Wine Grape Varieties by Country

Factors such as soil, climate, viticulture and wine-making techniques all affect wine quality, however grape variety is the easiest to understand and notice. Quality is maximized when the varieties are suited to the site in terms of climate and soil structure; and this matching is entrenched in "Old World" wines from Europe.

Wines made predominantly from a single grape variety, usually specified on the label, are called "Varietal" wines. Grape blends, by contrast, provide most of the truly famous European wines.

There are many indigenous grape varieties, producing distinct flavors and types of wines, and each European region can have its own regional name for some grape types. The dominate International Varieties of well-known grapes, such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, are now recognized and grown globally.

• Spain, with its 600 different varieties
• Portugal, which has evolved with many isolated varieties
• Germany, with its noble grape, "Riesling"
• Italy, with its many indigenous varieties
• Greece, with many ancient and forgotten varieties
• Austria, with "Gruner Veltliner" as the national specialty
• New World, the Southern Hemisphere and North America
• Central and South East Europe, famous for the "Welschriesling"

You may also be interested in looking at information on the French Wine Classification system.

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