Below is my outline for my staff training mentioned in my last post. Hope its helpful for those new to the world of wine.
SPECIES
While there are many species of grapevines, only a few are used for the production of wine.
Vitus vinifera and
vitus labrusca are the species names.
Vitus vinifera is the most important species as most of the fine wine produced in the world comes from this species.
Vitus labrusca is native to North America and while some wine is produced from these vines, they are not common. Labrusca vines contain a flavor component that most find off putting in wine. This is usually described as "foxy".
VARIETIES
Vine subspecies are typically referred to as grape varieties or varietals. Chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon are all examples of varieties.
CLONES
Asexual reproduction in which a vine descends from cuttings from a single plant. The offspring will be identical to the original plant. Usually done to replicate desirable traits in vines.
MUTATION
When cell reproduction is imperfect a vine will develop different characteristics from the parents leading to mutation. For example, pinot blanc and pinot gris are mutations of pinot noir.
CROSSING
Offspring that results from reproduction of different subspecies within the same species. For example, cabernet sauvignon is a cross between cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc.
HYBRID
Offspring that results from reproduction between two related species. This is what we call the offspring of vitis vinifera and vitis labrusca.
INTERNATIONAL VS. INDIGENOUS GRAPES
International is the label given to grape varieties that have had worldwide success. These grapes thrive in many different climates and altitudes making them widely available and popular.
Examples: Cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, merlot, riesling, chenin blanc, pinot grigio/gris, muscat, grenache, syrah, and pinot noir.
Indigenous is the label given to grapes that are only successful in one place, typically their place of origin. While they may be grown in other regions, they have not been able to reach the same level of quality.
Examples: Semillon, viognier, trebbiano, nebbiolo, tempranillo, sangiovese, gewurztraminer, and zinfandel (all though this list could go on and on...)
Remember this is just scratching the surface and is meant to be a brief and hopefully easy to understand introductory guide to the wide world of wine grapes.
