This document provides information on 20 different grape varieties used for red and white wines. It describes the key characteristics of each variety, including dominant aroma and flavor profiles, as well as comments on the typical style of wine produced and best growing conditions. The varieties discussed include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, Pinotage, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Colombard, Pinot Gris and others.

1. GRAPES TRAINING
CELLIERS D’ASIE
July 2006

2. A small matt dark-blue grape variety with a thick skin.
The juice is very aromatic. In a typical cabernet
sauvignon you will smell and taste black currants,
pure chocolate and mint. In the aroma you will
specifically find violets, cedar and pencil. The relation of
pips and flesh of the grape is extremely high: 1 to 12.
Next to the skin, the pips are the most important source of
tannin of the wine. The tannin makes this grape very
suitable for ripening on oak barrels. This makes the bitter
tannin supple and soft. When grown in a too cool climate,
this variety tends to give wines that are not ripe and
somewhat thin. A too hot climate, on the other hand,
makes the wine a little flat and gives the smell and taste of
cooked fruit.
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON
Ceddar wood
Chocolate
Blackcurrant
Tannic, intensely fruity, good acidity which
gives him a good potential for ageing

3. PINOT NOIR
The thin-skinned red burgundy grape capable of
producing fantastic wines with, for the very good
wines, great ageing potential. The many tiny
differences in terroir, so special for the Burgundy
region, are expressed by the medium of this grape
variety. This grape ripens relatively early so it is not
suitable for very warm regions. Pinot noir is also very
sensitive to the size of crop. Crops must be reduced.
In the younger wines one can taste and smell
raspberries, strawberries, cherries, violets and
cabbage. In the older wines one will find more earthy
tones and a bouquet reminiscent of game and
sometimes liquorice.
Strawberry
Violet
Green Cabbage
Not very coloured but complex wines with
soft and velvety tannins and good potential
for ageing

4. A very productive, early ripening, dark blue grape
variety. The juice is voluptuous, fruity and can be almost
sensual. In the merlot you will taste and smell cherries,
berries and prunes. It is also possible to detect the smell
of roses or pencil. The grape has a rather thin skin, and
contains relatively much sugar and has the potention of a
high yield. The merlot has an early blossoming and can
therefore be threatened by frost. If the production is too
high the grapes become thin and light. Until today,
merlot grows best in the Bordeaux area. The grape is
often used in a blend to soften the severe cabernet
sauvignon. However, the merlot driven great wines of
St.-Emilion and Pomerol prove that merlot can also be
the primary variety on the basis of a great wine.
Cherry
Plum
Rose
MERLOT
Supple, round with ripe fruit aromas,
charming grape, really productive

5. An accessible, spicy, herbal, dark blue grape variety
that is always compared to the cabernet sauvignon.
Just like the latter, the cabernet franc is full of tannin,
but is less outspoken in aroma and taste, but
somewhat more herbal and spicy. The cabernet franc
is ripening in an earlier stage, which gives him reason
for existence in the Bordeaux area. In the Loire,
where we find him a lot, he gives a clear red fresh and
fruity wine. The grape has the aroma of strawberries
or raspberries, violets and pencil. In colder climates
like the Loire the wines become fresher and fruity. The
cabernet franc is also a good basis for rosé, that will
be spicy, somewhat unsophisticated, in the nice way,
with a dark pink color.
CABERNET FRANC
Green Herbs
Violet
Blackcurrant
Full-bodied and powerful but fine with a
good tannic structure

6. A very strong grape variety for red wine. Important in
the Rhône Valley and in Australia where they call this
variety shiraz. The wines from syrah are tannic
without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and
smell off dark blue fruit like black-berries and
blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can
find freshly ground pepper and other spices. The
grape variety is famous for its great wines of the
northern Rhône, e.g. Hermitage and Côte Rotie. The
Shiraz produces some of the best wines from
Australia.
SYRAH or SHIRAZ
Blackcurrant
Pepper
Blackberry
Low acidity, soft and supple tannins but
intense which give some powerful, strongly
colored wines.

7. An extremely productive grape variety for red
wine that buds late and therefore rarely
suffers frost damage. It also ripens quite late,
so can only be grown in warm to hot
climates. It produces relatively tannic, quite
acid wines with good colour that are mostly
used in a blend with other grape varieties.
This cépage was planted extensively in the
Midi in southern France, becoming its most
important variety. It is also the third planted
variety in Spain.
CARIGNAN
Blackcurrant
Pepper
Plum
Deeply coloured wine, powerful with strong
tannins. Usually used as a blend it brings
some power and character to the wine

8. A strong grape variety for red wine, that well
supports extreme heat. The grape has a thin skin
with little pigment in it, which makes it very
suitable for rosé. The red wines that are made of
Grenache can have a lack of colour. The grape is
ripening slowly and thus may develop a high level
of sugar. The wines of the Grenache are
characterised by a very fruity, almost sweet taste.
You will detect blackberry and some pepper. In the
vast wine surface of Spain, the garnacha is the
most planted red wine variety. It is one of the
ingredients of the famous Spanish wine Vega
Sicilia, and also plays an important role in the
Châteauneuf du Pape.
GRENACHE
Spices
Blackberry
Green Herbs
Generous wines, not very tannic. The color
evolves quickly but it has a very good
potential for ageing

9. The famous South-African variety for red wine. Pinotage
was bred by crossing Pinotage and Cinsaut. The vine is
easy to grow, grapes ripen easily and early. Wines have
good colour and can age well. The taste and smell are of
spices and ripe blue fruit.
PINOTAGE
Blackberry Spices Pepper
ZINFANDEL
The typical Californian variety for red, but also rosé and white
wines. Its origin is unsure, probably Italy’s Primitivo. This grape
variety can produce many different wines but is best when a dry,
still red wine is produced. This wine will have a relatively high
alcohol content, the taste and smell of the wine will be full and
fruity with spicey tones.
SpicesBlackcurrant Violet

10. The famous, well yielding, early ripening
grape variety for white wine that almost
became a synonym for white wine. This
adaptable variety is planted in almost every
wine region of the world but the great white
Burgundy’s like Meursault and Montrachet
are still the benchmarks for winemakers all
over the world. Most chardonnay’s are
matured or fermented and matured in oak.
So the taste of chardonnay is sometimes
mixed up by the taste of oak. In
Chardonnay one will taste and smell
peaches, pineapple, melon, butter, toasted
bread and nuts. Chardonnay is also famous
as a delicate base for sparkling wines and is
one of the three varieties used in the most
famous sparkling wine Champagne.
CHARDONNAY
Caramel
Peach
Toasted Bread

11. An aromatic, nervous grape variety for white
wine. This grape produces wines that are
dry, refreshing, full of character and quickly
consumable. You can detect green apples,
gooseberry, grapefruit, asparagus and damp
straw in it. The Sauvignon is also famous
for its contribution to the noble sweet wines
from the Bordeaux area Sauternes. The
compact bunches make this variety sensitive
to rotting, botrytis, that, under the right
circumstances, can concentrate the natural
sweetness resulting in a noble sweet wine.
You will find the Sauvignon Blanc in its
purest form in the French Pouilly Fumé and
Sancerre, on both sides of the Loire. But this
grape has also made name in New Zealand
SAUVIGNON
Green Apple
Asparagus
Mowed Grass

12. A somewhat difficult to define grape variety for white
wines. It is grown worldwide, but isn’t always put in
value. The Sémillon can, under the right conditions,
deliver fine wines that can age well. The grape gives
wines with a lot of extract and little acids. One can smell
and taste apricot, mango and peach. Sémillon is well
suitable for fermentation and maturation on oak barrels.
The wine can develop a rich taste. This variety is most
famous in the noble sweet wines from the Bordeaux area
Sauternes or in the dry white wines of high classification
from Bordeaux.
SEMILLON
Toasted Bread
Peach
Mango

13. This grape variety first used for the production of
Cognac and Armagnac is mostly used in Californie
(Napa Valley), South Africa and Australia. In France
its is often used into blend especially in Bordeaux
or as single grape in South of France. It brings
lightness and fruitiness to the wine.
COLOMBARD
Peach
Grapefruit
Lemon

14. Grape variety for white wine, muted of the
Pinot Noir. The skin of this grape has a colour
that can vary from almost black to white and
from pale blue to pink. The colour of the wine
can also have a hint of pink. The taste and smell
of the wine have a certain spiciness with
flavours of white soft fruit and a low acidity.
PINOT GRIGIO
Spices
Peach
Apricot
P
i
n
o
t
G
r
i
s