The Most Common Types of Wine

With over 600 kinds of wine grapes that can potentially be harvested, the vineyards across the world produce many different types of wine. Most of the common wine varieties can be broken down into these six categories:

Red Wines: These wines are fermented with the grape skins, stems, and seeds, so there are more acidic flavors and tannins present. They are also often aged for a few years to get a robust, full flavor. Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot, pinot noir, sangiovese and Shiraz are the most common red wines.

White Wines: The color and flavor from grape skins and seeds are not placed into white wine because they are separated from the juice before being fermented. This gives white wine a crisper, lighter taste that other wine varieties. You will most commonly see chardonnay, gewürztraminer, Muscat, pinot grigio, Riesling, and sauvignon blanc. Many of them can be found sparkling or still.

Sparkling Wines: Made by a method that includes being fermented a second time once bottled, sparkling wines are made slightly different than other types of wine. This second fermentation adds more carbon dioxide to the bottle, thus giving it a “bubbly” or “sparkling” appeal. Champagne, prosecco, asti spumante, and cava are the most common sparkling wines.

Dessert Wines: These drinks are divided into two categories, ice wine and fortified wine, with ice wines getting their name from being harvested late in the season. They have high alcohol content, averaging around 20%, and are known as a sweet wine. The juices of the sweet wine are not fermented and then concentrated to get their flavor. Late harvest Riesling, Vidal, Sauternes, and cabernet franc are all popular ice wines.

Fortified Wines: These dessert wines are made by stopping the grapes from fermentation halfway through the long process and adding additional spirits, usually a brandy. This gives the wine more of its natural sugars to be brought out, making fortified wine ultimately a sweet wine. The most popular fortified types of wine are port, sherry and tawny.

Fruit Wines: Just like grapes are fermented to produce wine, many sugar-bearing fruits can do the same. The natural sugars found in the food allow for the process to be complete and typically produce a sweet wine. Plum, pineapple, and red raspberry are the most common fruit wine variations.