There may be more than 1,000 grape varieties. The most common varieties of grape used to make white wine include Chardonnay, which is highly adaptable to a broad range of climates; Riesling, the most popular white variety in Germany; Sauvignon Blanc, which produces wines with a fruity character, with hints of melon, gooseberries or passion fruit; and Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris, an Italian variety. Among the reds, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah or Shiraz and Zinfandel are the most popular.
In addition to grape variety, French wines are classified according to the grape quality and the geographical region where its was cultivated. France has 13 wine-producing regions, including Bordeaux, with has ideal soils to cultivate Cabernet Sauvignon, and Champagne, which produces the most famous sparkling wines in the world. Italian wines are named according to one of the 20 geographic regions where grapes are cultivated, such as Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont. In addition to geographic areas, such as Rioja, Spanish wines are also named according to their aging period: Crianza, at least two years; Reserva, at least three years for red or two years for whites; and Gran Reserva, aged for at least five years.
California is the top wine producer in the United States, making 90 percent of the national total. While most grape varieties cultivated in the United states comes from the European grape vine Vitis vinifera, some native North American grape varieties, such as Catawba and Concord, are also used to make wine. More than one hundred viticultural areas are found in the United States, including Napa Valley and Ohio River Valley.
Although Argentina produces wines from a wide variety of grapes, the red Malbec and the white Torrontes are among the country's better known wines. In Argentina, wine production in concentrated in the provinces of Mendoza, La Rioja and San Juan. The wine regions of Australia are mainly in the south, where the climate is cooler. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are some of the most common wines.