I remember early in my married life thinking Cabernet Sauvignon was just “too much.” My young wife and I drank white Zinfandel and I remember our nice early dinners accompanied by good white wines. I don’t know how the transition happened, but in the intervening twenty-five years we’ve come to drink a lot more red wine. I’m a professional so I’m bound to have all the wine in sight and I don’t mind admitting we still drink a lot of white wine. At wine tastings, I never hesitate to urge Mr. or Mrs. “I only drink red wine” to try the white wines I offer, and often find that they quite like them. And I don’t mind admitting that if I had to drink only one type of wine, I would choose a white.

Historically, white wine is as prominent as red wine. In fact, the evidence indicates that the earliest wines were all pale in color. The dark-skinned grapes that are responsible for all red wines are mutations of the green-skinned grapes that preceded them. Falarnium, a white wine and the most expensive wine of ancient Rome, was not considered to be at its best until it had aged for twenty years or more. The French and English courts of the Middle Ages preferred white wine, often sweet or infused with herbs, and Charlemagne’s wife insisted that she drink white wine because red stained her beard. In the 18th and 19th centuries Rieslings from Germany were on a par with any of the great Bordeaux and Burgundy wines.

Red wine drinkers like big, bold wines with a long, dry finish, but it is precisely white wine’s delicacy, its fresh, direct, fluid interplay of acidity and sweetness, that makes it so alluring. All wines are a balance of sweet fruit and tart flavor, with aroma and flavor characteristics added by organic elements within the pulp and skin of the grapes. While red wine acquires a large number of textural, structural, and aromatic components from the skin of the grape, most white wines are fermented without the skin. Modern winemaking uses neutral glass or stainless steel vessels, especially in the production of white wines, so that the fresh flavors and aromas of the grape are not compromised. It is this direct fruitiness with fresh acidity that makes white wine an essential expression of the grape, as well as a wonderful and helpful partner in fine dining. White wines also have striking aromas and intriguing textures to show off, and some are absolutely worth aging.

CHARDONNAY is a grape that everyone has heard of. It is the grape that produces all the white wines of Burgundy, France and its reputation is based on those great wines, although Chardonnay responds to different climates to produce various results. In cool vineyards, like most of Burgundy, Chardonnay’s ripening slows down and its acidity balances the ripeness of the fruit. In warmer vineyards, such as in Napa Valley or parts of Australia, the acidity can be somewhat outweighed by sweet fruit flavours. So depending on where it comes from, Chardonnay can be crisp and precise or broad and rich. The use of oak, which is common in the fermentation or aging of Chardonnay, adds a layer of spice or roasted vanillin flavor. Oak blends well with a cool-climate Chardonnay, but sometimes it just makes a warm-climate Chard thicker and heavier in the mouth. Chardonnay is an expressive and flexible wine that is excellent with a variety of foods, as well as being very enjoyable on its own.

RIESLING is uniquely capable of simultaneously producing a wide range of wine styles while brilliantly expressing the vineyard of its origin. Riesling can be aged to exquisite complexity. What holds Riesling back is uncertainty among consumers as to the sweetness or dryness of a particular example. And the words on the labels are of little help. Also, most non-European Rieslings are quite clumsy. A good dry German Spatlese is a beautiful wine with countless intriguing aromas and appetizing flavor nuances. It pairs magnificently with Central European cuisine, fish and river fowl. But it’s hard to tell if it’s a dry or a sweet Spatlese. Those words; Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, etc. are German denominations for the degree of maturity reached by the grapes on the vine. More sugar means the wine may be sweet or, if vinified dry, may contain a higher degree of alcohol. Alternatively, almost all Rieslings from Alsace, that part of France that is right next to the German border, are dry as a bone. In fact, if you want to explore the great world of white wine, you can drink…

WHITE WINES OF ALSACE and be completely satisfied. The Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Pinots Blanc and Gris from Alsace are generously expressive, dry and aromatic, full of floral, fruity and earthy flavours. Wonderful with food but also delicious as a snack in a sunny backyard. There are Grand Cru Alsatian wines made from the most outstanding types of grapes that reveal great complexity in age.

SAUVIGNON BLANC has a pungent, lively aroma that is often described as grassy or herbaceous, and advanced acidity that responds to different growing conditions to produce wines that perfectly complement many foods. Sancerre and Pouilly Fume are the two reference French versions; one has a crisp aroma and fresh acidity with a hint of mineral, the other is a bit fuller in the mouth with a smoky, flint (smoke) aroma. Sauvignon Blanc is commonly blended with a grape called Semillon in Bordeaux and the results combine crisp acidity with honeyed fullness. This association of grapes also results in the richly sweet Sauternes wines of Bordeaux. Always balanced in acidity, so never syrupy or heavily sweet, Sauterne can be aged for decades.

GRUNER VELTLINER is the white grape that put Austria on the world wine map. It is almost always dry and has a spicy quality that adds to its crisp acidity. Gruner is a lively, modern wine that complements much food that fuses diverse cultures, warm spices, and challenging herb blends. It does not have the Riesling extract, so it has a more uniform light body but with a touch of spicy fruit. Austria is not a big wine producer, so very little “average” wine is made. The style is precise and energetic. It’s easy to think that Germany and Austria are similar, but Austria is much warmer and the vintages are more predictable than in Germany. Also, guesswork about sweetness is reduced in Austrian wines.

Long used in California to fill decanters and cases of bulk wine, CHENIN BLANC is often overlooked, but it has a long and proud history, a wide range of stylistic options, and a brilliance and complexity that is bound to be enhanced. over time. The white wines of the Loire Valley were appreciated by the French kings. They combine fresh acidity, expressive aromas of flowers, minerals and fruit, and a mouth-filling texture. They are wines that can be savored even though they are at their best in the company of food. Whites from the Loire Valley marked “moelleux” are Chenin Blancs that are savory and intensely sweet at the same time. Completely unique. They are made from late harvest grapes that have a very high sugar content. The words “demi-sec” mean medium sweet while the word “sec” means dry. Vouvrey and Savennieres are two Loire appellations best known for their Chenin Blanc whites. There are exceptions, but domestic Chenin Blanc is still relatively dull. South Africa makes a very good Chenin Blanc.

There are many other refreshing, vibrant and lively white wines available at WineWorld. The V’s for Italy – Vernaccia, Verdicchio and Vermentino; the Spaniards Rueda and Albariño; White wines from the Rhone Valley made from Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier. Just to name a few… or several.

Truly, these wines are too good to be ignored or dismissed as “simple”. Diversity is the quality of fine wine that is most exciting, and especially as cuisine continues to change categories, you will need the arsenal of white wines to match the food.