Grape Varieties
9 grape varieties terms explained by our experts.
Varietal
A varietal wine is one labelled by its dominant grape variety (e.g., Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling). The term also refers to the grape variety itself. Varietal labelling is the standard approach in New World wine regions, while Old World wines are traditionally named by place.
Grape VarietiesClone
In viticulture, a clone is a genetically identical copy of a specific grapevine selected for desirable characteristics such as smaller berries, disease resistance, or flavour intensity. Clonal selection is a key tool for improving vineyard quality.
Grape VarietiesRootstock
Rootstock is the root system onto which a grapevine variety is grafted. Since the phylloxera crisis of the 19th century, nearly all vines worldwide are grafted onto American rootstock species that are naturally resistant to the phylloxera louse.
Grape VarietiesPhylloxera
Phylloxera is a microscopic root-feeding louse (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) native to North America that devastated European vineyards in the late 19th century. It destroyed approximately 70% of Europe's vineyards and permanently changed viticulture by making rootstock grafting a necessity.
Grape VarietiesOld Vines
Old vines (vieilles vignes in French) are grapevines that have reached an advanced age, typically 35 years or more, though there is no legal definition. Old vines produce smaller yields of more concentrated grapes, resulting in wines with greater depth, complexity, and intensity.
Grape VarietiesSec
Sec is the French word for dry, used on wine labels to indicate a wine with little or no perceptible residual sugar. Confusingly, in the Champagne sweetness scale, Sec actually designates a medium-sweet style (17-32 g/L sugar), reflecting historical labelling conventions from an era when Champagne was routinely much sweeter.
Grape VarietiesDemi-Sec
Demi-sec is a French wine classification meaning literally half-dry, indicating a semi-sweet wine style. In Champagne, demi-sec contains 32-50 grams per litre of residual sugar, while for Loire Valley still wines like Vouvray, it designates an off-dry to medium-sweet style that balances sweetness with vibrant acidity.
Grape VarietiesViticulture
Viticulture is the science, study, and practice of grape growing, encompassing all vineyard management decisions from planting and trellising to pruning, canopy management, pest control, and harvest timing. It is the agricultural foundation upon which all winemaking rests, and vineyard quality is widely regarded as the single greatest determinant of wine quality.
Grape VarietiesDry Farming
Dry farming is a viticultural practice in which grapevines are grown without supplemental irrigation, relying entirely on natural rainfall and soil moisture reserves. Advocates argue that dry-farmed vines produce more concentrated, terroir-expressive wines as roots are forced to dig deep into the subsoil in search of water.