The Wine Buyer created this alphabetical list of wine "names" along with
color, place and grape to help you decipher what's in a wine! In the US, most
wines are labeled with what grapes are used to make the wine (there are some
notable exceptions!). However, in other parts of the world, especially in
Europe, many wines are named for their location, appellation, village, etc. In
some cases, we've listed both reds and whites for a "name" if there are good
wines made from another varietal. We also indicate if the wine is sweet if
that's what the area/name is known for. Note that for Bordeaux, France we've
listed the appellation/village names for most of the important ones but not
the individual chateau. And in Burgundy it is possible that you won't find the
village on the label if it's a Grand Cru wine. However, most of the Grand Cru
have the name (or part of the name) of the village incorporated in their name,
like the Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin from Gevery-Chambertin. This can get
complex! If you have another wine name you know about and would like to add to
this list or have a question about another one, please let us know! We will be
adding a new wine name to this list every week from our newsletter.
Aloxe-Corton
This is a complicated one! This is the name of a village in the Cote de Beaune in France's Burgundy region. The reds are made from pinot noir and the whites from chardonnay. When you see Aloxe-Corton on the label, these are "premier cru" wines usually of good quality. Within this area are two grand crus as well: Corton red wines are considered some of the best Burgundy has to offer while Corton-Charlemagne whites are considered some of the best whites. To top it all off, there are 27 other vineyards in the area that use Corton alone or in combination with the vineyard name on the label.
Amarone
An Italian wine made in the Veneto region using the "passito" method. The grapes are dried for up to 4 months until semi-dry which concentrates sugar and flavor. Upon fermentation if residual sugar is left in the wine it's called recioto; if dry it's called amerone. The primary grapes used are Corvina with some Rondinella and Molinara.
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