| Popular Wine Varieties | | | | Grenache is a very soft, subtle red wine that is |
| There are many types and varieties of wine | | | | often blended with other types of wine to |
| available. For anyone wanting to try and match a | | | | produce distinct flavors and blends. A glass of |
| great wine with a specific type of meal, then you | | | | chilled Grenache goes beautifully with most spicy |
| can't go wrong making your choice form one of | | | | foods. |
| the more popular varieties around. | | | | Pinot Noir |
| Let's take a look at some of the more popular | | | | Pinot noir is a stunning light- to medium-bodied red |
| wine varieties: | | | | wine with a fine fruity aroma. When this fine wine |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | | | | is well aged, it can develop lovely floral flavors |
| Often abbreviated to the less-than-lovely name | | | | Chardonnay |
| 'cab-sav', the flavorful cabernet sauvignon is a | | | | Chardonnay is easily one of the most popular |
| classic French wine that is one of the most widely | | | | white wines anywhere. Traditionally these |
| recognized red wine varieties. This full-bodied red | | | | wonderfully melon flavored wines are allowed to |
| wine blend can be the ideal accompaniment to a | | | | mature in oak barrels for up to 3 years. |
| fine steak, a roast lamb or on its own as a | | | | Chardonnay is ideal served along with salmon. |
| drinking red wine. | | | | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Merlot | | | | Sauvignon blanc is a very ripe tasting white wine |
| Merlot should ideally be a very soft red wine that | | | | that can have a quite aggressive aroma as |
| is also quite rich without the high tannin levels of | | | | compared to other white wines. Sauvignon Blanc |
| other reds. Whether on its own or blended with a | | | | is a lovely white wine that is excellent with |
| great cab-sav, merlot is lovely served with | | | | seafood and a great accompaniment to Japanese |
| chicken or can an excellent drinking red wine. | | | | sushi, but is even better on its own as a drinking |
| Shiraz | | | | white wine. |
| This very dark red wine is rich and full with | | | | Semillon |
| amazing peppery flavors. An excellent | | | | This classic full-bodied dry French white wine is |
| complimentary wine for any meat dish, with a | | | | often misunderstood by people living outside of |
| barbecue or on its own, Shiraz wines can be | | | | France or Australia. Often criticized for lacking in |
| matured for several decades and just get better. | | | | intensity, Semillon has a distinctly fruity flavor that |
| Shiraz was originally produced from grapes from | | | | is more subtle than some of the 'heavier' white |
| the Middle Eastern countries although South | | | | wines and so it's often blended with a Sauvignon |
| Australia's brilliant wine region is now said to | | | | Blanc to create a wonderful light drinking wine. |
| produce some of the finest award-winning Shiraz | | | | Riesling |
| wines in the world. | | | | Riesling was original a German wine that is now |
| Served with peppery or mustard-based sauces | | | | made successfully in many countries around the |
| on spicy, garnished meats, Shiraz is the perfect | | | | world. Rieslings are classically fruity and can be |
| complimentary red wine. | | | | either sweet or dry, which makes them an ideal |
| Grenache | | | | compliment to many spicier cuisines. |