What To Know About The Grapes Used To Make Your Wine

By Tom Marquardt And Patrick Darr

There are more than 350 white grape varieties officially recorded in Italy—and if you count those beyond the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s list, that number climbs to at least 500—yet most wine drinkers know only one: pinot grigio.

Cultivated across Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, Pinot Grigio is Italy’s top export to the United States. Its widespread plantings make it affordable and easy to find, and its name recognition has locked it into countless restaurant wine lists. Despite its popularity, much of what reaches our shores tastes bland, sometimes overly sweet, and lacks the freshness of balanced acidity and fruit. Sample a top-flight pinot grigio in northern Italy, though, and you’ll taste the difference.

We were reminded of Italy’s incredible white-grape diversity during a tasting with Carlo Mastroberardino, whose family has produced wine in Campania for 11 generations. Devoted to preserving the region’s ancient winemaking culture, they still grow grapes like greco and fiano—varieties cultivated around Pompeii. Seek out Greco di Tufo or Fiano di Avellino and you’ll discover wines rich in history and flavor.

Outside Campania, southern Italy offers other captivating whites defined by bright acidity rather than the plushness you might find in chardonnay—perfect for pairing with antipasti or salads, or simply for sipping on a hot day. Consider:

• Vermentino from Liguria, Tuscany or Sardinia, prized for its aromatic lift and citrus-mineral character
• Verdicchio from the Marche, an easy-drinking white with lively acidity
• Gavi from Piedmont, which can range from straightforward and crisp to surprisingly complex
• Carricante from Sicily’s Mount Etna, where ripe yellow fruit meets fresh lime and vibrant acidity
• Grillo from Sicily, a zesty hybrid that recalls both pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc

And remember: cortese is the grape behind Gavi, while garganega is the variety used to craft Soave. Explore beyond pinot grigio, and you’ll find an Italian white to suit every occasion.

There is so much for you to explore beyond the boring pinot grigio in your refrigerator. Here are some examples:

Tascante Buonora Sicily IGT 2013 ($20).  This white wine is so delicious that we dare you to stop at one glass. Made from carricante grapes grown on the slopes of Mt. Etna, it has bright lemon and lime flavors with a bit of pear and minerality. This would go well with fish or chicken with a citrus sauce.

Pasqua Passione Sentimento Romeo & Juliet Bianco Veneto 2023 ($18). A tribute to the couple who made Verona a symbol of love, this refreshing drink made from garganega grapes has tropical fruit and peach flavors.  Match it with grilled chicken or fresh fruit.

Cotarella Ferentano Lazio 2019 ($20-28). Made from the ancient, native roscetto grape, the wine is like a rich chardonnay but with additional flavors of banana, apricot, peach and spice.

Brugnano Vinovanta Grillo Sicily DOC ($25). Relatively low in alcohol at 12.5 percent, this quaffable and delicious wine has tropical fruit, white peach and citrus flavors. Soft and round in the mouth.

Pieropan Soave Classico 2023 ($25). A blend of garganega and trebbiano di soave grapes, this nicely textured wine has fresh floral aromas and pear, white peach flavors.

Tenuta Capofaro Didyme Malvasia Saline IGT 2022 ($30). Lots of fruit character and fresh acidity in this Sicilian wine made from malvasia di lipari grapes grown in the Aeolian Islands.

Cecchi Val delle Rose Litorale Vermentino 2022 ($14). A terrific value for summer drinking, this wine is made from vermentino grapes grown along the southern Tuscan coast. Perfumy nose and tropical fruit flavors.

Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino DOCG 2022 ($22). Light and delicate fruit notes of citrus and white peach with a hint of almonds. It makes a nice sipper.

Masciarelli Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2023 ($17). Stone fruit and melon flavors with big acidity make this a nice match to shrimp and other seafood dishes.

Donnafugata Lighea Sicily 2024 ($28).  This off-dry wine is made entirely from the unusual zibibbo grape variety. Very fragrant aromas of orange blossom and lime mingle with tropical fruit flavors with a dash of minerality.

Chardonnay styles

At every dinner party, the inevitable debate arises: American chardonnay versus French burgundy. Though crafted from identical grapes, these wines tell distinctly different stories through their terroir and winemaking traditions.

Burgundy—chardonnay’s ancestral home—produces some of the world’s most revered white wines. Names like Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne command both respect and premium prices. California has developed its own pantheon of celebrated producers: Marcassin, Aubert, Paul Hobbs, and Kongsgaard create bottles that easily fetch north of $100.

The stylistic divide? French expressions typically offer restraint and minerality, while their California counterparts deliver more pronounced aromatics with a richer mouthfeel.

This divergence stems partly from terroir—particularly in Chablis, where flinty soils impart distinctive mineral qualities—but winemaking choices play the decisive role. Both regions employ malolactic fermentation to soften acidity, though excessive use creates those buttery, toasty notes. Oak aging profoundly shapes the final wine, with French producers (especially in Chablis) traditionally exercising more restraint.

We gravitate toward the leaner French approach for its versatility with food. While California has mercifully moved beyond the oak-drenched styles of the 1980s, many still showcase pronounced vanilla, toast, caramel and smoke characteristics from generous barrel aging—creating wines substantial enough to be meals unto themselves.

For affordable French-style chardonnay, explore the Mâconnais region. Look for labels reading Mâcon-Villages, village-specific Mâcon wines, or Pouilly-Fuissé, typically priced between $15-20.

Scaring wines for Halloween

If you’re hosting a Halloween Party this week, consider a Chronic Cellars Sir Real Cabernet Sauvignon ($17) with its eye-catching skeleton knight on the label. Juggernaut Wines have alpha predators on its label too.

Wine picks

Comboio do Vesuvio 2022 ($25). From Portugal’s Quinta do Vesuvio estate, this house known for its port blends touriga franca, touriga nacional, tinta roriz and tinta barroca to make a terrific Douro Superior wine. Lots of exuberance and energy with clean, unoaked red berry flavors and a smooth mouthfeel.

Pombal do Vesuvio Douro DOC 2022 ($32). Also from the Quinta do Vesuvio estate, this touriga nacional is joined by touriga franc and tina amarela to make a well-rounded, ripe red berries. It spends 9 months in French oak barrels to develop some complexity.