Barello

Grape guide

Types of white wine

12 white grapes, lightest to fullest, with what each tastes like and when it's ready to drink. Barello is a home cellar and bar app that tells you what to open tonight, what to keep, and what you can mix from what you have.

Lightest to fullest

  1. Lighter whites
  2. Albariño
  3. Moscato
  4. Riesling
  5. Medium whites
  6. Pinot Gris
  7. Vermentino
  8. Sauvignon Blanc
  9. Grüner Veltliner
  10. Chenin Blanc
  11. Fuller whites
  12. Semillon
  13. Chardonnay
  14. Gewürztraminer
  15. Viognier

Each scored out of 5. Tap a grape to read about it.

These describe each grape in general. A particular bottle can be lighter or bolder, depending on where its grapes were grown, that year's weather and how it was made. A Chardonnay from a cool place like Tasmania won't taste like one from somewhere warmer.

Body

How heavy the wine feels in your mouth, like the difference between skim milk and cream. More alcohol and riper fruit make a fuller body.

Sweetness

How much sugar is left in the wine. Most whites are dry; a few, like Moscato and Riesling, are often made with some sweetness.

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Lighter whites

Crisp and delicate, often with a little sweetness balanced by sharp acidity. Drink them cold.

Serve at 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F)Good with fried food, seafood and salmon

Albariño

Also sold as Alvarinho

Lemon zest, grapefruit, honeydew, nectarine and saline.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From the year on the label, at its best around year 2, until about year 5, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
seafood, salads, goat's cheese, oysters, salmon, caviar or smoked fish, fried food and asparagus

Moscato

Also sold as Gelber Muskateller, Moscatel, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Moscato Bianco and Muscat

Orange blossom, Meyer lemon, mandarin orange, pear and honeysuckle.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From the year on the label, at its best around year 1, until about year 2, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
fruit desserts, tropical or grilled fruit, spicy food, fried food and foie gras

Riesling

Also sold as Johannisberg Riesling, Klingelberger, Rheinriesling, Rhine Riesling and Riesling Renano

Lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine and petroleum.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 4, until about year 10, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
spicy food, pork, tacos or Mexican, seafood, salmon, roast chicken, duck, fried food, blue cheese, foie gras, asparagus, cured meats and charcuterie
In Australia
Clare Valley, Great Southern, Eden Valley, Tasmania, Goulburn Valley, Grampians and Canberra District

Medium whites

Zesty and fresh, with more fruit and a bit more weight. Most of them are best within a few years of the vintage.

Serve at 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F)Good with seafood, salads and goat's cheese

Pinot Gris

Also sold as Tokay d'Alsace and Tokay Pinot Gris

White peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, green almond and crushed gravel.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From the year on the label, at its best around year 1, until about year 2, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
spicy food, pork, roast chicken, salmon, seafood, duck, salads, charcuterie, foie gras and cured meats
In Australia
Mornington Peninsula

Vermentino

Also sold as Favorita, Pigato, Rolle and Vermentinu

Lime, grapefruit, green apple, almond and daffodil.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From the year on the label, at its best around year 1, until about year 3, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
seafood, salads, goat's cheese, fried food, oysters and asparagus
In Australia
McLaren Vale

Sauvignon Blanc

Also sold as Blanc Fumé, Fumé Blanc and Muskat-silvaner

Gooseberry, honeydew, grapefruit, white peach and passion fruit.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From the year on the label, at its best around year 1, until about year 3, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
seafood, goat's cheese, salads, oysters, fried food, salmon and asparagus
In Australia
Adelaide Hills and Orange

Grüner Veltliner

Also sold as Weißgipfler and Weissgipfler

Starfruit, gooseberry, green bean, white pepper and crushed gravel.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 3, until about year 8, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
salads, seafood, oysters, fried food, pork, goat's cheese and asparagus

Chenin Blanc

Also sold as Pineau de la Loire and Steen

Quince, yellow apple, pear, chamomile and honey.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 4, until about year 12, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
pork, goat's cheese, roast chicken, seafood, salmon, spicy food, fried food, salads and foie gras

Fuller whites

Rounder and richer, sometimes oaked. The whites that stand up to cream sauces and roast chicken.

Serve at 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F), or 10 to 13°C (50 to 55°F) for an oaked oneGood with roast chicken, seafood and foie gras

Semillon

Also sold as Chevrier and Hunter River Riesling

Lemon, beeswax, peach, chamomile and saline.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 4, until about year 8, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
seafood, roast chicken, blue cheese, fruit desserts and foie gras
In Australia
Hunter

Chardonnay

Also sold as Beaunois and Morillon

Lemon, yellow apple, butter, vanilla and pineapple.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 4, until about year 7, counting from the year on the label. Burgundy Chablis: from year 2, at its best around year 6, until about year 12. Burgundy: from year 2, at its best around year 6, until about year 12. Burgundy Mâconnais: from year 1, at its best around year 3, until about year 7. Check a bottle
Goes with
roast chicken, creamy pasta, truffle dishes, caviar or smoked fish, oysters, seafood, salmon and mushroom or risotto
In Australia
Riverland, Murray Darling, Margaret River, Padthaway, Adelaide Hills, Hunter, Yarra Valley, Great Southern and 12 more

Gewürztraminer

Also sold as Traminer Aromatico

Lychee, rose, grapefruit, tangerine and ginger.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 3, until about year 7, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
spicy food, pork, duck, tacos or Mexican and foie gras

Viognier

Tangerine, peach, mango, honeysuckle and rose.

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 3, until about year 6, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
roast chicken, pork, spicy food and creamy pasta

Questions people ask

What are the main types of white wine?

Lighter whites: Albariño, Moscato and Riesling. Medium whites: Pinot Gris, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc. Fuller whites: Semillon, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Viognier.

Which white wines are sweet?

Most whites are dry. Of these 12, Moscato, Riesling and Gewürztraminer are the ones most often made with some sweetness, but plenty are dry, so check the label.

How cold should white wine be?

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust suggests 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F) for a light or medium-bodied white, and 10 to 13°C (50 to 55°F) for an oaked one.

Which white wines keep longest?

Of these 12, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Semillon keep longest. How long a bottle lasts also depends on where you keep it: the check above works it out.

How cold to serve each: white wine serving temperature. How a drinking window works: when to drink wine. Where to keep the bottles: how to store wine.

Body, sweetness and acidity scores are Wine Folly's.