Grape Variety	Merlot
Use in Old World	Bordeaux, primary in St.-Emilion and Pomerol
Use in New World	US and South America
Color	Tends towards medium dark and very blue.
Aroma	Red bramble fruit, chocolate, straw
Body	Moderate
Wine Making Flavors	Diacetyl and vanillic acid from American oak come through well and are often prevalent. Brett is common in the Old World, but it is the light dirt variety.
Blended with:	Usually with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Other	Increasingly being sold as a varietal wine even in the Old world.

 

Grape Variety	Pinot Noir
Use in Old World	Burgundy. Also Germany and Switzerland.
Use in New World	US, Australia
Color	Light red, sometimes with a slight hint of blue.
Aroma	Dark cherries and linden (to some a 'Band-aid' smell).
Body	Light to medium.
Wine Making Flavors	Brett (horse blanket), sometimes strongly, especially in Burgundy.
Blended with:	Rarely blended, except with Chardonnay in Champagne.
Other	The hardest of all wines to make, and often the most rewarding when it is successful.

 

Grape Variety	Syrah
Use in Old World	Rhone, France
Use in New World	Australia (called Shiraz), US esp. CA
Color	Deep red with a good deal of blue.
Aroma	Violets and sometimes black pepper. Very Berry.
Body	Medium to heavy.
Wine Making Flavors	Minimal flavors intrude, even when much is done to the wine.
Blended with:	Grenache and in Chateauneuf du Pape, 11 other grapes. The white grape Viognier is used very well in the Cote-Rotie (Rhone). In Australia it is a very important grape and is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Other	The Syrah of Australia is an older clone than in the Rhone. The clone was taken before phylloxera. Petite Sirah is no relation at all.

 

Grape Variety	Cabernet Franc
Use in Old World	Chinon in the Loire, as a blending grape in Bordeaux
Use in New World	US
Color	Light to medium, bright red
Aroma	Raspberry
Body	Light to medium
Wine Making Flavors	Often made in whole or partial CM style.
Blended with:	Alone or as part of a Cabernet Sauvignon blend.
Other	Just starting to catch on in the US.

 

Grape Variety	Grenache
Use in Old World	Rhone and Southern France. Rioja, Spain.
Use in New World	Some US
Color	Light red to orange.
Aroma	Spicy black pepper. Light red fruits
Body	Light to heavy
Wine Making Flavors	CM style in Southern France and Cote du Rhone. Much blended in the rest of the Rhone. Often oxidized with a strong vanilla aroma (from American Oak) in the wines of the Rioja.
Blended with:	Extensively with Syrah in the Rhone and a zillion other grapes in the south of France. In Rioja it is blended with Tempranillo.
Other	Also used to make the excellent roses of Tavel and Lirac.

 

Grape Variety	Nebbiolo
Use in Old World	Piedmont, Italy.
Use in New World	Small amounts in US.
Color	Solid red.
Aroma	Light fruit, sometimes bitter
Body	Medium to heavy
Wine Making Flavors	Often old musty oak and oxidation in these wines
Blended with:	None
Other	The grape of Barolo and Barberesco. A difficult grape that is often overlooked.

 

Grape Variety	Sangiovese
Use in Old World	Tuscany, Italy
Use in New World	Rare, but increasing in CA.
Color	From very light to very dark.
Aroma	Dark red fruits.
Body	From very light to very heavy.
Wine Making Flavors	Often heavily oaked and slightly oxidized.
Blended with:	In Chianti it is blended with red and white wines. In the 'Super-Tuscans' it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Other	There are huge differences in the various clones of this grape. There is the Grosso clone which is the more common, and the Piccolo clone which is smaller in size and plantings. The Brunello grape is a Sangiovese Grosso clone and yet still shows as the finest example of Sangiovese.

 

Grape Variety	Zinfandel
Use in Old World	Probably the Primativo of Italy, but it is now rare.
Use in New World	The only vinifera grape exclusive to the US.
Color	Deep purple, often inky.
Aroma	Blackberries and dark fruit.
Body	Light to very heavy.
Wine Making Flavors	Sometimes made in a CM style. Increasingly it is made in a partial CM style (blended with traditionally made wine) which preserves its character while adding complexity.
Blended with:	Any number of things, but Petite Syrah and Grenache are the most successful.
Other	Often made into a rose wine his exceptional grape has earned an undeserved reputation based on these insipid pink wines.