Wine Varietals
Albariño
(ahl-bah-REE-nyoh) Albariño is considered by many to be Spain's premier quality white wine and we are very excited to be able to bring the variety to ...
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Barbera
(bar-BEH-rah) Barbera is a special red grape varietal of the Old World. Native to Piedmont, Italy, Barbera is a hardy grape that grows well in the chal ...
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Bordeaux Blanc
(Bor-doh Blahnk) Despite the fact that Bordeaux is a region in France, it can also be a designation for the wines produced there. In many cases Old Wor ...
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Bordeaux Rouge
(Bore-dough Roo-ige) Bordeaux Rouge, or 'red Bordeaux', wines make up 89% of the wines produced in Bordeaux. Wines from this region are usually a blend ...
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Brut Champagne
(Br-oot Sham-pein) Champagne is a historic wine region in France. Only sparkling wines produced in this region may properly be called or marketed "Cham ...
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Cabernet Franc
(Ca-burr-NAY FRONCK) Cabernet Franc is a black skinned grape grown worldwide. Featured frequently in our 6 wine of the month clubs, it is often blended ...
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Cabernet Sauvignon
(Ca-ber-NAY Saw-vee-nyon) At The Judgment of Paris, in 1976, Napa Valley Cabernets scored ahead of some top Bordeaux Châteaux in a blind tasting. This ...
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Carménère
(Car-men-ehr) Carménère can translate to “crimson,” indicative of the wine’s beautiful, deep crimson color. Gaining popularity in Chile, the vines of ...
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Champagne
(Sham-pein) Champagne is a historic wine region in France. Only sparkling wines produced in this region may properly be called or marketed "Champagne". ...
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Chardonnay
(Shar-doh-nay) Chardonnay is by far the foremost white grape of Burgundy and has become ever-present in today’s wine world. Chardonnay is also the 5th ...
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape
(Shah-toe-neuf-dew-Pahp) When a French wine has Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the label it’s not specific to a varietal, but a blend of grapes all grown in th ...
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Chenin Blanc
(Shen-in Blahnk) A versatile grape, Chenin Blanc is a white grape commonly from the Loire Valley of France. Ranging from dry to sweet dessert wines, it ...
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Dolcetto
(dohl-CHEHT-oh) Dolcetto is a black Italian wine grape grown in Piedmont in northwest Italy. Dolcetto ironically translates to “little sweet one,” but ...
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Gigondas
(Jhee-gohn-dahs) Laws in France relating to wine are incredibly strict, which results in wine labels packed full of pertinent information. One of the k ...
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Gouais Blanc
(Goo-WAE Blahnk) If obscure grape varieties are your passion then you will want to take note of this little planted white grape called Gouais Blanc. Wh ...
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Grenache
(Gren-ah-shh) Grenache has been an extensively grown grape throughout the world, making it a great varietal we feature in our monthly Wine Clubs. We ha ...
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Grenache Blanc
(Gren-ah-shh Blahnk) As its name states, the Grenache Blanc is a close relative to Grenache - a popular red grape originating in Spain. The blanc Read more...
Grüner Veltliner
(GREW-nuhr Felt-LEEN-ehr) Grüner Veltliner is an ancient white grape varietal indigenous to Austria, literally meaning “green Veltliner” in German. We ...
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Malbec
(Mal-beck) Malbec is a red grape variety long known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. Originally from southwestern Fr ...
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Marsanne
(Mahr-SAHN) Northern Rhône’s most popular white wine grape, Marsanne is typically blended with Roussanne and Clairette. It finds popularity within Cali ...
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Meritage
(Mer-it-ahjee) Meritage, pronounced like heritage, first appeared in the late 1980s after a group of American vintners in Napa Valley joined forces to ...
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Merlot
(Mehr-loh) Merlot is a red wine variety with strong historic ties to Bordeaux and the southwest of France. This hearty red wine is similar to a Caberne ...
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Montepulciano
(mon-tae-pul-chee-AH-noh) After Sangiovese, Montepulciano is Italy’s second most widely dispersed indigenous grape variety. But interestingly, Montepul ...
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Old Vine Zinfandel
(Old Vine Zin-fan-del) You might see the term Old Vine Zinfandel on websites, labels or as part of a wine’s name. Naturally you might have asked yourse ...
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Petite Sirah
(Peh-TEET Sih-RAH) This is a grape variety which produces an excellent very dark red wine that's often described as "peppery." Don't confuse Petite Sir ...
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Pinot Gris
(PEE-noh GREE) Pinot Gris is a light in color, light-bodied white wine originally grown in France, has a bright finish, that’s perfect for the warm day ...
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Pinot Noir
(PEE-noh NWAHR) A seductive red grape is referred to as the "heart break grape" because it is costly to produce, unpredictable, relatively low-yielding ...
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Pinotage
(PEE-noh-tAH-jee) Pinotage is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. Pinotage was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak P ...
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Red Blend
The difference between a “varietal” and a “blended wine” is that varietals by law must have minimums of 75%-85% of a single grape, while blended wines can have ...
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Riesling
(REEZ-ling; REES-ling) Riesling is one of the world’s most popular white grape varietals. Its origins trace back to the Rhine region of Germany where i ...
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Rosé
(roh-ZAY) Rosé has been on the rise in recent years, and for good reason. The stereotype of pink wine is that it’s sweet, fruity and lacking in depth. ...
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Roussanne
(roo-SAHN) Roussanne is a finicky white wine grape that gets its name from the russet color of its ripe berries-roux in French. The varietal traces it’ ...
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Sangiovese
(san-joh-VAY-zeh) Known as a “chameleon,” the magic talent of the Sangiovese varietal is being able to alter itself to fit its environment. The medium- ...
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Sauvignon Blanc
(SOH-vihn-yohn BLANGK) Wine lovers looking for a crisp, refreshing and straight forward white wine often turn to their favorite bottle of Sauvignon Bla ...
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Sémillon
(Sem-ee-yon) Gold Medal Wine Club has featured a number of Sémillon bottlings in our 6 wine of the month clubs over the years and will continue to incl ...
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Syrah
(see-RAH) Syrah are thick skinned purple-black red wine grapes that are among the top ten most planted varietals in the world. It is the offspring of t ...
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Tannat
(tan-NAW) Tannat is a red wine grape that originally was found in the Basque region of France near Spain. It is distinguished by its very high tannin c ...
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Tempranillo
(temp-ran-EE-oh) Tempranillo is an almost black grape widely grown in Spain to make full-bodied red. It is the main grape used in the Rioja wine region ...
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Torrontes
(toh-RON-taze) Torrontés has become one of Argentina’s iconic white wines and is grown in all the country’s winemaking regions. The grape produces wine ...
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Touriga Nacional
(too-REE-gah nah-syoo-NAHL) Touriga Nacional wines are considered by many to be Portugal’s premier red wine grape. The grapes are native to the Douro a ...
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Verdelho
(ver-DEL-oh) The Verdelho grape is a relatively uncommon white wine varietal that originates from Portugal and has been most prominently planted on Por ...
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Viognier
(vee-OHN-yay) Viognier is a thick-skinned, white-wine grape variety with a reputation for producing aromatic wines that tend to be dry instead of overly s ...
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White Blend
The term White Blend is an umbrella category for white grape blends that are not based on a standard regional composition. Winemakers blend grapes for a variet ...
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Zinfandel
(zin-fan-DEL) Introduced to California during the Gold Rush era, the Zinfandel grape (also known by the it’s Italian name Primitivo) traces its origins ...
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