🍇 Grape varieties

Grape varieties are all the cultivated kinds of vine that people grow. They fall into three big groups: wine grapes, table grapes for eating, and rootstocks onto which other varieties are grafted. The international VIVC catalogue lists tens of thousands of names and synonyms, while the number of truly distinct varieties is around ten thousand.

Almost all wine grapes belong to the European species Vitis vinifera. Among the best known are Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and Gamay. There are also American varieties such as Concord, and new disease-resistant hybrids like Solaris. Rootstocks are mostly bred from American species, whose roots resist phylloxera.

The variety shapes the taste: it decides berry colour, acidity, tannins and aroma. Yet one variety tastes different in different places, so each variety has regions and styles where it does best. Rare local grapes include Žilavka, Agiorgitiko and Hárslevelű.