Grape Decoder

You might find wine a little less mysterious if you knew that many grapes (varietals) have equivalents in other languages. For example: Chardonnay is also Chablis. Same grape, different country. U.S. winemakers often name based on wine style, so you can find french-named, italian-named, and english-named wines here. Here is a short dictionary of wines and their equivalent grapes.

• Chardonnay = Chablis
• Pinot Grigio = Pinot Gris
• Sauvignon Blanc = Fume' Blanc (the fume' means it's been aged in Oak)
• Shiraz = Syrah

Wine lover beware! Being the same grape doesn't mean the same taste! Far from it. So much more goes into the aroma and taste of a wine than just the grape. If this is not obvious, go select 3 Chardonnay wines and compare them. However, I found it much less confusing once I understood the similarities.  What do you think?  Did we miss a pairing?  Post here and let us know.