20 Types of White Wine Everyone Should Know

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20 + Types of White Wine Everyone Should Know

Chardonnay

Born in France and now vinified the world over, Chardonnay is America’s most-loved white wine types, and is a favorite grape of winemakers because of its incredible versatility. Made from green-skinned grapes of the same name, Chardonnay wines can run the stylistic gamut, from light and crisp, to medium bodied and fruity, to full, voluptuous and heavily influenced by oak—they can even be still or sparkling. (Many bottles of Champagne and white Burgundy, two of the world's most celebrated wines, are made with Chardonnay.) Chardonnay can also express a variety of flavors, including orchard fruit, tropical fruit and citrus notes, as well as subtle chalky, salty  or mineral tones, and oak-driven characteristics like vanilla, butter, caramel and cinnamon. All these possibilities mean there’s a type of Chardonnay for everyone.

Style: Light – Full

Common Flavors: Apple, pear, pineapple, papaya, lemon, grapefruit, chalk, flint, vanilla, butter, caramel,  brioche, toast, biscuit

Prominent Regions: France, California, Washington, Oregon, Australia, Italy

Food Pairing: Chicken, seafood, butter/cream sauces, risotto, soft cheeses

Sweetness: Dry

Sauvignon Blanc

Though native to France, Sauvignon Blanc is often associated with New Zealand (where winemakers have had tremendous success growing the green-skinned grapes of the same name that are used to make it) and is produced worldwide. Regardless of where it’s from, Sauvignon Blanc wine will always be high in acid and vibrant on the palate,  and will usually fall into one of two categories: fruit-forward and super tropical, with flavors like grapefruit, guava, passion fruit and mango; or minerally and citrus-kissed,  with possible notes of elderflower, gooseberry and orchard fruits. These characteristics make it instantly identifiable and enjoyable, which is likely why so many consider Sauvignon Blanc to be their go-to. (That said, its grapes’ have a rather high level of naturally occurring pyrazine content, which can express grassy, boxwood, herbaceous  or bell pepper aromas and flavors that some consider to be less than desirable.)

Style: Light – Medium

Common Flavors: Pineapple, passionfruit, lemon, grapefruit, guava, mango, elderflower, minerality, gooseberry, apple, pear

Prominent Regions: France, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, California, South Africa, Italy

Food Pairing: Shellfish, chicken, pork, herb sauces, green salads, roasted vegetables, goat cheese

Sweetness: Dry

Riesling

Riesling—made from white-green-colored grapes of the same name—is one of the world’s most fascinating and most delicious types of white wine. Many people think all Riesling is sweet, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Because its grapes retain acidity well, ripen late in the growing season and have relatively high tolerance to frost conditions, Riesling can be produced all over the world and crafted in a bewildering amount of styles. It can be super dry and mineral-driven, with electric-like acidity; light and crisp with balanced fruit flavors; medium weight and tropical; luscious and very sweet; and more. When it comes to Riesling wine, the only thing that is for sure is that it will be incredibly food friendly, thanks to its medium to high acidity.

Style: Light – Medium

Common Flavors: Lemon, grapefruit, lime, white peach, nectarine, pineapple, beeswax, petrol, minerality, honey,  candied ginger

Prominent Regions: Germany, New York, France, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Italy

Food Pairing: Asian food, spicy dishes, duck, ham, sausages, pork, shellfish, vegetarian, soft cheeses

Sweetness: Dry – Very Sweet

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris

Pinot Grigio is a hugely popular white wine type, thanks to its light and crisp body, fairly neutral flavors and all around drinkability. The grapes used to make are a greyish-pink mutation of another highly popular variety—Pinot Noir. The wine is produced around the world and goes by different names in different regions, almost always incorporating the area’s term for grey in color. For instance, it’s known as Pinot Gris and Fromenteau Gris in France, where “gris” means grey, and Grauburgunder in Germany, where “grau” has a similar translation. Despite the shade of the grapes, the wine will be a nice and light, almost clear hue in your glass, and will almost always deliver aromas and flavors within the citrus family, sometimes complemented by notes of orchard fruits, floral tones and minerality.

Style: Light

Common Flavors: Lemon, grapefruit, lime, white peach, apple, pear, minerality, white flowers

Prominent Regions: Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Slovenia, Oregon

Food Pairing: Antipasti, chicken, fish, shellfish, pasta, pork, mild cheeses

Sweetness: Dry

Chenin Blanc

Like Riesling, Chenin Blanc—or just Chenin, for short—is a bit of a chameleon, with a high acidity that allows it to be crafted in an array of dry and sweet styles. Produced from green-skinned grapes of the same name, it has been made in its native France for around 1,300 years, and has since found a second home for itself in South Africa, where it’s sometimes called Steen. (Though, fun fact: For a brief time, pre-1980, California cultivated the most Chenin vines worldwide.) Arguably, the most beloved examples hail from France’s Loire Valley, where minerality, floral notes and orchard fruit flavors reign supreme, and exceptional sweet styles emerge from the area of Vouvray. No matter where it’s made, Chenin Blanc is known for its incredible longevity, able to age gracefully for several decades.

Style: Light – Full

Common Flavors: Minerality, apple, quince, pear, honeysuckle, beeswax, lanolin, honey

Prominent Regions: France, South Africa, California, Australia, Argentina

Food Pairing: Asian cuisine (esp. Chinese), chicken, seafood (esp. with lemon), fried foods, vegetables

Sweetness: Dry – Sweet

Gewürztraminer

Pronounced “gev-OORTZ-tra-meener,” Gewürztraminer is a highly aromatic, zesty white wine made from curiously pink-skinned grapes of the same difficult-to-say name. Made primarily in Alsace, France and throughout Germany, Gewürztraminer also does well in the Alto-Adige region of Italy and neighboring Austria, and is cultivated in pockets of  New York, Australia and New Zealand. Its ginger and lemongrass-like spice is undeniably its trademark, usually accompanied by aromas and flavors of lychee and stone fruit. Otherwise, however, this type of white wine has near bottomless stylistic possibilities—it can be light and bright, medium-weight or rather full and plump on the palate, and can range from bone dry to pretty darn sweet—but will always be immensely driven by terroir. It’s also almost-always a great value, with excellent bottles available for much less than Chardonnay or Riesling of similar caliber.

Style: Light – Full

Common Flavors: Lemongrass, ginger, lychee, white peach, apricot, nectarine, tangerine, flint, smoke

Prominent Regions: France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, New York

Food Pairing: Asian cuisines, Mediterranean vegetables, chicken, pork, duck

Sweetness: Dry – Sweet

Albariño

Made from green-skinned grapes of the same name native to the Iberian Peninsula, Albariño is produced prominently in both Spain and Portugal, where it’s called Alvarinho. (The jury is still out on which side of the border was the first to make the stuff.) When you consider the cool, damp conditions of both areas, it makes sense that the grape is increasingly cultivated in places like New York, the U.K. and New Zealand. However, it’s also grown in sunnier spots like California and South Africa. Typically, Albariño is either light and crisp, or more medium weight and fruit forward, with peachy, citrus and tropical fruit flavors. However, fuller styles do exist, often with a textural mouthfeel from oak or lees aging. In all cases, a faint salinity elevates its palate and makes for a seriously refreshing drinking experience.

Style: Light – Full

Common Flavors: Peach, apricot, nectarine, yellow apple, pineapple, lemon, tangerine, minerality

Prominent Regions: Spain, Portugal, California, South Africa

Food Pairing: Shellfish, fish, Cajun spices, rice dishes, salads, chorizo

Sweetness: Dry

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner—pronounced GROO-ner VELT-lee-ner—is the flagship white wine of Austria, made from green-skinned grapes of the same name that grow widely throughout the country. (Though, the best quality examples hail from the Lower Austria regions of Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal.) Only small pockets of plantings are found elsewhere in the world. It’s primarily crafted in one of two styles: light, crisp and fresh or rich, somewhat spicy and complex. The former are what’s most available here in the U.S., and bottles are often very affordable, with plenty of delicious and compelling options for $25 or less. These are bright and citrus driven, typically with a faint herbal quality and sometimes with a slight spritz. The latter have a lot more textural oomph to them and can become honeyed as they mature. In either case, Grüner Veltliner wines have plenty of acidity and are an interesting alternative to Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

Style: Light – Full

Common Flavors: Lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple, white peppercorn, white peach, ginger, cut grass

Prominent Regions: Austria

Food Pairing: Fish, pork, chicken, mildly spicy dishes, Asian cuisines, Mediterranean vegetables

Sweetness: Dry – Sweet

Moscato

Moscato wine is made from a specific type of white Muscat grapes called Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. It can be crafted in still, sparkling and dessert styles, however, most examples are generally light bodied, low in alcohol and quite sweet. This is because the technique used to produce it involves chilling the wine during the fermentation process that turns regular grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. This stops everything cold (literally) before the juice’s natural sugars can be converted into alcohol, leaving an abundance of sugar in the final wine and resulting in a 5–9% alcohol by volume (ABV). Many versions are also slightly fizzy or full-on sparkling, like the celebrated Moscato d’Asti from Piedmont, Italy. And all versions will be highly aromatic, with citrus, stone fruit and floral aromas.

Style: Light

Common Flavors: Pink grapefruit, white peach, white nectarine, orange blossom, honeysuckle

Prominent Regions: Italy, California, Spain, South Africa

Food Pairing: Turkey, pork, eggplant, hearty salads, tangy cheese, seafood

Sweetness: Semi Sweet – Very Sweet

Viognier

Viognier is a white wine made from grapes of the same name. Born in the Northern Rhône region of France, where the wine is also blended into red Syrah, its grapes are now grown throughout other parts of Southern France, too, as well as on both U.S. coasts (in California and Virginia), in Australia and beyond. They have rather thick skins and are known for their high sugar levels, which most often translates into wines that are medium or full in body, with a textural mouthfeel and a relatively high amount of alcohol. One cool thing about this type of white wine is that it can smell enticingly sweet—with attractive stone fruit and floral aromas—but is most often dry on the palate, so it gives wine lovers the best of both worlds.

Style: Medium – Full

Common Flavors: Honeysuckle, white peach, peach, chamomile, apricot, nectarine, mango

Prominent Regions: France, California, Virgina, Australia, South Africa

Food Pairing: Seafood (esp. lobster, crab or scallops with butter sauces), spicy dishes, holiday classics like turkey and honey-glazed hams, cheese platters

Sweetness: Dry

Sémillon

Beloved for both its dry and sweet expressions, Sémillon (also seen as Semillon, without an accent) is a white wine  made from gold-skinned grapes of the same name. Arguably, the most famous of its wines come from France, where it plays a major role in the production of White Bordeaux and a very sweet, very celebrated dessert wine called Sauternes.  The latter is made with grapes that’ve been affected by Botrytis cinerea, a type of benevolent fungus. In both cases, Sémillon grapes may be blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle to yield delicious results. Sémillon wine also shines when produced in Australia’s Hunter Valley, where it’s crafted in vibrant, high acid styles, and across the continent in the Margaret River area, where, as in France, it’s blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Curiously, it was once the most-planted white grape in South Africa and Chile, but has fallen out of favor in recent years.

Style: Medium – Full

Common Flavors: Lemon, lime, apricot, peach, nectarine, mango, toasted nuts, honey

Prominent Regions: France, Australia, South Africa

Food Pairing: Shellfish, chicken, pork, herb sauces, zesty green salads and other vegetarian dishes, goat cheese

Sweetness: Dry – Very Sweet

Trebbiano

Native to Italy, Trebbiano is a white wine that's a little tricky to understand. Unlike most varietal wines, which are made from one single grape variety, it can be made from  an entire family of similar grapes that go by some form of the Trebbiano name. (Trebbiano Toscano is the most prolific of the bunch.) In France, the same group of grapes is known as Ugni Blanc, and is used primarily for the production of Cognac, a type of Brandy. And to add to the confusion, these grapes are cultivated in at least 11 different countries, some of which have their own names for the varieties. Luckily, however, the flavor profile of Trebbiano wines is much more straightforward. Apart from the fortified French wines, Trebbiano is light to medium bodied and dry on the palate, often with aromas and flavors of orchard and stone fruits, minerality and citrus. Older versions can present nuttier, floral and honeyed characteristics, too.

Style: Light – Medium

Common Flavors: Apple, pear, lemon, peach, nectarine, minerality, nuts

Prominent Regions: Italy, France, Greece, Uruguay

Food Pairing: Antipasti, grilled or poached seafood, cured meats, salads, grilled/roasted vegetables

Sweetness: Dry

Picpoul

Picpoul/Piquepoul is a crisp, easy-drinking white wine born in France from grapes of the same name. “Piquepoul” is a French term that translates literally to “stings the lip,”  a reference to the wine’s relatively high acidity. Though full-bodied expressions are produced (and are more textural on the palate, akin to Pinot Gris from Alsace), most versions of Picpoul are light in body and incredibly refreshing. These hail primarily from a region named for the grape variety: Picpoul de Pinet. An area within France's larger Languedoc appellation, it runs along the southern French coast and boasts long, hot summers and relatively mild winters that ensure perfect growing and ripening conditions for the grapes.

Style: Light

Common Flavors: Lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple, pear, minerality

Prominent Regions: France

Food Pairing: Shellfish (esp. oysters or clams), fish (esp. haddock or cod), charcuterie, fresh vegetables (crudités), creamy cheeses

Sweetness: Dry

Roussanne

Named for the French word roux (“reddish-brown”) because of the golden-brown color its grapes turn when ripe, Roussanne is one of the two most important white wine types of France’s Rhône Valley and one of just a handful of whites allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Though often blended with Marsanne, varietal expressions do exist and are definitely worth seeking out! Vibrant and textural, they are known to present an array of pear and stone fruit flavors, plus floral tones of honeysuckle and chamomile, with honey, nutty and/or tea-like nuances. What’s more, they are medium to full bodied, with medium to high acid and medium to high intensity—an ideal combination for long-term cellaring.

Style: Medium – Full

Common Flavors: Pear, white peach, apricot, honeysuckle, chamomile, toasted nuts, honey, herbal tea

Prominent Regions: France, California, Texas, Australia

Food Pairing: Turkey, chicken, white pastas, salads, soft cheese, fish

Sweetness: Dry

Macabeo

Also known as Viura in the Spanish regions of Rioja and Navarra, Macabeo is a white wine made from grapes of the same name(s). The grape is cultivated on both the French and Spanish side of the Pyrenees mountains, however,  the overwhelming majority of vines grow throughout Spain. There, winemakers basically have their pick of production techniques, thanks to the variety’s great versatility: Macabeo wines can be fresh and floral when aged in stainless steel, voluminous and nutty on the palate when aged in oak, or even smooth and honey-like when its grapes are harvested slightly later. They can be dry, sweet, still or sparkling, and can be incorporated easily into blends of any kind. To that end, Macabeo is a key component of Cava, Spain’s principal sparkler, for which it’s often blended with Parellada and Xarel-lo.

Style: Light – Medium

Common Flavors: Peach, apricot, lemon, yellow apple, honeysuckle, toasted nuts

Prominent Regions: Spain, France

Food Pairing: Chicken, turkey, pork, fresh shellfish (and white fish), vegetable dishes, light salads

Sweetness: Dry

Furmint

Furmint is a white wine made from grapes of the same name, which are the most important white variety in Hungary. There, Furmint is used to make a range of fresh dry styles, but is also the backbone of the sweet Tokaji wines for which the country is arguably most famous (or, at least, famous in the wine world). The sweet stuff—which is rich and syrupy, with stone fruit and tropical flavors that become caramel-like with age—has been a part of Hungarian culture for centuries and is even mentioned in the country’s national anthem. It’s also the reason Furmint is cultivated in small amounts in nearby Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia, countries that were all once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dry versions of Furmint express flavors of green apple, pear and citrus, almost always with a unique smokey or flinty quality.

Style: Light – Full

Common Flavors: Lemon, green apple, pear, smoke, flint, minerality, apricot, yellow peach, caramel, black tea

Prominent Regions: Hungary

Food Pairing: Seafood, roasted poultry (esp. chicken or pork), mildly spicy foods, Asian cuisines

Sweetness: Dry – Very Sweet

Assyrtiko

Greece’s most iconic wine type, Assyrtiko is a white wine made from grapes of the same name. It’s most known for its fresh, mineral-driven expressions of light to medium weight, especially from Santorini. The island is home to some of the oldest Assyrtiko in the world, thanks to its volcanic soils, which have protected the grape vines from phylloxera, an invasive insect that devastated European vineyards in the 1800s. Though its dry versions of Assyrtiko wine are most common (and most popular), some sweet Vin Santo-style wines are crafted there. Like in Tuscany, where Vin Santo is thought to have originated, the grapes are dried in the sun to concentrate their sugars before fermentation. But then, producers here will deepen flavors further by introducing oxygen during the aging process, creating darker dessert wines with flavors of fig, coffee  and chocolate.

Style: Light – Medium

Common Flavors: Minerality, lemon blossom, white peach, salinity

Prominent Regions: Greece

Food Pairing: Seafood (mussels, oysters, grilled octopus), salads, chicken, sushi, vegetarian dishes

Sweetness: Dry – Very Sweet

Aligoté

Known as the “other white Burgundy,” Aligoté is a charming white wine made from grapes of the same name and has been produced alongside Burgundian Chardonnay for over two centuries. Though the two grapes are genetically related, Aligoté has never been able to achieve the same celebratory status as Chardonnay. As such, its grapes have been historically relegated to inferior vineyard sites and its bottlings have not been particularly promoted. Today, that’s a great thing for wine lovers, as it means prices are comparatively low for top-quality expressions. That said, the two wines are not identical. Typically medium bodied, Aligoté has similar lemon and orchard fruit qualities, but is much more mineral-driven, with wet stone, flint or salinity often leading their flavor profile.

Style: Medium

Common Flavors: Minerality, flint, lemon, pear, white peach, acacia, honeysuckle

Prominent Regions: France

Food Pairing: Shellfish (esp. oysters or clams), fish (esp. haddock or cod), charcuterie, fresh vegetables (crudités),  creamy cheeses

Sweetness: Dry

Marsanne

Named for a commune near Montélimar in France’s northern Rhône Valley, where it’s thought to have originated, Marsanne is a weighty yet structural white wine made  from grapes of the same name. Throughout the Rhône, it’s blended with the aforementioned Roussanne to create some of the most important, long-lived white wines of  the prestigious Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph regions. Elsewhere in France, single varietal expressions are typically earthy and mineral, with tones of melon and honeysuckle. However, 100% Marsanne wines are actually more likely to be found in Australia, where the grape has grown since the late 1800s. Australian Marsanne can range from citrusy to stone-fruited to super ripe, with prominent cooked pear and apple flavors. When aged, Marsanne from anywhere seems to take on a unique  honeysuckle character.

Style: Medium – Full

Common Flavors: Lemon, peach, apricot, melon, chamomile, honeysuckle, pear, apple

Prominent Regions: France, Australia

Food Pairing: Chicken, pork, creamy risottos, richly sauced seafood, mildly spicy vegetarian dishes

Sweetness: Dry – Sweet

Verdicchio

Produced almost entirely in Italy, Verdicchio is a crisp, easy-drinking white wine made from green-skinned grapes of the same name. Everything about Verdicchio is rather pleasant: The wine is extremely versatile on the table and refreshing to drink on its own, and its grapes adapt well to a variety of soils and climates, and are easy enough to handle in the winery. Italy’s Marche region has two Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)—classified areas specifically dedicated to the production of Verdicchio wines: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdicchio di Matelica. Though everyday table wines are made there, the two DOCs also yield complex, textural and age-worthy examples with more vibrant fruit flavors and a persistent almond-like undertone.

Style: Light – Medium

Common Flavors: Lemon, lime, white grapefruit, green apple, pear, almonds, pine

Prominent Regions: Italy

Food Pairing: Antipasti, simply prepared white fish (esp. sea bass or sole), fried seafood (calamari, shrimp), risotto,  soft cheeses like mozzarella di bufala

Sweetness: Dry

Uncork More

There’s a whole world of white wine and wine grapes out there to discover—these are just a handful of the most popular white wine types and styles. Now that you have a bit of know-how, it’s time to start tasting some bottles. Explore our entire selection of white wines and be sure to reach out to a Personal Wine Advisor if you have any questions.

20 + Types of White Wine Everyone Should Know

Discover 20 essential white wines, from crisp and refreshing to rich and aromatic. A beginner-friendly guide to iconic styles from around the world.

Chardonnay

Sauvignon Blanc

Riesling

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris

Chenin Blanc

Gewürztraminer

Albariño

Grüner Veltliner

Moscato

Viognier

Sémillon

Trebbiano

Picpoul

Roussanne

Macabeo

Furmint

Assyrtiko

Aligoté

Marsanne

Verdicchio

Uncork More

CANDICE, PERSONAL WINE ADVISOR