Recognizing the grape variety of a wine is no easy task, and requires a great deal of practice! There are hundreds of them used in wine production in France, but only a dozen of them account for 80% of the vineyard area.

Nevertheless, here are a few tips to help you identify the grape variety of the wine you’re tasting.

Wine color and nose

Observing the wine’s color can help you determine the maceration time of a grape variety and its vintage. Color can also help identify a grape variety, but it can be deceptive depending on age and terroir.

Then, on the nose, we can “categorize” the wine into 5 major families:

• fresh fruit, flowers, spices
• candied fruit
• empyreumatic, i.e. woody, toasty
• musk, animal, undergrowth
• defect (corky wine, vinegar smell)

The wine’s color and nose give some indication, and then it’s the retro-olfaction, which reveals the aromas on the palate and can give details as to a wine’s grape variety.

What does it taste like in the mouth?

Red wines

Tannins

The first thing to assess in a red wine is its astringency, the phenomenon that dries out the mouth: the tongue is rough and clings to the palate. When this sensation is strong, the wine is said to be powerful and tannic. If, on the contrary, this sensation is light, the wine is said to be supple and the tannins silky.

Varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Malbec are particularly tannic. Merlot and Cabernet franc are less so. The tannins of Grenache, Pinot Noir and Gamay are particularly soft.

Recognizing aromas

Lhe Grenache is known for its pronounced pepper and licorice fragrance and its strawberry and raspberry aromas.

Syrah can be recognized aromas of olive, blackcurrant, pepper and violet.

Typical Cabernet Sauvignon aromas include blackcurrant, blackberry, green bell pepper and mint. As it ages, it retains a fruity note, but particularly develops aromas of cedar and spices.

Cabernet franc is distinguished by its aromas of raspberry, blackberry, green bell pepper and licorice.

Pinot noir is based on pronounced notes of red fruit, notably cherry. As it evolves, it reveals animal and plant nuances.

Merlot is characterized by aromas of blackberry, plum, leather and, in some cases, truffle.

Gamay is recognizable by its aromas of strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Over time, it can take on an air of prune and spice.

White wines

For white wines, the process is the same, except for a few details…

Acidity level

White wine contains very little tannin, since it doesn’t macerate with the grape skin, which contains most of the tannin.

However, its acidity can be determined to identify a grape variety.

Riesling, Sauvignon and Chenin are wines with exacerbated acidity. Chardonnay is less acidic on the palate. Viognier and Gewürztraminer, on the other hand, are sweet grape varieties with no acidity on the palate.

Recognizing aromas

Chardonnay reveals characteristic aromas of green fruit such as apple.

Viognier reveals delicate aromas of apricot and white peach.

Sauvignon relies on blackcurrant blackcurrant and citrus aromas.

Riesling can develop notes of apple, flowers, citrus, stone fruit or exotic fruit. Over time, Riesling has become known for its petroleum aromas.

The Gewürztraminer reveals notes of lychee, rose and spices.

Chenin has notes of apple and apricot.

All these leads are theoretical and can only provide clues as to the grape variety of the wine being tasted. Different terroirs and climates can give different characteristics to the same grape variety. There’s no secret to becoming unbeatable at blind tasting, it just takes practice and opening lots of bottles!