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These are the incredible white wine varietals everyone should know

Do you prefer your white wine dry or sweet?

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White wine on summer day outdoor
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I’m the first to admit that wine can be incredibly confusing. The exquisite, delightfully sublime nectar of the gods for which we are entirely unworthy? Sure. But also confusing. As someone who loves and appreciates all wine,

I get a little irritated when asked the question: “Do you like red or white?” Um. Both? But while I inwardly roll my eyes at this overly simplified question, I understand that it’s merely (sometimes) a way to crack open the conversation about the intricate, nuanced, but often utterly confounding world of wine. Asking a simple question such as this starts that conversation, and it’s a fun conversation to have. So today, in the interest of this article, we’ll say that I prefer white because sometimes, at certain meals or gatherings or moods or times of day, I do.

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Let’s say you’ve just asked someone this red or white question, and your fellow conversationalist has answered “white.” A good follow-up question would be to ask if they prefer dry or sweet white wines or light or full-bodied whites. Do they prefer a crisply and almost stringently acidic pinot grigio or a soft and buttery oaked chardonnay? Understanding a wine’s color is only the teeniest scratch on the surface of knowing what you’re drinking and how to best enjoy it.

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So today, we’re looking at some of our very favorite types of white wine. We’ll discuss what makes them popular, how full in body they are, and whether they’re sweet or dry and what that means.

What type of white wine is most popular?

White wine clinking glasses
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While the list of wonderful white wines is lengthy (more on this in a moment), there are some mainstays that are, of course, more popular and more readily available than others. There are four primary white wine grape varietals from which they make the most popular and easily accessible white wines — chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, and Riesling.

Which white wines are sweet or dry?

Flight of white wines
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When describing the dryness or sweetness in white wine, there are five terms with which one should be familiar: bone-dry, dry, off-dry, medium-sweet, and sweet.

  • Bone-dry white wines have little to no residual sugars, giving them a fresh and crisp flavor with no sweetness. Some bone-dry wines can include albariño and pinot grigio.
  • Dry white wines have just a hint of sweetness and with decent amount of acidity, providing a perfect balance of sweet, fruit-forward flavors with drier, crisp, fresh notes. Some dry wines include Grüner Veltliner, sauvignon blanc, and unoaked chardonnay.
  • Off-dry wines walk the balance beam between dry and sweet, making them tremendously popular. Chenin-blanc and Moscato d’Asti are considered off-dry white wines.
  • Medium-sweet wines are noticeably sweeter than their drier counterparts and are most often described as sweet, with a more acidic balance following that first sugary sip. Popular medium-sweet wines are late-harvest Rieslings and Gewürztraminer.
  • Sweet wines are noticeably sweet, with very pronounced sugars and often jammy, fruity flavors. Sweet wines include wines like ice wine and Sauternes.

What is the easiest white wine?

White wine in glass swirling
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If you’re new to wine, whites are a great place to start because of their easy, light drinkability — for the most part. Of course, there are many whites that are robust and complex, but whites are more often the gentler wines, without any confusing tannins or complicated oaking (for the most part) to dissect.

If you’re looking for an easy white wine to start with, we recommend light-bodied bottles like pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, Moscato, Tiesling, and unoaked chardonnay. Each of these wines provides its own unique body and flavor profile, but each is approachable in its subtle, bright notes.

What are the main types of white wines?

Glass of white wine
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Before even picking up a glass of wine, there’s a lot you can know about its taste by studying three factors: the wine’s body, acidity level, and where it lands on the dry to sweet scale. Below are some of our very favorite white wines and how you can decide if that particular bottle is right for you.

Albariño

  • Body: Light
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Bone-dry

Assyrtiko

  • Body: Light
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Chablis

  • Body: Light
  • Acidity: Medium to high
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Chardonnay

  • Body: Light to medium
  • Acidity: Medium to high
  • Dry/sweet: Dry to bone-dry

Chenin blanc

  • Body: Full
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry to medium-sweet

Gewürztraminer

  • Body: Medium
  • Acidity: Low
  • Dry/sweet: Medium-sweet to off-dry

Grüner Veltiner

  • Body: Light to medium
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Ice wine

  • Body: Medium to full
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Sweet

Moscato (Muscat blanc)

  • Body: Light
  • Acidity: Low
  • Dry/sweet: Off-dry

Pinot grigio

  • Body: Light
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry to bone-dry

Riesling

  • Body: Light to medium
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry to medium-sweet

Roussanne

  • Body: Full
  • Acidity: Medium to high
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Sancerre

  • Body: Light
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Bone-dry

Sauvignon blanc

  • Body: Medium
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Sauternes

  • Body: Full
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Sweet

Torrontés

  • Body: Medium
  • Acidity: Light t0 medium
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Vinho Verde

  • Body: Medium
  • Acidity: High
  • Dry/sweet: Dry

Viognier

  • Body: Full
  • Acidity: Low
  • Dry/sweet: Dry
Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
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