Welcome to the World of Wine

Some wine varieties for your enjoyment:

WHITE WINES

Chardonnay: Usually a dry wine that can take on a wide variety of flavors.

Savignon Blanc: Dry wine that is very versatile as a pairing with food.

Pinot Grigio: A light, crisp wine that can take on a variety of fruit flavors, including melon, pear and citrus.

Chenin Blanc: Made from a versatile grape grown not only in France but California and South Africa, this wine can range from dry to sweet, depending on time of harvest. Flavors can include apple, melon, lime and pear with hints of vanilla and honey.

Riesling: Having originated in Germany, this wine can range from dry to sweet with highly aromatic fruit flavors.

RED WINES

Cabernet Sauvignon: This deep red-colored wine can be mellow and mild or hearty and rich, with a berry flavor.

Merlot: A soft, medium-bodied red wine with juicy fruit flavors, typically fruitier than a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pinot Noir: This rich full-bodied wine is sometimes likened to liquid silk that caresses the palate. Fans of the 2004 movie “Sideways” may recall character Miles Raymond describing its flavors as “the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and ... ancient on the planet.”

Zinfandel: Bright ruby in color, depending on its variation, it can be both fruity and spicy.

Chianti: This red wine from Italy's Tuscany region gained some notoriety from the 1991 film “The Silence of the Lambs,” in which Hannibal Lecter said he once paired it with fava beans and the liver of a bothersome census taker. You might enjoy a chianti with pasta with marinara, chicken cutlets, veal, pizza or salami sandwich.

BLUSH

White Zinfandel: A relative newcomer, the sweet, pink-colored White Zinfandel is often an introduction for people to the world of wines.

Sources: wineintro.com, winepros.org