0:02 you can use almost any one of the
0:05 vinifera wine oriented varieties to make
0:06 modest wine but when we get into the
0:08 premium category where you might spend
0:10 eight dollars or more on a bottle we
0:12 tend to choose grape varieties that are
0:14 well suited to making premium wine
0:16 within the world of white wines the
0:18 majority are made from one of these four
0:20 grape varieties because they have such
0:22 an excellent track record for quality
0:24 generally speaking riesling tends to be
0:26 on the lighter end of the body spectrum
0:28 whereas sauvignon blanc hangs out in the
0:30 middle more often medium bodied than
0:31 either light or full
0:34 chardonnay tends to give us quite a lot
0:36 more richness of texture while pinot
0:38 grigio can be all over the map
0:40 riesling is a grape variety is one
0:42 that's native to germany and suited to
0:45 very cool climates it gives us a
0:48 bright refreshing aromatic nose full of
0:50 things like green apple and lime and
0:53 citrus we often get a touch of floral
0:54 aromatics as well
0:56 riesling when we're shopping for it we
0:57 want to think about whether we're
0:59 shopping for a dry riesling or one that
1:01 has a little sweetness the way to tell
1:03 is to look at that alcohol content the
1:06 lower it is below 13 the more likely
1:07 there is to be a little hint of
1:09 sweetness on the tip of the tongue
1:12 riesling can be made dry but it is less
1:14 commonly found that way most of the time
1:16 when we see riesling on the shelf we can
1:18 expect a sweet tart wine with just a
1:20 hint of sweetness not enough for dessert
1:22 but perfect for things like chips and
1:24 salsa and appetizers
1:26 when we look at sauvignon blanc on the
1:28 other hand the question is never really
1:30 if it's sweet or dry because it's always
1:33 made as a dry style with no noticeable
1:34 sweetness on the tip of the tongue
1:37 sauvignon blanc does vary in style
1:39 though based on where it's grown cooler
1:41 places in the world like new zealand
1:42 here for example tend to make it an
1:45 embracing style that's got a kind of
1:47 white grapefruit and lemon quality to it
1:49 that serves to brighten almost anything
1:52 you would serve with it this style of
1:54 sauvignon blanc makes the mouth water
1:57 it's not particularly heavy but delivers
1:59 a huge amount of flavor
2:02 there are premium sauvignon blanc styles
2:03 though that come from warmer parts of
2:06 the world that might be barrel fermented
2:08 they are the exception to the rule but
2:09 sometimes when we look at sauvignon
2:11 blanc from places like bordeaux in
2:13 france or in california we do
2:15 occasionally encounter barrel fermented styles
2:16 styles
2:19 however chardonnay the 600 pound gorilla
2:21 in the white wine world is really the
2:22 grape we associate with that oaky
2:24 quality that we get from either
2:27 fermenting or aging a wine in new oak
2:30 barrels that flavor comes through almost
2:32 as if we've added a
2:34 splash of bourbon or cognac to the wine
2:36 because it comes from the exact same
2:38 source aging in barrels this is the
2:40 single most popular premium grape
2:43 variety in the world white or red
2:45 chardonnay can be grown in almost any
2:47 region from the very cool parts of
2:49 northern europe to very warm parts of california
2:50 california
2:52 and as a result has a huge stylistic range
2:53 range
2:55 last but not least there's a grape
2:57 variety that i think has joined these
2:59 three as being sort of in the major
3:01 leagues of importance in the wine world
3:04 only in the last few decades when it's
3:06 grown in the italian style we call it
3:08 pinot grisho when we make it in the
3:10 french style though you might see it
3:13 labeled as pinot gris g-r-i-s
3:15 the italian variation is by far the most
3:18 popular it is done in a lighter brighter
3:20 crisper style with a weight that's
3:22 closer to that of riesling or sauvignon
3:24 blanc and rarely with any noticeable
3:26 sweetness on the tip of the tongue
3:28 generally speaking these are easy going
3:31 wines perfect for summer afternoons
3:32 they're not terribly high in alcohol and
3:34 they're not terribly pungently flavored
3:37 either their wine to relax with on the patio
3:38 patio
3:40 these simple flavors tend to be more
3:43 like golden apple or simple poached pear
3:45 french style pinot gris tends to taste a
3:48 little peachier seem a little
3:51 heavier and sometimes has a touch of
3:52 residual sweetness on the tip of the
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