Every Type Of White Wine Explained

When summer-like weather starts calling your name, it's time to pull out those lawn chairs, open up those sun umbrellas, and grab a cold glass of white wine. But white wine isn't just for casual imbibing. While many white wines are light and crisp enough to sip on their own, some are fuller and better served with food.

The beauty of white wine is that if you know what to look for, you can find a glass to fit any occasion. White wine is different from red wine because it's made from green grapes. This tends to give it a light texture, but the winemaker can always employ certain tactics to make it a more robust drink. 

There are some distinct tasting notes and aromas to look out for to help you distinguish one white wine from the next. While you might not be able to guess the wine by looking at the bottle, with a little help, you'll know exactly what to pick up on your next trip to the wine shop.

Keep reading for a rundown on the most popular types of white wine.

You may have seen pinot grigio and pinot gris in the same section of the wine aisle at the grocery store. This is because they are indeed the same wine. Pinot grigio is the Italian name and pinot gris is the French name. This grape is often vinified into a simpler, lighter style that has notes of citrus rind. You might pick up some other notes like honeysuckle, but overall pinot grigio is usually not made in a style that's meant to shock the system. It is, however, made into a style that's pretty perfect for sitting in the park and nibbling on appetizers for hours on end. So while pinot grigio may not have a world-class reputation, it's always a good time when you open a bottle.

Pinot grigio is most commonly grown in Italy, France, and the United States — in fact, according to Gayot, Oregon pioneered the American version of the grape. If you've spent all afternoon making a white pizza, try it with a glass of crisp pinot grigio for the perfect pairing. 

This might be one of the most misunderstood grapes in the world. That's because in the United States, muscat is known as a sweet wine with big floral notes. The grape, muscat blanc, has varying names depending on the region. In Italy, the grape is called moscato, in Spain it's moscatel, and in Germany, muskateller.

in Italy, they vinify muscat as a slightly sparkling wine called moscato d'asti, which is a great option for brunches. A glass of ice cold moscato works well when served with some blueberry pancakes and syrup.

When made into a sweeter dessert-style wine without bubbles, which is typical in France, muscat is a beautifully floral wine that wows even the most skeptical drinker (via Wine Folly).

But no matter the style, muscat is easily recognized for its signature honeysuckle aromas. If you're new to wine and want to discover a way to pick up more smells, this is one that makes it easy to discern.

If you thought Riesling was mostly sweet, think again. That might have been the case historically, but nowadays, riesling is made in a wide range of styles. So if you're looking for a dry or sweet riesling, you'll have no trouble finding it. For sweet riesling, which make up some of the most expensive wines in the world, per Wealthy Gorilla, look out for auslese, or beerenauslese. And for drier styles, you should check the label for the word "trocken" which translates to "dry" in German. 

Riesling is grown throughout Germany, with some notable versions originating from the steep slopes of the Mosel region. In addition to Germany, which is the home and champion of riesling, the grape is also grown in neighboring Austria, France, Southern Australia, and in the Finger Lakes region of the United States.

The quality of rieslings that are available is also rather vast. There are cheap, refreshing styles meant to be drunk immediately and some bottles of riesling that can be stored for decades. A younger style of riesling will have bold jasmine and green apple notes with a hint of beeswax, while older styles will have more subtle fruit aromas and a highly-desired petrol aroma (via Vine Pair). Riesling is almost always delicious with spicy Asian dishes and seafood.

Airén is all the rage in Spain, where it's the most widely planted grape of any color (via Guild Somm). The grape dates back to the 15th century when its subtle taste was thought to be better for raisins than wine. It's often used to make Spanish brandy, but when sold as a wine, it's usually blended with other wine varieties such as verdejo and viura. 

And while airén doesn't have a reputation as the most notable wine, it is somewhat of a workhorse grape in the Spanish wine world. It works well in lighter styles of blends and because the grape has been growing in Spain for centuries, many of the growers are familiar with how to treat the vine to get the healthiest and best-tasting grapes.

Wine made from the airén grape has a medium-light body and has fairly low acidity. You may pick up some citrus notes like lemon and grapefruit, as well as some tropical fruit such as banana or pineapple.

As a notable blending grape, sémillion doesn't often get to shine on its own. It adds body and a weighty, oily texture to blends that can't be delivered from any other grape. Sémillon originates from Southwest France which regularly sees hot temperatures. The Tramontane wind current gives the region some respite from sweltering temperatures, but overall it's too hot for the grape to reach any notable levels of acidity to stand on its own.

Even in Sauternes, a region with its namesake style of fine sweet wine from Bordeaux, it's blended with other wines such as sauvignon blanc and muscadelle (via The Grape Grind). Sauternes relies on those signature Sémillon notes of peach, lemon, and honey as well as its texture. These wines must undergo noble rot through the botrytis fungus. This desirable fungus punctuates the grape skins, allowing all of the liquid to evaporate, leaving only concentrated sweet juice.

Sémillon is also grown in South Africa, and in less notable quantities in the USA, Argentina, and Chile.

If you don't speak German, the word gewürztraminer may look complicated, but just like the wine, its mystique gives way to approachability. 'Gewürz' is the German word for 'spice' and 'traminer' is a white grape that originates in the Western Austrian region of Tyrol. The 'spice' may refer to gerwürztraminer's signature ginger or clove-like notes.

Gewürztraminer is a bit of a head-scratcher, though, because for a wine that is not particularly high in acid, it can be vinified into remarkably interesting styles, and it has been enticing palates since 1145 (via Wine Dharma). In northern Italy, the grape took to the clay ground and altitude of the town Tramin. It would later travel to Germany and Austria and find its home in both places, as gewürztraminer really just adores cooler climates.

In addition to the distinct spice notes in gewürztraminer, these wines also have telltale lychee aromas that make it easy to detect in a tasting. Halleck Vineyard suggests pairing gewürztraminer with duck, fish and Moroccan tagines!

Roussanne might win the title for most mysterious white wine. It is complicated to grow, yet has managed to garner attention in its homeland of the Northern Rhône in France. It's not a wine that you may have seen on a bottle because it's normally vinified as a blend along with its buddy marsanne. But it's definitey a wine worth trying.

This wine is beloved in France for its elegance and aromatic qualities. Into Vino suggests you look out for notes of apricot, honeysuckle, and some citrus. While this isn't a massively acidic wine, it often has balanced amounts to ensure the wine is still refreshing. You may also spot American-made roussanne, which is vinified in a richer style, similar to the much-beloved chardonnay grape. If you've managed to nab a bottle of roussanne, drink it with spicy Asian dishes or meats in cream sauces for a mouth-watering experience.

If France is the reigning champion of winemaking and viticulture, Italy comes in a close second place. Grape varieties such as cortese are a solid reminder of that. This white grape dates back to early 17th-century Italy (via Vine Pair). And while it isn't as notable as some other Italian varieties, it delivers solidly refreshing white wine with notes of apple, almond, and citrus.

Cortese is the primary grape of the Gavi appellation, so you may have spotted Gavi or Gavi di Gavi on some bottles. Cortese is often made into a light, easy-drinking dry style of wine. It pairs wonderfully with any dish from coastal regions of Italy. You can't go wrong with light seafood dishes sprinkled with basil alongside a chilled glass of Gavi. It may be an Italian underdog, but it's a solid choice when you want to have a Mediterranean-inspired meal with perfectly paired wine. 

Nestled in central Spain sits a wine region that has generously shared its native grape with the world. Verdejo is a grape that has been grown with care in the Rueda region of Spain, likely for centuries. But it wasn't until the 1980s that Verdejo rose in popularity to become the flagship grape variety of Rueda.

Verdejo thrives in Rueda, with its long, hot summers and cold winters. Vine Pair reports the region has rocky limestone soil, which provides nutrients for the vines to happily flourish throughout the season. When tasting Verdejo, Decanter suggests looking out for herbaceous fennel and grass notes, along with some citrus and stone fruit. Sometimes you might find it blended with viura, but if you see Rueda verdejo on the label, it is indeed at least 85% verdejo.

These wines won't be the heady type to stun you into silence, but they're easy-drinking, food-friendly, and perfect for those times when you need to track down a fun bottle on a budget.

Bubbles are an instant party starter! Just pop the cork and let the party begin. Sparkling wine is a vast category that can also include red wines. But the good majority (and perhaps the most prominent examples) of sparkling wines, are white wines. The style of sparkling refers to any wine that contains carbon dioxide, which gives wine its bubbles. In Champagne, prosecco, sekt, and Cava, for example, the carbonation occurs naturally after the wine has fermented. Some cheaper wines are artificially carbonated, though.

There are different sets of standards for sparkling wine depending upon where it comes from, but there is a sparkling wine to fit each price point. Champagne, which includes sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France, are always great for a splurge, but you can find delicious bubbles from Germany and Spain, too.

Sparkling wine is perfect to pair with food because it's often more neutral in taste, so it complements, rather than outshines, most food. If you're looking for the perfect wine to sip with a spread of fried chicken, pasta salad, oysters, and roasted veggies, grab some sparkling wine for an easy pairing.