# Varietal

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Wine made primarily from a single named grape variety

This article is about a type of wine. For the horticultural term, see [cultivar](/source/Cultivar).

A varietal Californian wine, a [Zinfandel](/source/Zinfandel).

A **varietal wine** is a [wine](/source/Wine) made primarily from a single named [grape](/source/Grape) [variety](/source/Variety_(biology)), and which typically displays the name of that variety on the [wine label](/source/Wine_label).[1][2] Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are [Cabernet Sauvignon](/source/Cabernet_Sauvignon), [Chardonnay](/source/Chardonnay) and [Merlot](/source/Merlot). Wines that display the name of two or more varieties on their label, such as a Chardonnay-[Viognier](/source/Viognier), are *blends* and not varietal wines. The term is frequently misused in place of [vine](/source/Vine) variety; the term *variety* refers to the vine or grape, while *varietal* refers to the wine produced by a variety.[2]

The term was popularized in the US by Maynard Amerine at the [University of California, Davis](/source/University_of_California%2C_Davis) after [Prohibition](/source/Prohibition_in_the_United_States) seeking to encourage growers to choose optimal vine varieties, and later promoted by [Frank Schoonmaker](/source/Frank_Schoonmaker) in the 1950s and 1960s, ultimately becoming widespread during the California wine boom of the 1970s.[2] Varietal wines are commonly associated with [New World wines](/source/New_World_wine) in general, but there is also a long-standing tradition of varietal labelling in [Germany](/source/German_wine) and other German-influenced wine regions including [Austria](/source/Austrian_wine), [Alsace](/source/Alsace_wine), and the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_wine).

## Marketing relevance

The alternatives to the marketing differentiation of wines by grape variety are branded wine, such as Hearty Burgundy, or geographical [appellations](/source/Appellation), such as [Champagne](/source/Champagne_(wine_region)) or [Bordeaux](/source/Bordeaux_wine). The poor quality and unknown provenance of many branded wines and the multitude of potentially confusing appellations leaves varietal labeling as perhaps the most popular for quality wines in many markets.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] This is much less the case in places where [appellations](/source/Appellations) have a long and strong tradition, as for instance [in France](/source/Appellation_d'origine_contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9e). In the past, the grape variety was very uncommonly mentioned on the labels of French [wine bottles](/source/Wine_bottle), and was forbidden for almost all [AOC](/source/Appellation_d'Origine_Contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9e) wines. New World varietal wines from newcomers like [Australia](/source/Australian_wine) and [Chile](/source/Chilean_wine) have made a significant dent in traditional French export markets like the [UK](/source/United_Kingdom), and so the French are adopting varietal labeling in some cases, particularly for [vin de pays](/source/Vin_de_pays).

## Australia

Main article: [Australian wine](/source/Australian_wine)

Australia has virtually completed a three decade long transition from labelling by style, e.g. "claret", "burgundy", "hock", "chablis" to a varietal system. While this has been done in response to pressure from the EU, particularly France, it has paved the way for growing interest among Australian consumers for so called alternative varietals, such as [Pinot grigio / (Pinot gris)](/source/Pinot_gris), [Sangiovese](/source/Sangiovese) and [Tempranillo](/source/Tempranillo).

## Europe

French estate bottled wine from the [Corbières AOC](/source/Corbi%C3%A8res_AOC) in the [Languedoc-Roussillon](/source/Languedoc-Roussillon) that features the grape variety [Grenache noir](/source/Grenache_noir) on the label. Unique for French wines

Within the [European Union](/source/European_Union), a wine using a varietal label must contain at least 85% of that variety.[3] 85% is a common minimum standard; national regulations may set the limit higher in certain cases, but not lower.

### France

Main article: [French wine](/source/French_wine)

In most regions of France, [terroir](/source/Terroir) is thought to surpass the impact of variety, so almost all French wines traditionally have no variety listed at all, and would in many cases not be allowed for AOC wines. [Champagne](/source/Champagne_(wine)), for instance, is typically a blend of [Chardonnay](/source/Chardonnay), [Pinot noir](/source/Pinot_noir) and [Pinot Meunier](/source/Pinot_Meunier), but this is not indicated anywhere on the label. In Alsace, [winemakers](/source/Winemaker) adopt the [German](/source/German_wine) custom of varietal labeling.

In recent years, varietal labels have become more common for French wines. Most of these wines are Vin de pays rather than AOC wines, but varietal names are also seen on some regional AOCs.

## United States

Main article: [American wine](/source/American_wine)

In the United States, the [Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau](/source/Alcohol_and_Tobacco_Tax_and_Trade_Bureau) regulations specify a minimum variety content of 75% of the labeled grape, for *[Vitis vinifera](/source/Vitis_vinifera)* wines, and 51% for *[Vitis labrusca](/source/Vitis_labrusca)* wines.[2] There is no restriction on the identity of the balance. Many states in the United States require specific compositions to qualify for sale under a particular varietal labels. For example, in [Oregon](/source/Oregon_wine), wines subject to its regulation must be identified by the grape variety from which it was made, and certain varietals must contain at least 95% of that variety, although the new "Southern Oregon" sub-[AVA](/source/American_Viticultural_Area) allows for the minimum 75% figure.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## See also

- [International variety](/source/International_variety)

- [List of grape varieties](/source/List_of_grape_varieties)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-OCW-varietal_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-OCW-varietal_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-OCW-varietal_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-OCW-varietal_2-3) winepros.com.au. Oxford Companion to Wine. ["varietal"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080726114411/http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=3370). Archived from [the original](http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=3370) on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-UK_FSA_3-0)** ["Guide to EU Wine Regulations"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120207123959/http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/euwineregs.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/euwineregs.pdf) (PDF) on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2008.

## External links

Look up ***[Varietal](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Varietal)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

- [Wine varietals](http://www.frenchscout.com/types-of-wines) – FrenchScout.com

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Varietal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varietal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varietal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.