Wine 101 · Chapter 3

The White Grapes

First: how much does it smell? Then: how mouthwatering is it?

The flight · Blind

Four whites

  1. Wine 1
  2. Wine 2
  3. Wine 3
  4. Wine 4

Fill in the sheet for each glass. Then guess the grape.

The reveal

What you tasted

  1. 1 Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre Same grape as Chapter 1's Marlborough: leaner, citrus and green apple, less tropical
  2. 2 Albariño Rías Baixas Salty edge, peach and lemon, high acid
  3. 3 Riesling Mosel Kabinett Kabinett is a light German style: slightly sweet, low alcohol, lime, green apple, white flowers
  4. 4 Chardonnay Chablis Same grape as Chapter 1's Chardonnay: usually little or no oak, lemon, green apple, a chalky feel

In your deck

Find these four cards

  • Sauvignon Blanc 1 · Sauvignon Blanc
  • Albariño 2 · Albariño
  • Riesling 3 · Riesling
  • Chardonnay 4 · Chardonnay

The first sort

Loud or quiet?

  • Loud: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling
  • In between: Albariño
  • Quiet: Chardonnay, which takes on its winemaking
  • Then check the acid: high acid tastes crisp and fresh

Texture dials

Same grape, different wine

  • Steel tank: adds nothing, keeps the fruit fresh
  • Oak: vanilla, toast, weight
  • Malolactic: a natural change that softens sharp acid and can smell like butter
  • Lees (spent yeast): resting on it adds a bready smell and a creamy feel

Riesling

Check the alcohol to guess the sweetness

  • Yeast turns sugar into alcohol
  • Stop early: less alcohol, more sweetness
  • Riesling is not always sweet
  • Trocken on a German label means dry
Riesling

Cards · The Build

Build a flight

  • A group of 12 loves Chardonnay
  • Pick four grape cards for a white flight they would enjoy. One line each on why.
  • Now they love Pinot Grigio (light, crisp, quiet). Swap cards. What changed?

Take it to the table

Grape or style?

"I don't like Chardonnay."

Then: "I don't like white wine at all." Ask what they last tried, then offer a small taste of something different.

"I don't like Chardonnay" often means "I don't like oak and butter."

Study this week

Tonight's cards

Grapes

  • Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc
  • Albariño Albariño
  • Riesling Riesling
  • Chardonnay Chardonnay

Regions

  • Loire Valley Loire Valley
  • Burgundy Burgundy

Winemaking

  • Stainless Steel Stainless Steel
  • Oak Aging Oak Aging
  • Malolactic Conversion Malolactic Conversion
  • Lees Aging Lees Aging

Tasting

  • White Wine Tasting Guide White Wine Tasting Guide

Pull these from your deck. Read two a day. Before next week, find one of these wines on a shelf.

Wine 101

Next: Chapter 4 · Terroir

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