As the days get longer and we head into the final half of the second semester, white wine is coming back on the menu following a cold winter. Here’s my easy introduction into white wine.
The first place to start is to clarify that not all white wines are made from white grapes. Some, like Pinot Grigio, are made from lighter red grapes but without the skin. This will give them a darker colour (Grigio means “grey” in Italian).
Pinot Grigio is a classic student staple of white wine, but there’s a good chance you’ve probably also picked up a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for a pres or dinner. These seem to be the only whites available in small supermarkets. Sauv Blanc will be drier (less sweet) with more tropical notes of passion fruit and melon whereas Pinot Grigio tends to be a little sweeter, but still pretty dry, with honey and green fruit notes (think pear or apple). It’s great with seafood, poultry (chicken) and vegetable dishes.
Chardonnay is the most basic of them all with very beige notes of apple and vanilla, it’s often used in blends with other grapes but is the sole grape in French Chablis wine. It’s reliable because it tends towards the boring, but you can find some interesting ones, especially from around Beaujolais.
Italy and France produce the most amount of white wine, but its production is increasing in England where the climate isn’t warm enough to produce (good) reds. Bacchus, the grape not the God of wine, is coming into its own in English vineyards, producing wines with lots of grassy, floral notes.
White wines don’t age as well as reds because they tend not to be made with grape skins, which reduces their tannin levels. Unless it has a high acidity level, ageing won’t really be worth it. You can tell how young a white wine is by how yellow or pale its colour is, with ages it will darken and deepen towards a rich gold/brown colour.
Too often, people serve white wine far too cold! Yes, it needs to be served slightly cooler then red (around 10-12 degrees compared to 16, but it depends on the grape – the lighter it is, the cooler it can often be served at) but don’t keep it in the fridge for hours or it will be too cold to actually get any flavour out of it.
Illustration by Rosie Warwood, @rosiewarwoodart on Instagram