Types of Grapes Used in Wine Making at Home

Are you wondering which grapes you can useItaly, Washington state, California state, and in
when doing wine making at home. Is the onlyLong Island, New York.
grape you can think of is the concord grape thatMuscadine grapes are part of the Muscadinia
the juice is made from? Are you totally in thegrape, which branches off the normal grapes
dark as to what other grapes make good wines?called vinifera that most are aware of. This grape
Let's look at some of the types of grapes thatis mostly grown in Mexico and the southeastern
can be used for this endeavor.United States. These Muscadines are large
The Auxerrois grape gives you a neutral winethick-skinned grapes. Scuppernong is one kind of
that is soft and fruity. You will find this grapethe Muscadine grapes. They can grow in areas
primarily in Canada and Luxemburg. Sometimes itthe many grapes can't because they are so
is mixed with the Pinot Blanc variety of grape.hearty. These grapes are often used for wine
The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small, tough,making at home.
and red while growing on the grapevines, andAnother popular grape is the Zinfandel, which is
these are used to make the Cabernet Sauvignonmainly grown in the state of California. They are
wines. Australia and California widely grow thesebelieved to come from Southern Italy though.
grapes. Also, these grapes naturally contain tannin,The wines from these grapes can be spicy or
which helps bring about a nice tasting red wine.fruity, it all depends upon age. The Zinfandel grape
Chardonnay grapes are grown in California, Southcreates both White Zinfandel (skins are off) and
Africa, Champagne, Burgundy, and Australia.the Red Zinfandel (skins are left on).
These grapes make a wine that has a fruityThe Pinot Noir grapes ripen earlier and are softer
taste as in peaches or melons and some canthan the Cabernet grapes. They are also
have an oak-type flavor. These are extremelyextremely sensitive of the growing conditions.
easy to grow as far as white grapes though. ThisThey are often used in the red wine, and minus
makes them very popular.their skins in Champagne. The Pinot Noir wines are
The Grenache grape usually is used to make themade in California, Australia, Italy, Oregon,
rose wine. It is also very widely grown in Spain,Germany, and of course Burgundy.
California, and France. This grape is the #2 grapeThese are just a few of the grapes that you can
grown throughout the world. The wine thatcome across to make wine from. Many vineyards
comes from using this grape is fruity, sweet andwill sell you grapes for wine making. Check with
with a bit of tannin.your local vineyards and see which varieties of
The Merlot grape is one that ripens early in thegrapes they will sell. If you do not want the mess
season and provides flavors such as honey,of dealing with the whole grape, you can find
cherry, and possibly mint. It contains a lowerplaces that will sell you the juice from the grapes.
amount of tannin compared to the red cousins itBut the most authentic way to do wine making at
has. Merlot grapes are grown in Australia, France,home is to use the whole grapes.