The grapes, no fuss

Cabernet Sauvignon makes a dark, full-bodied red with firm tannin, the kind that gives your mouth a slight squeeze.

Malbec is a red grape that makes very dark wine, leaning toward purple, with aromas of plum and blackberry and full body.

Chardonnay is the white grape that changes outfits depending on the winery.

Touriga Nacional is the red grape Portugal shows off.

Merlot makes a soft red with ripe fruit and gentle tannin: it grips your mouth far less than Cabernet Sauvignon.

Syrah is a red grape that makes very dark wine, with ripe fruit, firm tannin and, often, a smell of black pepper.

Pinot Noir is the pale red with light body, little tannin and a smell of strawberry, cherry and raspberry.

Carmenère is a red grape that makes dark-colored wine with ripe fruit and a green touch reminiscent of bell pepper.

Tinta Roriz, Aragonez and Tempranillo are the same grape.

Touriga Franca is the most planted red grape in the Douro, in Portugal, and yet few people know its name.

Cabernet Franc makes a lighter, more perfumed red than its famous daughter, Cabernet Sauvignon: less color, less weight, more aroma.

Sauvignon Blanc is the grape behind the white that wakes up your mouth: light body, high acidity and a smell that recalls passion fruit, lime and cut grass.

The Spanish grape of red fruit and pepper that holds up the reds of southern France, a lot of rosé and the Australian GSM.

The red of Chianti and Brunello: cherry, lively acidity and firm tannin, made for the Italian table.

The dark, late-ripening red that seasons the Bordeaux blend and became a varietal in the New World.

The red of Barolo and Barbaresco: rose, cherry, strong tannin and the patience to age.

The German white of lively acidity that goes from bone-dry to very sweet and lasts decades in the bottle.

The red of Verona: cherry and freshness in Valpolicella, power in Amarone, made from dried grapes.

Monastrell in Spain, Mataro in Australia: a dark, firmly tannic red that only ripens with lots of sun.

The Puglia grape that became Zinfandel in California: a ripe-fruit red that came from Croatia.

The same grape with two accents: fresh and easy in Italy, full and smoky in Alsace.

The red of high acidity and tannin that, from old vines, becomes serious wine in Spain, Sardinia and Chile.

The delicate red of Provence rosés that, in South Africa, became the mother of Pinotage.

Piedmont's everyday red: deep color, high acidity and little tannin, perfect for food with tomato.

The red-fleshed grape that makes almost black wine and became the soul of the Alentejo.

The perfumed white of apricot and flowers that nearly vanished from the map and came back all over the world.

The red of Abruzzo: deep color, red fruit and soft tannin. It has the name of a Tuscan town, but it isn't from there.