even stand up to modest oak ageing. It is still a workhorse grape in California, and is frequently blended into Chardonnays and other wines to add fruit and acidity.

Gewurztraminer

Gew�rztraminer is a distinctive wine with an intense spicy bouquet. It can be made in a range of styles from totally dry and crisp (most Alsatian bottlings) to slightly sweet and flabby (too many California bottlings) to luscious, honeyed sweet dessert wines (sort of like a late harvest Riesling but with complex spicy components). Besides spice elements, Gewurztraminer can offer suggestions of various fruits, flowers and even nuts! No wine ends up tasting more like its initial grape flavors when freshly picked; thus few winemakers barrel-age Gewurztraminer or do anything in the cellar which would interfere with its delightful varietal character. The dry versions are refreshing complements to a wide variety of foods from pork and white meat dishes to onion quiche and various Asian cuisines.

Italian White

The white wines of Italy have suffered from identity problems. This is changing, and Italian whites are taking their place among the world's best. Italians are growing international varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, as well as indigenous varieties like Vernaccia, Arneis, and Traminer (closely related to Gewurztraminer). Generally Italian whites are light, crisp, and fully dry; but some winemakers are beginning to make fuller-bodied wines as well.

Muscat

Muscat is a fascinating variety of grape, probably the first to be positively identified by ancient Mediterranean's. The Greeks called it anathelicon moschaton, and Pliny the Elder uva apiana, ''grape of the bees.'' It has at least four principal sub varieties, and all of them are famously perfumed, redolent of musk, orange peel, and ripe table grapes. Muscat makes some of the best sweet wines, both light fizzy ones and heavy sugary ones, as well as fully dry table wines. It is grown all over the world, but some of the best come from Italy, France, Oregon, California and Australia.

Pinot Blanc

It was once believed that these grapes were related to Chardonnay but actually they are part of the Pinot family (Noir, Gris/Grigio). And though they are often compared to Chardonnays, they are less complex and flavorful and as a rule don't lend themselves as well to aging. They produce dry, medium-bodied wines with high acidity and hints of apple and spice. Pinot Blanc grapes grow well in France's Alsace region, and some very good offerings are coming from California.

Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris is a darkly colored white wine grape that evolved from the Pinot Noir. Originally a popular wine from Alsace (where it was once labeled Tokay) and northeastern Italy (where it is called Pinot Grigio), Pinot Gris has become one of the most successful wines grown in Oregon. Most versions are quite dry, but Pinot Gris wines can range from light and delicate to fairly full-bodied. Rarely barrel-aged, Pinot Gris wines tend to be dry and crisp, the perfect accompaniment to salmon and seafood. It can be rather subtle in both flavor and aroma, though the best examples are reminiscent of almonds, minerals and peaches.

Riesling

Riesling grapes need cooler climates and they produce both refreshing light-bodied wines and full-bodied table wines to pair with the greatest cuisine. As with Chenin Blanc, Riesling has a very high natural acidity, which both balances the sugar (think of the way we have to sweeten lemonade) in sweeter wines and acts as a preservative for long ageing. The oldest, still-living wine ever tasted was not red--it was a German Riesling, a Steinwein, from the 1540 vintage. It was tasted in 1961, after 420 years, and had not yet perished. Rieslings are floral and fruity, and can be delicate, subtle, and low in alcohol, making for a very nice summer wine. But even sweet, low-alcohol wines from the Mosel in Germany balance the sugar with a steely, teeth-cleaning acidity. And though you might think of Rieslings as necessarily sweet, there are many dry Rieslings, the best being from Alsace. These show best with several years of bottle age--though they are certainly fun to drink young!--and pair magnificently with pork, foie gras, and other rich foods.

Sake

Sake is a beverage fermented from rice. This would make it more of a beer than a wine. Yet, sake is not carbonated, and flavor-wise is closer to wine than beer, although it is indeed uniquely different from wine. Sake is not a distilled beverage, and is between 15% and 17% alcohal. The fresher the Sake the better, aged Sake is a thing to avoid! Note that sake is free from sulfites. It is also light and comparatively free of hangover-causing congeners. Premium sake is free from additives and preservatives. There are about 65 varieties of rice designated as sake rice, and naturally some are more prized than others. Sake can also be flavored with fruit additives (lime, asian pear, etc.) and can varying degrees of sweetness.

Sauvignon/Fume Blanc

Crisp, high in acidity and light- to medium-bodied, Sauvignon Blanc is recognizable for its grassy, herbaceous flavor and aroma. When grown in warmer climates the flavors are more fruity, melon-like. The grape is important in California, New Zealand and Northeastern Italy, but it really shines in France's Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions. There it is used prodigiously as a blending grape and is responsible for the stand-alone varietals Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. Though not as rich and complex as Chardonnay, this is a versatile grape, one that grows well in a number of places, responds well to oak or a lack thereof, and can be drunk young or aged several years. As well, it can make for some fabulous late-harvest offerings.

Semillon

Semillon is one of the unheralded whites in the world of wine. It plays a key role in white Bordeaux and in the dessert wine Sauternes, and it makes a great value white from Washington State. Semillon is also the grape responsible for ''Hunter Riesling'' or ''Honey Hunters,'' one of the most interesting of Australia's wines. For a low-acid wine, Semillon takes to bottle age surprisingly well, and it's often inexpensive enough to make laying some down for five years or so very easy. In Bordeaux Semillon is used to fill out the leaner and higher acid Sauvignon Blanc, and the two complement each other very nicely. Semillon is often a brilliant gold wine with a soft, full, and sometimes even oily texture, and often shows a scent of figs. It can be made dry or sweet.

Viognier

This noble white varietal, famous for its magnificent Rhone Valley wines such as Condrieu and Ardeche, has been steadily making a name for itself in America. Winery owners and growers on both coasts are planting more and more as the demand for it increases. Consumers are looking beyond Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for interesting white wines that are also food friendly. Viognier has flavors all its own and texture that can easily match the most full-bodied chardonnay. Some are fermented in stainless steel tanks and have no wood treatment, which results in a precise, aromatic, crisp wine that shows off the peach and apricot flavors of the grape. Many California producers have also used wood barrels to ferment or age the wine, adding further complexities and complements to the fruits natural flavors. Notes of anise, tangerine and fig blend with spicy aromas. Some Viogniers can be feminine and some quite brawny. The region of origin is also an important factor to the varying styles, with warmer regions producing riper wines and cooler retaining more acidity and precision. True of almost all however, is that they are best when consumed fairly young.

White Burgundy

White Burgundy wines are almost always produced from the Chardonnay grape and come from two distinct regions: Chablis, which is located about 90 miles southwest of Paris; and from the Burgundian valley stretching south of Dijon all the way to Beaujolais. This most famous strip of vineyards includes the regional names Cote de Nuits (mostly red wines), Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais. As with the red Pinot Noirs produced in Burgundy, the best vineyards tend to be halfway up the hillsides on shy, less-fertile chalky soils. Vineyards are divided into four classes: simple Bourgogne Blanc; wines labeled by the name of the village (also known as commune); better vineyards that are designated ''premier cru''; and the very greatest vineyards called ''grand cru.'' Montrachet and Corton are two of the most famous (and expensive) white Burgundies; Pouilly-Fuisse is one of the most popular. However, lesser-known areas are often the best values in Burgundy and include St. Veran, Santenay, Auxey-Duresses, Mercurey, etc.
The wines from the Chablis region are also Chardonnays, but they tend to be more extreme in style--bone-dry, crisp flavors with abundant acidity. These austere wines are somewhat of an acquired taste. Chablis often has a subtle bouquet and almost tart flavors that will stand up to all types of seafood. The seven finest vineyards are labeled as ''grand cru;'' the next best thirty sites are labeled ''premier cru;'' and the vast majority of bottlings are simply labeled French Chablis (which, by the way, has absolutely nothing in common with non-French wines labeled chablis).

White Burgundies generally have higher natural acidity than Chardonnays grown elsewhere. This acts as a preservative and French Burgundies tend to age longer and develop more with time than American or other Chardonnays. Burgundies will become darker in color with age, but pick up nutty, biscuity components in addition to the tropical fruit and vanilla apparent in Chardonnays worldwide.

Other White Wine

Aside from the famous varieties that everyone has heard of, there are many fine, but less well-known, wine grapes. We at Evineyard are dedicated to seeking out and bringing these to your attention, and we'll be highlighting more and more of them for you in the future. However, some commonly used grapes (such as Thompson Seedless) do not make quality wines--so some wines will, unfortunately, just never make the team here at Evineyard