13 Types of White Wine

Once you've found your version of the best Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc out there, it can be hard to spend money on something new. While there's nothing wrong with picking favorites when it comes to wine, white wines in particular are incredibly versatile and food-friendly — if you know how to pick and pair them. Whether you're dipping your toes into the sweet, dry, or off-dry world of Riesling, falling in love with sparkling Chenin Blanc, or learning a thing or two about Viognier, read on for the most important types of white wine you should get to know.

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Gewürztraminer

Gewurztraminer grapes — Frank Bienewald / LightRocket via Getty Images

Gewürztraminer wine is produced from the grape of the same name. Historically, the most famous sources of Gewürztraminer have been Germany and the Alsace region of France, but it also does very well in the Alto-Adige region of Italy. Where and how it's grown can have a significant impact on the character of the wine that's produced from Gewürztraminer grapes, but in general, the wine will showcase some combination of lychee and stone fruit, spice, and floral notes.

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Malvasia

Malvasia is a wine — and often an aromatic wine — made from the grape variety of the same name. The most well-known are white wines produced from or blended with the Malvasia Bianca grape.

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Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc is a white or sparkling, dry or sweet wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. It’s typically redolent of fruit, vivid with mouthwatering acidity, or — in the best cases — both.

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Semillon

Semillon is a white wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. It's most frequently associated with the whites wines of Bordeaux, where it is generally blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Many of the great sweet wines of Sauternes also rely on Semillon as part of their blend. Semillon shines as a varietally labeled wine, especially in South Africa and Australia, though there are also notable ones produced on the North Fork of Long Island and California.

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Viognier

Viognier is a white wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. In the Northern Rhône, the grape won't typically appear on the label — instead, the name of one of two appellations will be emblazoned: Condrieu or Château-Grillet, the latter of which is composed from a single producer of the same name.

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Vernaccia

Two glasses of white wine — Yulia Naumenko / Getty Images

Vernaccia is the white wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. It is rarely seen outside of Tuscany, and it is responsible for the region's only DOCG white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

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Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a white grape variety that is widely planted around the world. It has an almost preternatural ability to both express the land in which it's grown and showcase the style of the winemaker. Because of that, Chardonnay can be a bit of a chameleon, covering the full spectrum from crisp and refreshing to velvety and generous. It's even one of the main grape varieties responsible for Champagne.

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Grüner Veltliner

White wine glasses — Africa Studio / Shutterstock

Grüner Veltliner wine is made from the grape variety of the same name. It is most famously produced in Austria, where many professionals assert it reaches its peak of quality and expressiveness, but it is also grown and produced in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

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Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. In North and South America, New Zealand, and Australia, it goes by the name of that grape, and bottles tend to be labeled as Sauvignon Blanc. In France, however, that is generally not the case. The wines of Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre, for example, are produced from Sauvignon Blanc by law, yet they are labeled with the name of the appellation as opposed to the grape. Meanwhile, white Bordeaux (or Bordeaux Blanc) is typically a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon,

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Riesling

Riesling is a wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. The vast majority of Rieslings on the market are still white wines, but it's possible to find sparkling examples as well. Depending on where and how it's produced, Riesling can be dry, sweet, or somewhere in between.

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Pinot Grigio/Gris

Pouring white wine from bottle into glass — Getty Images / iStockphoto

Pinot Gris, or Pinot Grigio as it's known in Italy and throughout much of the world, is a wine produced from the grape of the same name. In general, Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio showcase fruit on the citrus end of the spectrum, predominantly with lemon and lime. You might also find crisp apples like Granny Smith and hard pears. Hints of flowers like honeysuckle and citrus blossom are usually only present in the best examples.

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Pinot Blanc

Pinot Blanc wine is produced from the grape variety of the same name. The grape is referred to as Pinot Bianco in Italy, where it thrives in the northeast of the country. In Austria, where the variety excels as well, it is referred to as Weissburgunder.

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Marsanne

Marsanne is a white wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. It is one of the most well known and highly regarded white grape varieties in the Rhône Valley, where it arguably reaches its peak in Hermitage.

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