Grapes
There are thousands of grape varieties that are used for making wine. However: a lot of these varieties have been created through grafting and other techniques. Most commercially known wines are made from a few dozen different grape varieties.
Grape varieties can be divided into two types: blue grapes and white grapes. Red wines are made from blue grape varieties. It sounds a bit confusing, but the color of the grapes from which red wine is made is blue. The best known blue grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. These typical French grape varieties are now grown all over the world and, depending on the climate, yield wonderful results.
The most famous white grape varieties are Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. These typical French and German (Riesling) grape varieties are now being cultivated worldwide and deliver wonderful results depending on the climate.