Sunday, April 17, 2011

The grapes that make the most popular wines worldwide

It is an easy task to learn about the most popular grapes around the globe. Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and just a few other less common types, dominate the wine world. What we should do is to try some of the less popular ones, compare, decide whether they are of our liking and start consuming them regularly. A lot of times that knowledge will make possible to save a few dollars and have a better use of our limited budgets if that would be the case. Popularity may have to do something with quality, but in many cases that have to do with the difficulty in pronouncing or remembering other grape varieties, in particular their names. A good example is the grape called Gewurztraminer, a wonderful French grape from Alsace, being produced in many countries with outstanding results, which is one of those names with the greatest level of difficulty to pronounce and remember. The opposite, by far, was the popular Chardonnay from Chablis, named after the region, which is not the most charming, friendly, or easy to drink, but certainly the easiest to pronounce.