Wine Varietal Chart | Wine Types | Know Your Wines

Use this wine varietal chart of the major California wines for pairing food and wine, to learn the aroma and flavors of different varietals, and to identify the body (weight) of a wine.
If you find this varietal chart to be helpful, you might also be interested in using it together with our information on matching wine with food. Choose a varietal and then choose a food to match.

You can dig deeper into a type of wine by clicking on its name. This will take you to a page with additional information with a listing of where you can find this varietal in wine country.

White Wines	Aromas and Flavors	Body
Sparkling Wine	Apple, pear, yeast	Medium
Sauvignon Blanc (also Fume Blanc)	Herbaceous, grassy, hay, citrus, grape-fruity	Light to Medium
Chardonnay	Pear, apple, oak, buttery,creamy	Medium to Heavy
Viognier	Floral, peach, apricot, pear, fruity	Medium
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio	Crisp, pear, peach, apricot	Light
Pinot Blanc	Pear, apple, floral	Medium
Chenin Blanc	Peaches, fruity	Light
Gewurztraminer	Lychee nut, spices, rose petals	Medium
Riesling	Apple, lemon, floral, apricot, fruity	Light

Red Wines	Aromas and Flavors	Body
Pinot Noir	Strawberry, berries, cherry	Light - medium
Merlot	Blackberry, plum, current, chocolate, vanilla	Medium
Zinfandel	Berries, jammy, cherry, earthy	Medium to heavy
Cabernet Sauvignon	Blueberries, black current, cassis, raspberries, oaky	Heavy
Syrah	peppery, spice, blackberry, cinnamon	Medium to heavy
Petite Syrah	Blackberry, pepper, jammy	Heavy
Sangiovese	Cherry, fruity, spice	Light to medium
Cabernet Franc	Raspberry, casis, herbacious	Medium
Barbera	Berries, red fruit	Medium
Malbec	Cherry, strawberry, plum	Medium