California Grape Varieties

 

Costa’s Wine Country helps you to make your perfect single grape varietal wine or a blend. Learn about our California grape varieties.

Our California winemaking juices are available in 20L pails, all year round and always kept in stock.

 
 
 

CALIFORNIA RED VARIETIES

Alicante

  • A vividly coloured varietal widely known for blending and lending its strong colouring to other wines


Amarone

  • Dry and full-bodied with flavours of cherries, raisins and elderberries.  

  • A wine that only gets better with age

Barbera

  • Known for its deep colour, low tannins and high levels of acidity 

  • With notes of cherries, raspberries and aromas of fresh fruits


Barolo

  • A full-bodied wine that is deep red in colour with a thick complex flavour


Cabernet Franc

  • A medium to full bodied, rich dark wine with slightly less tannins than its counterpart, Cabernet Sauvignon


Cabernet Sauvignon

  • A full-bodied red wine with high tannins and rich fruit characteristics.  

  • Flavours such as cherry, plum, blackberry, vanilla and warm spice


Carignan

  • Strong red fruit characteristics, deep violet and purple in colour, with high levels of tannins and alcohol content


Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  • A full-bodied red wine with intense aroma, deep colour and a warm bouquet of ripe berry fruit nicely rounded with oak


Chianti

  • A classic table wine with aromas of dried berry fruits, savoury herbs and a slight peppery edge


Gamay Noir

  • A refreshing, light and fruity wine with high acidity levels and low alcohol content


Lambrusco

  • With primary characteristics of lightness, fruit flavours and low alcohol content, as well as low acidity creating a clean finish


Malvoise

  • Its flavours are best characterized as rounded and plumy with good acidity and ripe tannins


Merlot

  • Known for flavours of plums, black cherries, violets and orange. Having less tannins than a Cabernet, it is mellow but still complex


Montepulciano

  • Dark and fruity flavours with fragrant hints of chocolate, caramel and pepper


Petit Sirah

  • A dark, well balanced wine with sturdy tannins and flavours of violets and rosemary

Pinot Noir

  • With colouring that can vary from a cherry red to a more purple red, including typical flavours of vanilla, raspberry, strawberry and plum


Ruby Cabernet

  • A cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan, it produces good colour with a pleasant cherry flavour


Sangiovese

  • A hefty red wine that is known as being fruity and fresh that only gets better with age


Shiraz

  • Flavours of spicy blackberry, plum and pepper with traditional notes of licorice, chocolate and mocha


Valpolicella

  • A medium bodied red wine with light cherry flavour and oak


Zinfandel

  • A deep red, spicy, peppery wine with a hint of fruity flavours of berries and dark cherries

Zinfandel Royal

  • A classic and bold zesty wine with complex flavours of blackberry fruits

 

CALIFORNIA WHITE VARIETIES

Chardonnay

  • A cold, dry, fruity and easy to drink wine making it one of the most popular wines in North America


Chenin Blanc

  • Ranging from dry to very sweet depending on the time of harvest, with flavours of apple, melon, lime and hints of vanilla and honey


Chardonnay

  • Mostly known for being leaner and crisper than those made in other countries, with light fruit flavours and mostly unoaked

  • Pairs well with lobster, crabmeat and cream sauces.


French Colombard

  • Typically used for blending, this wine produces a crisp, moderately dry and spicy wine that is best while still young


Gewurztraminer

  • With colour that can vary from being very pale to a rich golden colour and notes often described as floral or perfumed


House White

  • A brisk, fruity and dry wine with refreshing levels of acidity. With flavours of green apple and lemon and aromas of vanilla and lemon while young


Liebfraumilch

  • Pale golden in colour with a fine bouquet of mild and smooth taste


Moselle

  • A classy, lively and fresh varietal full of flavour and fragrance


Moscato

  • An easily recognizable grape that is often sweet and always fruity, with characteristics of grapefruit and musky aromas


Palomino

  • A thin-skinned grape with very low acid, neutral flavours and light in colour, with the tendency to oxidize quickly and easily

Pinot Blanc

  • A full-bodied, dry white wine with fruity aromas of apple, citrus fruit and floral characteristics


Pinot Grigio

  • A crisp, dry wine with an acidic bite and aromatic, fruity flavours that only improve with age


Riesling

  • Delicate aromas and subtle flavours, with a residual sweetness that makes it a popular easy daily drinking wine


Sauvignon Blanc

  • Light to medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing white wine with notable acidity and a wide range of flavours


Semillon

  • With a distinct berry-like flavour, Semillon is often blended with Sauvignon Blanc to produce a syrupy, full-bodied wine


Thompson Seedless

  • A light-bodied white wine with low acidity levels and mainly used for blending purposes


Trebbiano

  • Distinguished by its neutral flavour, relatively low alcohol and high acidity levels, making it light and crisp

 

CALIFORNIA BLUSH VARIETIES

Grenache

  • A spicy rose wine with berry flavours that are soft on the palate


White Merlot

  • Light, fruity fewer tannins and pale pink in colour


White Zinfandel

  • Sweet and pink coloured, made from the fruity flavoured Zinfandel