Not so long ago, if I were to have outlined the basic wine styles, the list would have been strongly biased towards the classics – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Sancerre, Mosel Riesling, Champagne. But the classics have, over time, become expensive and unreliable – giving other regions the chance to offer us wines that may or may not owe anything to the originals. These are the flavours to which ambitious winemakers the world over now aspire.
Ripe, up-front, spicy Chardonnay is the main grape and fruit is the key: apricot, peach, melon, pineapple and tropical fruits, spiced up with the vanilla and butterscotch richness of some new oak to make a delicious, approachable, fruit cocktail of taste. Australia, South Africa and Chile are best at this style, but all, Australia in particular, have begun to tone down the richness. Oak-aged Chenin Blanc from South Africa, Semillon from Australia and Semillon-Sauvignon from South-West France can have similar characteristics.
Green and tangy New Zealand Sauvignon was the originator of this style – zingy lime zest, nettles and asparagus and passionfruit – and coastal South Africa and Chile’s coastal valleys and Casablanca regions now have their own tangy, super-fresh examples. Good, less expensive versions from southern France and Hungary. Bordeaux and the Loire Valley are the original sources of dry Sauvignon wines, and an expanding band of modern producers are matching clean fruit with zippy green tang. Spain’s Rueda is zesty. Riesling in Australia is usually lean and limy; in New Zealand, Chile and Austria it’s a little more scented and full. Austrian Grüner Veltliner is ripe but streaked with green.
Bone-dry, neutral Chablis is the most famous, and most appetizing. Unoaked Chardonnay in cool parts of Australia, New Zealand and the USA does a good, but fruitier, impression. Many Italian and Greek whites from indigenous varieties fit this bill in a minerally way. Southern French wines are often like this, as are basic wines from Bordeaux, South-West France, Muscadet and Anjou. Modern young Spanish whites and dry Portuguese Vinho Verdes are good examples. Cheap South African and California whites can be ‘superneutral’. More interesting are Verdelhos and Chenins from Australia.
White Burgundy By this I mean the nutty, oatmealy-ripe but dry, subtly oaked styles with a whiff of struck matchstick, from villages like Meursault at their best. Few people do it well, even in Burgundy itself, and it’s a difficult style to emulate. California makes the most effort. Washington, Oregon, New York State and British Columbia in Canada have occasional successes, but the best New World producers are in Australia and New Zealand, followed by South Africa.
Perfumy, dry or off-dry Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Pinot Gris from Alsace or Gewürztraminer, Scheurebe, Grau burgunder (Pinot Gris) and occasionally Riesling in southern Germany will give you this style. In New Zealand look for Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. Irsai Olivér from Hungary and Torrontés from Argentina are both heady and perfumed. Albariño in Spain is leaner but heady with citrus scent; Godello is more perfumed. Viognier is apricotty and scented in southern Europe, Australia, Chile and California. Croatian Malvasia and Greek Malagousia are bright and subtly scented.
Mouthfuls of luscious gold Good sweet wines are difficult to make. Sauternes is the most famous, but Monbazillac, the Loire, and sometimes Alsace, can also come up with rich, intensely sweet wines that can live for decades. Top sweeties from Germany and Austria are stunning. Hungarian Tokaji has a wonderful sweet-sour smoky flavour. Australia, California and New Zealand produce some exciting examples and South Africa, the USA and Croatia have a few excellent sweeties. Romania has some scented, lush examples from indigenous grapes. Canadian Icewines are impressive.
Juicy, fruity Beaujolais – and other wines from the Gamay grape – can be the perfect example, but leafy, raspberryish Loire reds, and simple Grenache and Syrah are also good. Modern Spanish reds from Valdepeñas, Bierzo and La Mancha, and old-vine Garnachas from Campo de Borja and Calatayud, do the trick, as do unoaked Douros from Portugal and young Valpolicella and Teroldego in Italy. Young Chilean Merlots are juicy, and Argentina has some good examples from Bonarda, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Barbera.
Soft, strawberryish charmers Good Burgundy tops this group. Pinot Noir in California, Oregon, Chile and New Zealand is often delicious, and South Africa and Australia increasingly get it right. German Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) can thrill. Rioja, Navarra and Valdepeñas in Spain sometimes get there. In Bordeaux, St-Émilion, Pomerol and Blaye can do the business, and neighbouring Bergerac can be good.
Spicy, warm-hearted Australia’s Shiraz reds are ripe, almost sweet, sinfully easy to enjoy, though they’re becoming lighter and more scented. France’s southern Rhône Valley and the traditional appellations in the far south of France are looking good. In Italy, Piedmont produces rich, beefy Barbera, Puglia has chocolaty Negroamaro and Sicily has Nero d’Avola. Portugal’s Tejo and Alentejo also deliver the goods, as does Malbec in Argentina. California Zinfandel made in its most powerful style is spicy and rich; Lebanese reds have the succulent scent of the kasbah.
Deep and blackcurranty Chile has climbed back to the top of the Cabernet tree, though good producers in cooler parts of Australia and South Africa produce Cabernets of thrilling blackcurranty intensity. New Zealand Merlot and Cabernet Franc are dense and rich yet dry. California and Argentina too frequently overripen their Cabernet and Merlot, though restrained examples can be terrific, as can the best from Washington and Virginia. Top Bordeaux is on a rich blackcurranty roll, with excellent 2000, 05, 09 and 10, and good 2004, 08, 12 and 14: it’s expensive but exciting – as is top Tuscan Cabernet.
Tough, tannic long-haul boys Bordeaux leads this field, and the best wines are really good after 10 years or so – but minor properties rarely age in the same way. Top wines in Tuscany and Piedmont age well – especially Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, some IGT and Chianti Classico, Barolo and Barbaresco. Portugal has increasingly good Dão and Douro reds, and Spain’s Toro and Ribera del Duero reds need aging. Top Cabernet-and Malbec-based blends from Chile and Argentina are burly and dark and may age well.
Rosé There’s been a surge in rosé’s popularity, probably led by California’s blush Zinfandel and Grenache. But far better, drier rosés are also becoming popular, with Spain, Italy and France leading the way for drier styles and Chile and New Zealand for fuller pinks.
Fizz White, pink or red, dry or sweet; I sometimes think it doesn’t matter what it tastes like as long as it’s cold enough and plentiful. Champagne can be best, but frequently isn’t – and there are lots of new-wave winemakers making good-value lookalikes. California, Tasmania, England and New Zealand all produce top-quality fizz. Spain can also excel. Prosecco is a lively party fizz. New kid on the block is Brazil.
Fortified wines Spain is unassailable as the master of dry fortifieds with its fino sherries. Ports are the most intense and satisfying rich red wines – but Australia, California and South Africa have their own versions of both these styles. Madeira’s fortifieds have rich, brown, smoky flavours, and luscious Muscats are made all round the Mediterranean and in Rutherglen, Australia.