“Wine Grapes are grown specifically for making wine. They’re smaller, have thicker skins, more seeds, and more natural sugar and acidity than the grapes you snack on.”
Wine grapes are the varieties grown specifically for wine-making, valued for their balance of sugar, acidity, and flavor concentration rather than for eating fresh.
Unlike table grapes, wine grapes are smaller, sweeter, and have thicker skins, which provide the sugar, acidity, and flavor compounds needed for wine-making. The variety of grape used plays a major role in a wine’s aroma, structure, and overall style. While wine-making techniques matter, everything begins with the grape itself.
White Wine Grapes
White wine grapes are the varieties used to produce white wines, shaping styles that range from light and crisp to rich, textured, and aromatic.
Black Wine Grapes
Black wine grapes are varieties used to produce red and some rosé wines, contributing color, tannin, body, and flavor intensity to the final wine.
Wine Structure
Sweetness
Sweetness refers to how much residual sugar remains in a wine after fermentation. Wines can range from dry (little to no sugar) to sweet.
Body
Body describes the weight or fullness of a wine in your mouth. Wines are commonly described as light-bodied, medium-bodied, or full-bodied.
Acidity
Acidity is the natural tartness in wine that makes your mouth water. It adds freshness, balance, and helps wines age.
Alcohol (ABV)
Alcohol by volume (ABV) measures the percentage of alcohol in a wine. It forms when yeast converts grape sugar into alcohol during fermentation.
Tannins
Tannins are natural compounds found in grape skins, seeds, and oak barrels that create a drying sensation in your mouth. They add structure and help some wines age.
Explore the grapes below:
