White Wine Guide Descriptions, Food Pairing, History

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White wines actually cover a wide range of different tastes and colors. From clear white colors to golden yellows, dry, sweet or semi-sweet, they are the wines that are defined by their light color, body, and complex taste.

White wines are produced all over the world but the most famous are probably those made from the Chardonnay grape in France... you've probably tasted them in Champagne, Chablis and white Burgundy from France but the Chardonnay grape is equally at home in New Zealand and California. Other white grapes from France that have found root around the world are Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Voignier.

White wines from Italy are also rising in reputation as Vernaccia wines from Tuscany and Pino Grigios from Veneto steadily gain in popularity in restaurants and on home dinner tables across the US and Europe.

Meanwhile, oaky California chardonnay remains one of the most popular white wines in America.

Rieslings from Germany also produce quite a few stunning wines that are slowly regaining their rightful place at the tables of the world. The popularity of lower quality, sugary wines passing as rieslings have given these wines a reputation that they don't deserve. A fine Mosel, Rhine or Saar wine produced from the Riesling will erase any doubt about the quality of these white wines. Australian and American white wines made from Rieslings are also helping to reinstate the reputation of the grapes.

Take a tour of the Web's best sites for finding out more about white wines and where they come from, along with appropriate food pairings, pronunciation, and a bit of history...

More information about white wine around the Web:

Wine Simple : White Wine Varieties - The beginner's guide to white wine with a color, character and taste description for Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and a handful of other popular whites, and sniff around the rest of the site for equally good guides to wine jargon, wine tasting and more.

Cooks Thesaurus: White Wines - Illustrated guide with brief descriptions of country origination, taste, character, food pairings and helpful pronunciation guide.

Characteristics of White Wine Grapes - Good, general overview of astringency and tastes, plus an extensive table describing color, body, aroma, and other characteristics of the classic whites.

The German Wine Page - Deep, comprehensive info with a light touch examining German wine history, food matches, wine regions and vintages, labels, tasting notes and answering the all important question Dry or Sweet? plus photo galleries, book suggestions and related links.

White Wine Grapes: wine advice from The Winedoctor - Many of the more established wine experts and expert sites tend to focus on reds with a few words on the white wines of the world added as an after thought and with a sneer seeping through the reviews. Whether this is due to ignorance, snobbery or following fads can't be determined, but it often leaves classic white wines in the cold -- not just climatically. The Wine Doctor does have a decent section with good info on white wine grapes...but you can tell you're getting a red wine lover's perspective if you compare this section to the info on red wines this site provides.

Exploring Wine: Italy's Top White-Grape Varieties - From Italian Wine for Dummies, and another good intro to the whites including a review of wines you'll recognize - Trebbiano, Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio and a dozen more lesser-known varieties.

White Wine and Spring Go Together Like BBQ and the Fourth of July - Jordan Mackay's article in Sauce Magazine sings the praises of light, chilled whites. Spring is the time of year to drink light with descriptions and food pairings for suggested wines.

The White Stuff - Food & Wine editor Lettie Teague loves wines and knows what she's talking about when it comes to the glories of a good white. Food pairings and flavor matches abound in this article.