White wine grapes

Please note that italics refer to grape varieties that have their own entries in this guide to hundreds of the most significant grapes currently grown around the world to produce white wine.

Airén, the grape of the vast La Mancha region in central Spain. Widely-spaced vines mean that its vineyards are more extensive than those of any other vine variety in the world. Produces crisp, fairly neutral wine, much of it distilled into brandy.

Albalonga, German crossing planted in Rheinhessen.

Albana, Emilia-Romagna vine related to Greco di Tufo making deep-coloured wines.

Albariño, the perfumed, elegant aristocrat of Rías Baixas in Galicia, north west Spain. Good blend of fruit and marine aroma.

Albillo, Spanish variety producing quite neutral but full-bodied wine, mainly in Ribeiro but also used to perfume Ribera del Duero reds.

Aligoté, Burgundy's second white grape makes tartish wine for early consumption, best from Bouzeron. Also grown in Bulgaria, Romania and Russia.

Altesse, another name for Savoie's Roussette.

Alva, see Roupeiro.

Amigne, Swiss Valais rarity making rich, heady wines.

Ansonica, Tuscan name for Inzolia.

Antão Vaz, increasingly favoured variety in Portugal’s Alentejo region.

Arbois, minor Loire variety making soft wines in Touraine.

Arinto, Portuguese grape making high-acid, sometimes lemony wine in Bucelas, Ribatejo, Vinho Verde etc.

Arneis, floral-scented Piedmont speciality occasionally found outside Europe. Drink young.

Arrufiac, Arrufiat, grainy traditional Gascon ingredient in Pacherenc du Vic Bihl.

Arvine, Petite Arvine, makes fullish Swiss whites, like Amigne.

Assyrtiko, from the Greek island of Santorini but valued increasingly widely on mainland Greece for its acidity, minerality and ability to express terroir.

Auxerrois, slightly fuller, less acid version of Pinot Blanc widely planted in Alsace and blended with it. Treasured for its low acid in Luxembourg.

Avesso makes full bodied, scented wine in Vinho Verde.

Azal, Vinho Verde grape with usually high acids.

Bacchus, conveniently early-ripening German crossing. Some curranty varietals from Franken and England.

Baco Blanc, Baco 22A, French hybrid named after its creator in 1898. Good at being grafted but on the way out of Armagnac, once its stronghold. See also Baco Noir.

Baiyu, Chinese name for Rkatsiteli.

Baroque, full, nutty mainstay of Tursan in south west France.

Bergeron, local name for Roussanne in the Savoie appellation of Chignin.

Bical, Bairrada's crisp speciality, useful for sparkling wines.

Blanc Fumé, Sauvignon Blanc in Pouilly-sur-Loire.

Bombino Bianco, widely planted vine in Puglia and also further north up Italy's Adriatic coast. Very prolific but Valentini's 'Trebbiano d'Abruzzo' shows what can be achieved.

Borrado das Moscas, Bical in Dão.

Bourboulenc, potentially fine Languedoc variety at its best in La Clape where it can smell attractively of iodine.

Bouvier, lesser central European table grape, a crossing of Chardonnay and Zöldsilváni planted in Austria, Hungary and, as Ranina, in Slovenia.

Boal, great rich varietal of Madeira, anglicized to Bual.

Carignan Blanc, white mutation of the widely planted Carignan. Found particularly in Roussillon.

Carricante, crisp, traditional variety of Sicily’s Etna.

Catarratto, Sicily's most important grape and therefore one of the world's most planted. Its produce is not exactly flavourful and much of it ends up as grape concentrate or at the bottom of the European wine lake.

Cayetana, prolific producer for brandy de Jerez in Spain's south west where it is also known as Jaen Blanco.

Cayuga White, hardy American hybrid with some Seyval Blanc genes.

Cerceal, Portuguese grape responsible for the driest, most elegant form of Madeira, Sercial. This late-ripening vine, also grown on the mainland, provides grapes that are eye-tinglingly high in acidity and wines that can last for decades.

Cereza, basic pink skinned Argentine.

Chardonel, American crossing of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc.

Chardonnay, the most famous vine variety of all. So powerful is the C-word on a wine label that, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay has virtually no synonyms - although in Styria in southern Austria some winemakers persist with the tradition of calling it Morillon. In the 1980s something extremely important to the history of wine happened: 'Chardonnay' became a name more familiar to the world's wine buyers than any of the geographically-named wines this vine variety had for centuries produced, such as Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, or Montrachet. When the emerging New World wine industries introduced varietal labelling, calling wines by the name of their principal grape variety, it was Chardonnay that made the most friends.

Wine drinkers find it flatteringly easy to enjoy, with its broad, exuberant charms, relatively high alcohol and low acidity, and lack of powerful scent. Vine growers find it easy to grow productively and profitably (it can yield well, ripen usefully early, although buds rather too early for frost-free comfort in cool climates). And winemakers revel in the range of different winemaking techniques to which Chardonnay readily submits: not just a wide range of dry white wines with more weight than most, but delicate sparkling wines and even a few extremely successful sweet white wines made with the benefit of 'noble rot'.

All over the world, producing Chardonnay has been seen as a rite of passage in new wine regions. Almost any wine producer with ambitions to belong to the great international club of wine grown-ups has to prove that he or she can make a Chardonnay, preferably a Chardonnay fermented and matured in new(ish) oak barrels the Burgundian way, with the best of them. The fact is that most of this sort of wine is far more a product made in the cellar than in the vineyard. Or, to put it another way, skilfully-made barrel-fermented Chardonnays tend to taste very much the same wherever they are made. Indeed when many people say they like the taste of Chardonnay, what they often mean is that they like the taste of oak, or at least the qualities of oak maturation.

Thanks to its popularity and worldwide fame, Chardonnay is more widely distributed than any other grape variety - even more widely than its red wine counterpart Cabernet Sauvignon which needs more sunshine to ripen it – even if this led to a certain post-Bridget Jones Chardonnay ennui in the early 21st century.

Chardonnay mania, of which French coopers have been the major beneficiaries, was a phenomenon of the 1980s and 1990s but in the early 1970s it was hardly grown outside its Burgundian homeland and Champagne. It accounted for only a tiny proportion of all vines grown in California and Australia, for example, whereas by the early 1990s it had become the most planted white wine grape in both. At times demand for Chardonnay grapes from wine producers has been so much greater than supply (Australia in the mid 1990s springs to mind) that Chardonnay has been blended with one or two other varieties. Sémillon-Chardonnay ('SemChard') and Chardonnay-Colombard blends became the pragmatic solution to an industry's problem.

The Chardonnay vine is nothing if not adaptable. Commercially acceptable Chardonnay can be produced in really quite hot wine regions such as the hot interiors of California, South Africa and Australia where clever winemaking can give it tropical fruit flavours and even some suggestion of oakiness, often using oak chips. In cooler wine regions such as Chablis, Carneros and Tasmania, on the other hand, it can produce apple-crisp tingle juice which, in less ripe years can have rapier-like acidity. The best examples can benefit from five or even more years in bottle to soften that acidity and develop rounder flavours to balance it - although less concentrated examples produced in cool years may simply taste even leaner as the bloom of youth fades. In general terms, excluding premier cru and grand cru burgundy, Chardonnay does not make wines for long ageing – and even at top quality white burgundy level there have been problems with premature oxidation of Chardonnay-based wines in recent years.

The wines of Chablis, one of France's coolest wine regions, have a very particular flavour. It reminds me of wet stones, with some suggestion of very green fruit, but without the strong aroma and lean build of a Sauvignon Blanc. Traditional, top quality examples designed for a long life can even taste slightly musty in middle age, as though those wet stones had sprouted some moss. And then after about eight years in bottle they can develop honey flavours with the patina of age.

The Mâconnais tends to produce a more New World style of Chardonnay: plump, open, user-friendly wines that can taste of melon, or apples warmed by the sun. Most of these wines, particularly Mâcon Blanc and St-Véran, are designed to be drunk within two or three years of the vintage, although the most ambitious producers in the region, notably in Pouilly-Fuissé, are increasingly making wines to rival those of the Côte d'Or, without Côte d'Or prices. Chardonnay grown between the Mâconnais and the Côte d'Or in the Côte Chalonnaise tends to taste somewhere between the two styles.

These are France's traditional Chardonnay vine strongholds but the variety's influence has been spreading within France as elsewhere. Wine producers in the Loire valley have embraced this fashionable grape so enthusiastically that the laws have to explicitly ban more than 20 per cent of the variety in blends for sparkling Saumur and the dry whites of Anjou and Touraine in order to preserve the Loire's own traditional character. Some Muscadet producers have also been experimenting with oaked Chardonnays. And several of France's more cosmopolitan producers in distinctly non-Chardonnay territory have quietly planted a row or two for their own interest.

Within the appellation system Chardonnay has invaded Limoux with the blessing of the authorities, to add finesse to the local sparkling Crémant de Limoux as well as producing rather fine, lemony barrel-fermented still wine.

Increasing amounts of Chardonnay are also grown on the lower, flatter vineyards of the Languedoc to produce Vin de Pays, usually Vin de Pays d'Oc. As one would expect in an area known as France's New World, the quality of these wines varies according to the position of the vineyard(s) (for many of them are blends) and the quality and style of the winemaking. Price offers a fairly good guide. The cheapest Chardonnay d'Oc is simply a relatively full bodied dry white wine, while the very best, usually given full oak treatment in the winery, can offer some of the class of Burgundy.

The variety is also grown almost everywhere in the North America where it has even half a chance of thriving, including the cool wine regions of Canada and New York state (where Long Island has proved rather successful) as well as Washington and Oregon which may respectively be better suited to Riesling and Pinot Gris.

Cooler areas of Australia can produce more subtle Chardonnay, more reminiscent of Côte d'Or wine in structure if not flavour. Tasmania makes the leanest examples, some so lean they are snapped up by Australia's sparkling wine industry. The Adelaide Hills, cooler parts of Victoria such as the Yarra Valley and the southern vineyards of Western Australia have all proved themselves capable of making top quality Chardonnays whose higher acidity levels can preserve them for several years in bottle (whereas most commercial Australian Chardonnay should be drunk as young as possible and ideally before its second birthday).

Australian producers may envy the high acid levels that their counterparts in New Zealand can hardly avoid, but New Zealanders have become rather blasé about their widely planted Chardonnay vines. Winemaking standards have been varied but those prepared to restrain yields and oak influence can produce subtle, sometimes exciting wines. Gisborne Chardonnay has long had its followers but there have been dramatic examples from wineries all over the North and South Islands.

The vineyards of South America have also been invaded by Chardonnay the most promising examples so far coming from the coolest regions. Casablanca Valley, San Antonio and the odd site in Bío-Bío have made the best wines so far in Chile while the high altitude Valle de Uco in Mendoza has shown it can produce very fair copies of California’s top Chardonnays at a fraction of the price.

In the Old World Spain has relatively limited plantings of Chardonnay for the variety tends to ripen too fast there, and its affinity with the prevailing American oak has been less obvious (although Australians and Californians have provided some excellent examples). Portugal has some experimental plantings but its own array of indigenous vine varieties is reason enough to resist the international invader. Oaked Chardonnays have found huge admirers among Italians while it has long been grown in the north east of the country and can be found, often in simpler, unoaked varietal versions, in Friuli, Trentino and Alto Adige, although much of the fruit is siphoned off for the spumante industry.

Since the break-up of the Soviet bloc British wine consumers have been treated to an ocean of eastern European wines labelled Chardonnay, but relatively few have so far demonstrated much varietal character and the first wave of oak-aged examples were often oily and heavy. Keeping yields down to a level at which very impressive.

Austria and Switzerland have proved they belong to the international fine winemaking club by producing some very fine, concentrated barrel-fermented Chardonnays. The variety is also responsible for some very fine botrytized sweet wines in Austria's Burgenland, sometimes blended with Welschriesling for additional acidity and aroma.

Other excellent sweet wines made from nobly rotten Chardonnay grapes have come from the Mâconnais in France, Romania, New Zealand and Coonawarra in Australia, proving yet another of Chardonnay's attributes.

Chasan, increasingly common crossing of Chardonnay and Listan. Makes generally rather bland Languedoc varietals.

Chasselas, white table grape that is particularly widely planted in Switzerland where it is known as Fendant and is also an important ingredient in some of the light whites of Savoie. In Alsace it plays a subordinate role in cheaper blends and in Germany it is known as Gutedel. It has also been cultivated in its time throughout central Europe and even New Zealand.

Chenin Blanc, surely the most chameleon-like of vine varieties. Most wine drinkers encounter Chenin Blanc on the labels of very cheap, sometimes slightly sweetened, everyday varietals from California (usually Central Valley) or South Africa where it is the most planted vine variety of all. In these relatively hot wine-producing environments, Chenin Blanc's ability to hang on to its natural grape acidity is highly prized, and stops these inexpensive, usually rather bland wines tasting flabby. Old bushvines in South Africa can made seriously good wine however, touched by the honeyed aroma that is characteristic of Chenin Blanc.

In its homeland in the middle Loire, Chenin Blanc is even more marked by high acid, which is not necessarily a virtue in cooler years, but gives dry and medium dry (Sec and Demi Sec, the former having improved dramatically in quality in our warmer climate) white wines from the middle Loire a much longer life than most. Damp straw, flowers and something vaguely honeyed are the usual distinguishing features. Chenin Blanc comes into its own, however, in exceptional Loire vintages when seriously high sugars develop in Chenin Blanc grapes, particularly when they are concentrated by noble rot. A Vouvray or Montlouis labelled Moelleux or Liquoreux, Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume and the best Coteaux du Layon and Coteaux de l'Aubance can be an absolute marvel of honey, lime and toast which can continue to improve in bottle for decades.

Chenin is widely planted throughout the world and its reliable acid level is valued as an ingredient in sparkling wines such as Blanquette de Limoux and those of South America, notably Argentina.

Clairette, widely distributed southern French variety producing lively but fragile whites which can oxidize easily. It is a common ingredient in many southern French whites. Clairette du Languedoc has its own somewhat historic appellation. Clairette de Die, the curious sparkling wine in far eastern Rhône Valley, depends heavily on Muscat for flavour.

Colombard, widely planted Cognac vine producing neutral, relatively crisp wine, particularly in California where, as vast tracts of French Colombard in the Central Valley, it was for some time the state's single most planted wine grape. It can make fruity, crisp, inexpensive white wine to be drunk straight off the bottling line from California, South Africa, Côtes de Gascogne and the Charentes in France. The vine is on the wane in France's damp South West however because it suffers from mildew.

Completer, strangely feral eastern Swiss speciality.

Cortese, speciality of south east Piedmont in general and Gavi in particular. Crisp and, with luck, fruity.

Criolla Grande is Argentina's most common vine (in both senses) and makes huge quantities of deep coloured white wine which is sold mainly locally in cardboard cartons.

Crouchen, vine which was difficult to grow in its native South West France but which has surfaced in Clare, South Australia and South Africa where it has been known respectively as Clare Riesling and Cape/Paarl/South African Riesling. Its wine can, like real Riesling, develop well in bottle.

Debina, sprightly grape used for the lightly sparkling white wines of Zitsa in Epirus, north west Greece.

Dimiat, Bulgaria's most planted native white vine making vaguely perfumed, everyday whites.

Dinka, very ordinary but widely planted in Hungary and over the border in Yugoslavia.

Doradillo, productive, undistinguished vine still grown in South Australia's Riverland.

Drupeggio, the white berried form of Canaiolo that adds interest to Orvieto.

Ehrenfelser, one of Germany's better Riesling-based crossings found mainly in Pfalz and Rheinhessen. Fussier about site than Kerner.

Elbling, historic German vine still planted in the Mosel Valley where it produces extremely tart, lean wine which is sometimes made into Sekt.

Emerald Riesling, bumptious and quite floral California crossing of Muscadelle x Riesling designed for hot climates such as South Africa.

Encruzado, useful ingredient in Dão.

Erbaluce, north Piedmont speciality which can make sweet golden wines round Caluso.

Esgana and Esgana Cão, mainland Portuguese names for Cerceal.

Faber or Faberrebe, early-ripening Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) x Müller-Thurgau crossing which can reach high ripeness levels while retaining acid, but is better at blending than ageing.

Falanghina, Campanian speciality making sturdy wines.

Favorita, Piemonte name for its local Vermentino whose wines can age better than Arneis.

Fendant, Chasselas in the Valais.

Fernão Pires, widely planted Portuguese grape whose wines can smell rank to outsiders but which have good assertive built. Popular in Ribatejo and, as Maria Gomes, in Bairrada. A little in South Africa.

Fiano, ancient vine of Campania now widely planted in Sicily and elsewhere - even Australia. Ripe-tasting wines with more charm than acidity.

Fie, middle Loire Sauvignon Blanc speciality.

Flora, rare but quite elegant Gewürztraminer x Sémillon crossing bred in California.

Folle Blanche, once important brandy grape in South West France.

Franken Riesling, Sylvaner.

Freisamer, Freiburger, German Silvaner x Pinot Gris crossing still grown in Baden and eastern Switzerland where it makes some full, sweet wines.

French Colombard, California name for Colombard.

Friulano, Friuli name for Sauvignonasse.

Frontignac, Frontignan, synonyms for Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.

Frühroter Veltliner, Früher Roter Veltliner, early ripening, red-skinned Austrian crossing of Roter Veltliner x Silvaner, unrelated to Grüner Veltliner.

Fumé Blanc, developed as more glamorous name for Sauvignon Blanc by Robert Mondavi of California in the 1970s, it is now used all over the world, typically but by no means reliably to denote an oak-aged style of Sauvignon.

Furmint, famous in Hungary's sweet Tokaji. Grapes succumb well to noble rot producing fiery, heady sweet wine with good acid and ageing potential but now increasingly made into assertive dry white too.

Garnacha Blanca, Spanish name for Grenache Blanc.

Gewürztraminer, pink-berried variety grown all over the world to produce deep-coloured, full bodied whites with the memorable and extremely distinctive smell of lychees and rose petals veering towards bacon fat in very ripe examples. For many wine drinkers this (or Sauvignon Blanc) is the first varietal they learn to identify. It invariably ripens to a very high alcohol level and can lose acidity dangerously. Although there is probably much confusion, especially in newer wine regions, strictly speaking Gewürztraminer is the aromatic or musqué version of Traminer, and certainly the Italians distinguish between Traminer and Traminer Aromatico. Its roots lie in the village of Tramin in Alto Adige, northern Italy.

Alsace is Gewürztraminer's stronghold and here it can produce late harvest wines more reliably than any of the other three noble grape varieties (Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat). Winemakers of all nationalities like to play with it, however, and fine examples can be found in Washington, Oregon, New Zealand, as well of course as northern Italy. In Iberia it is grown to a limited extent in the High Penedés but if ripened too fast in a warm climate it can be oily or even bitter.

Goldburger, Burgenland's answer to German crossings.

Gouais Blanc, ancient variety that has been proved by DNA analysis to have been a parent with Pinot of a host of modern varieties from Melon through all the Pinots to Gamay.

Gouveio, local name forSpain’s Godello grown in Portugal’s Douro valley.

Grasa, Romanian speciality responsible for the once-famous sweet wines of Cotnari.

Grasevina, Croatian name for Welschriesling.

Grauburgunder, German name for Pinot Gris, particularly common in Baden and Pfalz.

Grechetto makes characterful, tangy, full-bodied dry wines in Umbria.

Greco Bianco makes the sturdy Greco di Tufo in Campania and the extraordinary Greco di Bianco in Calabria.

Grillo, sometimes astringent, earthy Sicilian variety.

Grolleau Gris, minor middle Loire variety used mainly for Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France.

Gros Manseng, the lesser fine sort of Manseng responsible generally for drier forms of Jurançon. See also Petit Manseng.

Gros Plant, very tart varietal encountered around Nantes south of Muscadet country.

Grüner Veltliner, Austria's trademark grape speciality making crisp, peppery, full bodied wines with real spark capable of ageing and, in blind tastings, capable of trouncing even the finest Chardonnays. I often find a note of dill pickle in the wines. The most concentrated examples are grown on the north bank of the Danube.

Gutedel, German synonym for Chasselas.

Gutenborner, Müller-Thurgau x Chasselas crossing more successful in England than Germany.

Hanepoot, South African name for Muscat of Alexandria, the Cape's most common Muscat.

Hárslevelü, Furmint's traditional blending partner in Tokaji, named after the lime leaf its wines can smell of.

Humagne, Valais rarity, even richer than Amigne and Arvine.

Huxelrebe, German crossing also popular in England which can produce full bodied sweet wine if the yield is checked.

Inzolia, western Sicilian speciality with promising nuttiness.

Irsai Oliver, relatively recent crossing, a Hungarian table grape which can also produce rather fat, vaguely Muscat-like varietal wine.

Italian Riesling/Rizling, synonym for Welschriesling.

Jacquère, common Savoie vine.

Jaén Blanco, Andalucian name for Avesso and Cayetana.

Johannisberg, Swiss name forSylvaner.

Johannisberg Riesling, sometimes abbreviated simply to JR, occasional synonym for Riesling.

Juhfark, very rare Hungarian vine associated with Somló.

Kismis, Turkish name for the drying grape Sultana.

Kerner, bred as recently as 1969 and one of Germany's most successful crossings yielding wine of real Riesling-like substance and ageing potential yet ripening in a wider range of sites than Ehrenfelser.

Kevedinka, Kövidinka, see Dinka.

Királeányka, Hungarian name for the Feteasca Regala of Romania.

Klevner, occasional Alsace synonym for Pinot Blanc and local variants.

Laski Rizling, Slovenian name for Welschriesling.

Len de l'Elh, traditional vine of South West France which makes strongly flavour but sometimes slightly flabby wine in Gaillac, usually blended with Mauzac.

Listan, French name for the Palomino of Spain's sherry vineyards.

Loureiro, fine Vinho Verde grape grown increasingly across the border in Spanish Galicia as Loureira. Often blended with Treixadura but sometimes sold as a varietal.

Macabeo, very common grape in northern Spain and, as Maccabéo or Maccabeu, in the Languedoc and Roussillon where it can make convincingly age-worthy dry whites if yields are low and the local conditions are interesting. It is known as Viura in Rioja, where it is very much the dominant variety for white wines. Its vaguely floral character develops at full ripeness but it is often picked earlier to retain acidity. As Macabeo it is an important ingredient in Cava.

Malagoussia, Malagousia, vine capable of making elegant, citrus-flavoured Greek whites that has been saved from extinction.

Malvasia, widely and sometimes loosely used name for a range of usually relatively ancient grape varieties, the most famous of which inspires the richest style of Madeira. The word is derived from the Greek port Monemvasia through which so many rich, dessert wines passed en route for western and northern Europe in the Middle Ages. Malvasia di Candia (of Crete) is one important subvariety. In modern Italy there are at least 10 distinctive forms of Malvasia, planted all over the country, most notably Malvasia Bianca di Chianti or (Tuscan)

Malvasia Toscana which is dried to make vin santo and sometimesblended with muchmore Trebbiano in a wide range of Tuscan and Central Italian whites. White Malvazija, a speciality of Istria on the Adriatic coast, tends to be deeply coloured, quite alcoholic wine which can oxidize easily but has an intensely nutty character, sometimes with notes of orange peel and dried fruits. Malvasia is also grown in Spain and is the richest of the Madeira grapes, its name having been anglicized to Malmsey, and can be an interesting diversion (from the ubiquitous Chardonnay) in California.

Malvoisie, a name as confusing in France as Malvasia is in Italy. A wide range of often unrelated varieites are called Malvoisie although most are light berried and make full-bodied, aromatic white wines. Perhaps it is most commonly encountered, in the Loire, Savoie and Switzerland, as a synonym for Pinot Gris. The Languedoc's Bourboulenc and Maccabéo, Roussillon's Tourbat and Corsica's Vermentino have all been called Malvoisie in their time, however.

Manseng, see Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng.

Maria Gomes, see Fernao Pires.

Marmajuelo, one of the better varieties on the Canary Islands.

Marsanne, fashionable vine thanks to its origins as most common variety in the white wines of the Rhône. (Its Roussanne is declining, mainly because it is more difficult to grow.) Its wines tend to full bodied veering to heavy with flavours reminiscent of glue and marzipan. Marsanne is a permitted ingredient in many of the Languedoc's whites and is increasingly sold as a varietal Vin de Pays. The Australian state of Victoria has some of the world's oldest Marsanne vineyards, which produce sturdy examples, and the variety has been successful in California’s Central Coast too.

Melon, Melon de Bourgogne, the Muscadet grape, so successful in the region because it withstands cold well and is quite prolific. Part of the extended Pinot family, it is increasingly blended with Chardonnay here. The wine it produces is neither very acid nor strongly flavoured, but rather a neutral base on which to embroider terroir and the milky effect of lees contact. Some of California's 'Pinot Blanc' is Melon.

Merseguera, bland Spanish variety grown widely in Alicante, Jumilla and Valencia.

Meunier, common name for Pinot Meunier.

Misket, Bulgarian crossing of Dimiat with Riesling producing vaguely grapey wines.

Molette, relatively neutral Savoie grape improved by blending in Roussette.

Mondeuse Blanche, parent of Syrah, unrelated to the dark-skinned Mondeuse.

Morillon, rare synonym for Chardonnay, still used in Styria.

Moscato, Italian word for Muscat, usually Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.

Moscatel, Spanish Muscat, usually Muscat of Alexandria.

Moscophilero, deep pink-skinned grape variety which can make strongly perfumed white wine on Greece's high plateau of Mantinia in the Peloponnese. Flies love it.

Muscadelle, with Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the third grape of Sauternes, and other sweet whites in Bordeaux and Bergerac. It is particularly highly regarded in Monbazillac. The variety is in decline, but it is still widely grown in Entre-Deux-Mers and it can plump out the two more famous varieties with youthful fruitiness (a bit like Pinot Meunier in champagne blends). It has also been identified as the variety responsible for the rich, dark fortified wines of north eastern Victoria traditionally called Liqueur Tokay.

Muscat, great and ramified family of vine varieties unusually producing wines that actually smell and taste of grapes. Muscat vines tend to thrive in hot climates and to come in many colours of grape skin, from greenish yellow through pink to dark brown, but almost all of them produce wine that was white at least in its youth (although see the dark-skinned Black Muscat, or Muscat of Hamburg). They have historically made rich, heady dessert wines but are increasingly being made into dry(ish) table wines in the style of Muscat d'Alsace.

Muscat of Alexandria makes much less distinguished wine (although Portugal's Moscatel of Setubal and its dry counterparts can be interesting) but it can reach very high ripeness levels in hot climates and can be usefully productive. It produces more vaguely grapey wine in which the sweetness often overpowers even its notes of geranium or, sometimes, tomcat. Marmalade rather than orange blossom is a useful shorthand. Californians use their Muscat of Alexandria for raisins, Chileans use theirs for the local spirit pisco, and the substantial harvest of 'Lexia' or 'Gordo' in Australia's irrigated wine regions has alternated between the wine and raisin industries according to demand. Carefully vinified, it can provide useful blending material, particularly for medium dry blends. It is known as Muscat Romain in Roussillon, where it is the dominant Muscat for Muscat of Rivesaltes, Hanepoot in South Africa and Zibibbo in southern Italy. Any Spanish wine called simply Moscatel is likely to be made from this variety called, variously, Moscatel de Espana, Moscatel Gordo (Blanco), and Moscatel de Málaga. Moscatels from ancient vines around Málaga can be extremely fine.

Muscat Ottonel is a Muscat bred in the 19th century for the cooler climates of central Europe but has much less grapey flavours and substance. It makes lightish, usually dry wines and is widely grown in Alsace but its finest incarnations may be the late harvested sweet wines as the Muskateller of Austria's Neusiedlersee, Tamaîioasa Ottonel of Romania and the Muskotaly of Hungary. The variety is sometimes known elsewhere as Hungarian Muscat.

Muskadel, South African synonym for Muscat Blanc.

Muskateller, Germany synonym for various Muscats.

Muskat-Silvaner, telling German synonym for Sauvignon Blanc.

Muskotaly, Muskotalyos, Muscat Ottonel grown in Hungary's Tokaj region, sometimes sold as a dry varietal.

Musqué, not the name of a grape variety but if a grape variety is described as musqué it usually denotes a particularly aromatic grapey version of it, as in Chardonnay Musqué.

Neuburger, popular Austrian crossing of Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner making full bodied whites.

Niagara, American native Vitis labrusca vine making ‘foxy’ wines in New York state.

Nosiola, Trentino’s zippy indigenous speciality.

Nuragus, basic Sardinian.

Olaszrizling, Hungarian name for Welschriesling.

Optima, German crossing designed to notch up high must weights by ripening very early indeed. For this reason it is popular in England.

Orémus, Hungarian crossing of Furmint and Bouvier occasionally sold as a dry varietal.

Ortega, another blowsy German crossing which can ripen spectacularly and is useful in cool years. Varietal examples exist but can lack acid, except in England.

Palomino, or Palomino Fino to distinguish it from the coarser Palomino Basto it has replaced, is the sherry grape, grown around Jerez in southern Spain. It can withstand drought well and produces a reliable crop of slightly low acid, low sugar grapes whose wine may oxidize easily - in short, perfect raw material for sherry. It has also been planted in north western Spain but without producing wines of great distinction. Outside Spain, as in France where it is of declining importance, it is often known as Listan, or Listan de Jerez. It is known as Perrum in Portugal's Alentejo. It is grown to a limited extent in California's Central Valley and in Australia and South America.Palomino is widely planted in South Africa but most of the wine is used for distilling or basic blends.

Pansa Blanca, north east Spain's Xarel-lo.

Pardillo, Pardina, undistinguished vine widely planted in western Spain.

Parellada, the finest white grape of Catalonia used, with Macabeo and Xarel-lo, for Cava and also treasured as a blending ingredient in many still dry whites of the Penedés region.

Pecorino, firm, dry minerally white from Italy’s east coast.

Pederna, Arinto in Vinho Verde.

Pedro, Pedro Jiménez, Pedro Ximénez, known also as 'PX', is the speciality of the Montilla-Moriles region north east of the sherry region to produce dark, sweetening wines for sherry producers, typically after drying these thin-skinned grapes. Very dark, sweet varietal examples are increasingly valued, presumably to the dismay of dentists everywhere. In Australia 'Pedro' has been known to produce delicious, long-lasting sweet wines in the irrigated vineyards of Griffith, New South Wales. Argentina grows substantial quantities of Pedro Gimenez, which may be a distinct variety.

Perle, aromatic German crossing grown in Franken.

Petit Manseng, smaller berried than Gros Manseng, is responsible for the shrivelled berries needed to make top quality Jurancon and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Moelleux in South West France. Thanks to its thick skins, Petit Manseng yields relatively little juice and perhaps that is why the resulting wine can seem so packed with tangy, verdant flavours. Like Tannat, the variety was taken to Uruguay by Basques in the 19th century. It is acquiring a cult following among more varietally aware wine producers, from Languedoc to California.

Picolit, sweet white Friuli varietal revered by Italians and extremely expensive. At its best (not stretched with the blander Verduzzo) Picolit smells of apricots. Yields are very low.

Picpoul, Piquepoul, many-hued traditional Languedoc variety making high-acid, full bodied, lemony wines of which best known is the Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul de Pinet made around the village of Pinet.

Pigato, ancient Ligurian name for Vermentino.

Pineau de la Loire, synonym for Chenin Blanc.

Pinot Beurot, Burgundian name for Pinot Gris.

Pinot Blanc, white-berried mutation of Pinot Noir. Widely planted in Alsace, northern Italy (as Pinot Bianco), in Germany and Austria (as Weissburgunder) In Alsace it provides basic, good-value, broad-flavoured full bodied dry white. It may be blended with Auxerrois and is sometimes called Clevner or Klevner. In Italy it was confused with and worshipped as Chardonnay for years and is still made in that vaguely round-but-crisp style, as well as being used extensively for sparkling wine. Germans, who have very little Chardonnay planted, tend increasingly to make ambitious dry Weissburgunders using all the Chardonnay tricks of barrel fermentation and the like, sometimes with great success. In Austria's Burgenland, however, Weissburgunder can produce quite superb botrytized sweet wines, up to TBA levels. The variety is also grown widely, sometimes called Beli Pinot, throughout central Europe and is also increasingly treasured as an alternative to Chardonnay in California. In general Pinot Blanc offers the body of Chardonnay with rather less individuality and ageing potential. It is encountered on California labels but may in fact be Melon in some cases.

The variety is more common in Germany than Alsace, however, where it was traditonally called Ruländer if sweet although its dry name Grauburgunder is now much more common. Most os grown in Baden and, to a lesser extent, Pfalz. In Hungary it is known as Szürkebarat and it is grown widely thoughout central Europe. Admired in Luxembourg, the variety has shown real form in Oregon and is currently extremely popular with California growers. Australia produces some racy examples but it is rapidly becoming a speciality in New Zealand.

Plavai, late ripening Moldovan vine planted all over central Europe.

Prosecco, the Veneto’s sparkling varietal speciality making fizz of varying degrees of residual sugar, although some dry, still examples are known. The wine is made fizzy by the tank method.

PX, see Pedro Ximénez.

Ranina, see Bouvier.

Rebula, western Slovenia’s signature grape. See Ribolla.

Reichensteiner, German crossing which usefully resists rot and ripens well. Popular in England.

Rheinriesling, Rhine Riesling, synonyms for Riesling.

Rhoditis, fragile, light pink-berried Greek variety often used to add acid to the softer Savatiano, particularly for retsina.

Ribolla (Gialla), light, floral, very crisp varietalmade in Friuli and, as Rebula, across the border in Slovenia. It may be the Robola of Greece.

Rieslaner, German Silvaner x Riesling crossing which can make lovely wines with race and curranty fruit in Franken and occasionally Pfalz.

Riesling ('Reece-ling') must be the world's most misunderstood, and mispronounced, grape variety. Acknowledged king of German vineyards this variety happens to share a name with so many much more ordinary, unrelated grapes and wines (more commercial examples of Cape Riesling, Clare Riesling, Emerald Riesling, Riesling Italico, Laskirizling, Olaszrizling and Welschriesling for example) that its image became tarnished. And, it must be said, the Germans themselves have made some pretty awful Rieslings at the bottom end of the market that have done nothing for the reputation of their greatest asset.

Wine made from Riesling is quite unlike any other. It is light in alcohol, seeringly high in fruity natural acidity (quite different from the harshness of added acid), has the ability to transmit the character of a place through its extract and unique aroma and, unlike Chardonnay, is capable of ageing for decades in bottle. Like top quality Chenin Blanc, but unlike Chardonnay, it performs best if fermented cool and bottled early without any malolactic fermentation or wood influence. Riesling is a star and, as you may discern, one of my great wine heroes.

Relative to most other internationally known varieties Riesling ripens quite early, so when planted in a hot climate its juice can be overripe and flabby long before any interesting flavours have developed in the grapes. In a cool climate such as that of the Mosel valley in northern Germany on the other hand, it is regarded as late ripening relative to the host of precocious vine crossings that were designed to notch up high sugar levels in a hurry. This means that, whereas Müller-Thurgau can be planted anywhere and ripens so fast that it hardly has any time to pick up any character, in Germany’s best vineyards Riesling grapes canstay on the vine well into autumn, developing all sorts of subtle and ageworthy characteristics. Riesling from the Mosel and its even cooler tributaries the Saar and Ruwer is one of the wine world's most distinctive, least imitable wine styles: light, crisp, racy, refreshing as a mountain stream and somehow tasting of the slate which, by reradiating warmth overnight, helps ripen so many Riesling vines. This is the wine to drink while writing or reading; it refreshes the palate and sharpens the brain (or at least that's what it feels like).

A third of all Germany's Riesling grows in the Mosel but the Pfalz region also grows a substantial quantity, making much richer but no less entrancing wine which can often taste exotically fruity (and can reach as much as 13 per cent alcohol if fermented out to dryness). Riesling is also the classic grape of the Rheingau where it perhaps best reflects, in a steely, lemony, sometimes mineral-scented way, the differences between even neighbouring vineyards. One of the most delicious effects of climate change has been the host of dry wines made from fully ripe Riesling grapes grown all over Germany, although the Rheinhessen and Nahe are home to many. Riesling is an extremely fine candidate for botrytized sweet wines, although this noble rot tends to blur geographical differences and result in thick, almost raisiny deep golden wines usually labelled either Beerenauslese(BA) or Trockenbeerenausles (TBA).

Until recently German Riesling was often so tart that it needed some sweetness in the wine to balance the acidity but climate change has meant that grapes ripen much more successfully and some seriously fine dry (trocken)_ German Rieslings are made. Their perfume and raciness can make them particularly food-friendly – often more so than a heavier, oak aged white.

Riesling is also the noblest variety of Alsace, France's most Germanic region, where the best of its tingly-dry, steely wines such as Trimbach's Clos Ste-Hune can age for a decade or two in bottle. There is a slight talcum powder aroma about the least concentrated examples of Alsace Riesling but these are great wines to drink as aperitifs (as indeed is all but the sweetest Riesling made anywhere). The Wachau in Austria rivals Alsace and the Mosel for the purity of its Rieslings, except that these wonderfully characterful, bone dry, sculpted wines tend to have a bit more body. Much of central Europe, Slovenia and Czechoslovakia in particular, has suitable spots for ripening Riesling, whose local name usually incorporates some variant on the the word Rhine (in Croatia it is known as Rizling Rajinski, for example). True Riesling (as opposed to Italian Riesling) is widely dispersed in Friuli and Alto Adige where it is called Riesling Renano although few startling examples have so far emerged from the region. Riesling is also allegedly grown widely in the old Soviet Union, but much of this may in fact be Welschriesling.

Surprisingly, in view of its relatively warm climate, Australia grows an enormous amount of Rhine Riesling, once called colloquially simply 'Rhine'. Its perfect spots are in the cooler reaches of South Australia, notably but not exclusively Clare Valley and Eden Valley whose bone dry Rieslings can be quite steely and super-tangy, although the far south fo Western Australia makes some interesting herbal-scented examples too. New Zealand's Rieslings are developing and some fine sweet wines are made. In California only the odd cooler region can make fine Riesling but both Oregon and Washington state can produce some extremely delicate, toothsome off-dry Rieslings. Both Ontario in Canada and the Finger Lakes region in New York state can turn out fine dry Rieslings while Canada’s icewines from frozen Riesling grapes fetch extremely high prices.

Riesling-Sylvaner, misleading name for Müller-Thurgau used in New Zealand.

Rivaner, Müller-Thurgau in Luxembourg.

Rizling, term used at the Germans' insistence for Welschriesling to distinguish it from the Riesling that is Germany's pride and joy.

Rkatsiteli, Russia's answer to Spain's Airén - although the wine can have more character. It is also grown in Bulgaria, Romania and China (where it is known as Baiyu).

Robola, the haunting, citrus-scented white grape variety grown on the Greek island of Cephanolia.

Rolle, ancient Provencal variety known especially in Bellet but also planted in Roussillon. The French say it is the same as Sardinia's Vermentino. Italians say it is Liguira's Rollo, which is not Vermentino.

Roter Veltiner, minor Austrian pale skinner grape, unrelated to Grüner Veltiner.

Rotgipfler, with Zierfandler, responsible for Austria's full, spicy Gumpoldskirchen.

Roupeiro, basic variety of the Portuguese Alentejo. Also known as Códega in the Douro and sometimes as Alva in Alentejo.

Roussanne, red-berried (‘russet’) North Rhône variety which yields irregularly, and its wines can be quite astringent, so it is therefore less popular with growers than Marsanne. Its wine can be very fine, however, as witness varietals such as Ch Beaucastel's oak aged white Châteauneuf-du-Pap). It can age better than Marsanne and smells of mountain herbs. In fact it shines in Savoie as Bergeron (in Chignin) and is also grown in Italy. Improved clones are available and some growers have had success with it in southern France and California.

Roussette, fine Savoie speciality producing lively, crisp but scented wines. Roussette de Savoie has its own appellation in four communes, most notably Frangy. If followed by the name of a commune on the label the wine will be made exclusively of Roussette; if not, Chardonnay may constitute up to 50 per cent of the wine.

Ruffiac, alternative name for Arrufiac.

Sacy, rather ordinary white grape grown in the greater Chablis area.

St-Emilion, Cognac name for Ugni Blanc.

Sämling 88, Austrian synonym for Scheurebe.

Sárfehér, vine traditionally grown on Hungary's Great Plain for sparkling wines and table grapes.

Sauvignonasse, also called Sauvignon Vert, a rather coarser, ‘greener’-tasting Sauvignon commonly planted in Chile and in Friuli where it used to be known as Tocai Friulano, now Friulano.

Sauvignon Blanc, often called simply Sauvignon (whereas Cabernet Sauvignon is often called just Cabernet), extremely popular variety making crisp, dry aromatic and extremely distinctive wines all over the world. The smell is sharp and piercing (unlike that of Chardonnay) and reminds different tasters variously of gooseberries, nettles, crushed blackcurrant leaves, and occasionally tomcats. With age, aromas reminiscent of canned asparagus can develop. The smell of Sauvignon (which is most of its character) is relatively simple, so it is not surprising that it was one of the first to be explained in terms of the dominant flavour compounds, called methoxypyrazines (a name to drop at a professional wine tasting). Sauvignon also smells and tastes remarkably similar wherever it is planted so, like Gewurztraminer, is a very good starting point for learning to recognize different varieties.

Sauvignon Blanc's French stronghold is the upper Loire, and the twin appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in particular. The best examples of these wines are drier, denser and slower-maturing than most New World Sauvignon Blanc, and the best genuinely express terroir with nuances dependent on the proportion of gravel and flint (silex) in the soil. Sauvignon is also grown widely downstream, notably to produce oceans of Sauvignon de Touraine which, from the best producers, can be good value - as can the Sancerre-like wines of less famous Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Quincy.

Elsewhere in Europe, Sauvignon is a speciality of Rueda in Spain, Styria in Austria and Collio in north east Italy. Some German speakers call it Muskat-Silvaner (which mixture of attributes quite accurately describes how it tastes).

New Zealand has been so successful with its pungently herbaceous style of Sauvignon Blanc, heady with the tropical fruit smells of a cool, prolonged fermentation, that winemakers throughout the New World, and especially in Chile, South Africa and the Languedoc, are now emulating it. In some vintages fruit is deliberately picked underripe, ripe and overripe to bring different characteristics to the final blend. Marlborough at the north end of the South Island is New Zealand's, possibly now the world's, Sauvignon capital, while the Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys may have the potential to do the same job for Chile (the only Chilean regions to be planted substantially with Sauvignon Blanc rather than the less distinctive Sauvignonasse).South Africa makes some delicious Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps partly because the vine has had so long to accustom itself to local conditions. Much of Australia is too warm for the preservation of Sauvignon Blanc's characteristically 'green' (i.e. slightly underripe) aroma but some fine examples have emerged from the Adelaide Hills.

California produces a distinct, full-bodied, often oak-aged version of Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes called Fumé Blanc and the variety has also sparkled in Texas and Washington. Some Sauvignon Blanc can last for several years in bottle but very little actually improves, for vibrant young fruitiness with refreshment value rather than subtlety is Sauvignon's strong suit.

Sauvignon Gris, increasingly fashionable darker-berried mutation of Sauvignon Blanc with a strong, smoky perfume. Like a cross between

Sauvignon Vert, variety distinct from Sauvignon Blanc also known as Sauvignonasse and Friulano.

Savagnin, characteristic, small-berried vine of the Jura, recently proved identical to Traminer, the non-aromatic cousin of Gewurztraminer, responsible most notably for the sherry-like vin jaune (although it can theoretically make up some of the blend of any white Jura wine. Its apogee is Château-Chalon and Savagnin wine is famous for its aroma and ability to age. France's most eminent ampelographer maintains that Traminer is Savagnin Rosé.

Savatiano, widely planted Greek vine used to add bulk to retsina, although Assyrtiko and Rhoditis may be added for crispness.

Scheurebe, one of Germany's most successful crossings, a Silvaner x Riesling that was the work of Dr Georg Scheu. If the site and weather are such that the grapes ripen fully the wine can taste most appetisingly of blackcurrants or even rich grapefruit. Some Pfalz producers are almost prouder of their 'Scheu' than their Riesling. Acidity levels are very good, although the wines are unlikely to age as well as Riesling. Yields are not as high as most new crossings but the right site can yield very sweet botrtyised wines as often as Nature obliges, and Spätlese trocken examples can also be very fine. Burgenland in Austria also produces some successful late picked examples from the variety, known here as Sämling 88.

Schönburger, pink-berried German crossing involving both Pinot Noir and Muscat Hamburg but producing mellow white wine, notably in England but also in Germany.

Scuppernong, best known variety in the American round-leaved family of vines to be found in the southern states.

Sémillon, often spelt Semillon, is the great white grape of sweet white bordeaux, and widely undervalued. As well as making the world's greatest sweet wines, it is responsible for Bordeaux's greatest dry whites, usually blended with Sauvignon Blanc, and Australia's most distinctive table wine, Hunter Valley Semillon. Semillon is the grape primarily responsible for Sauternes, arguably the world's longest-living white wine, and it is sanctioned in most of the dry or sweet white wine appellations, of South West France. It blends well with Sauvignon (traditionally four to one in Sauternes) because it lacks positive aroma (apart from the vaguely citrus, lanolin and beeswax of a young wine and the burnt toast of a mature Hunter) but makes up for Sauvignon's lack of body. If Semillon is picked before it reaches full ripeness it can almost taste like Sauvignon. Semillon's thin skins make it prone to rot which makes it an ideal producer of botrytized sweet wines, not just Bordeaux and Monbazillac, but also in New South Wales and occasionally California. The wine can respond well to wood ageing, as in the great dry whites of Graves and Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux.

Semillon is planted in virtually all of the world's wine regions but for the moment little is made of it, even though old vines and cooler subregions in South Africa have shown great potential. Australia perhaps has taken the most positive line on constructing ageworthy arietals out of it, notably in the Hunter Valley, but it has also been used to stretch the available quantities of the fashionable Chardonnay while new plantings come on stream, initiating a category known as SemChard. Odd varietal versions have shone in Hungary and New Zealand, and Washington state clearly has potential. Semillon is also widely planted in Chile, although little evidence has been exported under that name.

Sercial, anglicized name for the Cerceal of Madeira.

Seyval Blanc, French hybrid which withstands cold well and is grown in Canada, New York and England (where it has been the most popular vine variety). It can be very crisp and fruity.

Siegerrebe, relatively low-yielding German crossing famous for its high ripeness levels but not for the quality of its wine.

Silvaner, German spelling of the variety known as Sylvaner in Alsace, and Austria. It is sometimes known as Grüner Silvaner in Germany. Probably of central European origin, Silvaner was Germany's most planted grape variety in the first half of the 20th century. (It took over that position from Elbling and passed on the crown to the thoroughly undeserving Müller-Thurgau.) It ripens earlier than Riesling but later than Müller-Thurgau and therefore needs rather better sites. The wines it produces are high in acidity and not particularly marked by flavour or longevity, but in the right spot, such as particular sites in Franken and Rheinhessen, it can produce extremely racy, excitingly sleek, sometimes attractively earthy wines.

Silvaner is cultivated all over central Europe where its local name generally incorporates the letters 'silvan' and can shine, as Johannisberg or Rhin, in Switzerland where it tastes much fatter than the ubiquitous Chasselas.

Smederevka, common vine named after the town of Smederevo south of Belgrade and planted extensively in Serbia and Vojvodina in what was Yugoslavia. Also found in southern Hungary.

Steen, local South African name for Chenin Blanc.

Sultana, grape commonly used for dried fruit but, when the wine market is buoyant in Australia and California, some is diverted into everyday white blends. Characterless wine from high yielding vines.

Sylvaner, Alsace and Austrian name for Silvaner. In Alsace Sylvaner can show the race and response to site that Riesling can but it takes a very good vineyard and winemaker to extract much flavour from it. Most of Alsace's Sylvaner (and there is a great deal of it) is planted on the lower, less interesting vineyards of the Bas-Rhin and much of it is blended with slightly gentler wine to be sold as Edelzwicker.

Szürkebarát, Hungarian name for Pinot Gris.

Talia, Thalia. Portuguese names for Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc.

Tamaiioasa, Romanian for various Muscats.

Tamyanka, Russian for Muscat Blanc.

Terret Gris, widely planted and ancient Languedoc variety which can make a full-bodied yet crisp varietal. Terret Blanc is less common and less distinguished. They are allowed in to the white wines of Minervois, Corbières and, to a decreasing extent, Coteaux du Languedoc.

Thompson Seedless, California name for Sultana.

Tokay d'Alsace, now outlawed synonym for Pinot Gris.

Torrontés is the name of both a Galician variety and also, much more commonly encountered, an accidental crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Mission a speciality of Argentina where it produces full-bodied, crisp wines with a distinctive and confident grapey aroma. Torrontés Riojano is the most common Argentine subvariety, named after the northern province of La Rioja where, in Salta in particular, it is by far the most planted single vine variety. Torrontés Sanjuanino and the rarer, less aromatic Torrontés Mendocino are also grown.Chile has its own Torontel.

Trajadura, Portuguese name for the aromatic Galician variety Treixadura.

Traminer, less aromatic progenitor of Gewürztraminer, which is a musqué version of a pink-berried Traminer. It is named after the town of Tramin, or Terlano, in the Alto Adige where a distinction is still made between Traminer and Traminer Aromatico. Vines called variants of Traminer are planted throughout central Europe: Tramini in Hungary; Traminac in Slovenia; Drumin, Pinat Cervena, Princ or Liwora in what was Czechoslovakia; occasionally just Rusa in Romania and Mala Dinka in Bulgaria. It is also grown in Russia, Moldova and Ukraine where it is sometimes used to perfume Soviet sparkling wine. Some of these vines may be the more aromatic Gewürztraminer but less than perfect winemaking has tended to obscure the aroma. Australians have tended to use the term Traminer rather than Gewürztraminer.

Trebbiano, France's Ugni Blanc in its homeland, planted almost everywhere within Italy except for the far north where it would not ripen reliably. Despite the fact its wine is remarkably thin, tart and characterless, it is responsible for a vast proportion of all DOC white wine production. The many different local strains of Trebbiano include Trebbiano Toscano (the most common, until recently a possible ingredient in Chianti), Trebbiano Romagnolo (making mainly vapid Trebbiano di Romagna), Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (of which Valentini is apparent master, though he actually uses Bombino Bianco), yellow-berried Trebbiano Giallo and Trebbiano di Soave. The variety is also planted, as Thalia, in Portugal, and (often called Ugni Blanc) in Bulgaria, Russia, Greece and extensively in South America. Odd bottlings of wine made from old Trebbiano vines in California have shown some character and extract.

Tresallier, undistinguished speciality of the Allier département where St-Pourçain is produced.

Veltliner, common name for Austria's Grüner Veltliner.

Verdejo, characterful, racy speciality of Rueda in Spain, sometimes blended with Sauvignon Blanc.

Verdelho, Portuguese grape which inspires Madeira's second driest style but is most commonly found as a vibrant, lemony, full-bodied table wine in Australia. Grapes are small, hard and acid. This is possibly Italy's Verdello.

Verdicchio, the grape of Italy's Marche, made famous by Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi in an amphora-shaped bottle - although Verdicchio di Matelica can be a more concentrated wine. Many are simply crisp and vaguely lemony.

Verduzzo, north east Italian speciality which can make very appetizing honeyed sweet wines, some of which qualify for the Ramandolo DOC. Dry wines can be astringently reminiscent of dried apple skins.

Vermentino, aromatic speciality of Sardinia and, to a lesser extent, Liguria, probably the same as Rolle and identical to the Favorita of Piemonte and Pigato of Liguria. It can make some of Sardinia's liveliest whites, with a slight prickle of gas.

Vernaccia, Tuscany's most characterful white wine grape making deeply coloured, often nutty wines, particularly around the hilltop village od San Gimignano.

Vespaiola, Veneto vine which can make tangy, golden sweet wines. Named after the wasps attracted to its sugar-rich grapes.

Vilana, relatively delicate speciality of Crete.

Villard Blanc, prolific French hybrid widely planted in France in the mid 20th century.

Viognier, extremely fashionable variety whose home is Condrieu in the Northern Rhône but which is now planted all over southern France, in California, in Australia and wherever a cosmopolitan wine producer lurks. The vine can yield poorly in cooler climates. Its full bodied wines have a very distinctive scent of dried apricots, blossom and, almost, musk. The wine is usually best drunk young. Because of the strength of its aroma, it can withstand blending well.

Viura, Riojan name for Maccabeo.

Weissburgunder, Weisserburgunder, Wiesser Burgunder common German names for Pinot Blanc.

Weisser Riesling, alternative name for Riesling.