Types of White Wine

The main types of white wine fall into four easy groups: light and crisp (Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño), aromatic (Riesling, Gewürztraminer), rich and full (oaked Chardonnay, Viognier) and sweet (Moscato, Sauternes). Most white wine on the shelf is dry, and the grape plus the place it grows tell you most of what you need to know about how it will taste.

Below you will find a summary table of 17 white wines, then a short profile of each: how it tastes, where it grows and one food to try it with. Body, a word you will see often, means how heavy the wine feels in your mouth.

Types of white wine at a glance

This table is the quick version of the whole page. Body is how heavy the wine feels, and the sweetness column shows what you will usually find, although many grapes can be made in more than one style. For how white wine fits alongside red, rosé and sparkling, see our overview of the main types of wine.

Rule of thumb: the grape gives the basic flavour, and the climate decides the weight. Cool places give lighter, crisper wines; sunny places give riper, fuller ones.

Light and crisp white wines

These are the wines for a warm afternoon or a plate of seafood. They are usually dry, rarely see oak, and have lively acidity, the mouth-watering freshness that makes a wine feel crisp. Serve them cold, at 7–10°C.

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris

Taste: lemon, green apple and pear, light and easy.

The same grape goes by two names. Pinot Grigio from the Veneto, Friuli and Alto Adige in north-east Italy is light and crisp, while Pinot Gris from Alsace in France is rounder and spicier, sometimes lightly sweet. Try it with: a seafood pasta or a simple salad.

Sauvignon Blanc

Taste: grapefruit, gooseberry, passion fruit and freshly cut grass, with zingy acidity.

Its home is the Loire Valley, where Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé show a leaner, flinty side. Marlborough in New Zealand made the punchy, tropical style famous, and Bordeaux, Chile and South Africa grow plenty too. Try it with: goat's cheese, a classic Loire match.

Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne)

Taste: lemon, green apple and a salty, sea-breeze freshness. Very light.

Made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape near Nantes, where the Loire meets the Atlantic. Look for sur lie on the label: the wine rested on its lees, the spent yeast left after fermentation, which adds a little texture. Try it with: oysters.

Albariño

Taste: peach, lemon and a salty finish.

Grown in Rías Baixas in Galicia, north-west Spain, and over the border in northern Portugal, where it is called Alvarinho. Try it with: grilled prawns.

Grüner Veltliner

Taste: green apple, lime and a twist of white pepper.

Austria's most widely planted grape. Everyday versions are light and zesty, while wines from the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal can be fuller and age well. Try it with: Wiener schnitzel or asparagus.

Assyrtiko

Taste: lemon, wet stone and salt, with very high acidity.

Greece's star white grape thrives on the volcanic island of Santorini, where vines are often trained low into basket shapes to shelter the grapes from strong winds. Try it with: grilled octopus.

Vermentino

Taste: lemon, green apple, wild herbs and a light bitter-almond finish.

A grape of the western Mediterranean: Sardinia, Liguria and the Tuscan coast in Italy, plus Corsica and southern France, where it is often called Rolle. Try it with: pasta with pesto.

Soave (Garganega)

Taste: lemon, pear and almond, soft and gentle.

Soave is a wine area near Verona in north-east Italy, and Garganega is its main grape. Try it with: a vegetable risotto.

Aromatic white wines

Aromatic grapes leap out of the glass with the scent of flowers, fruit or spice. That big perfume can trick you into expecting sweetness, so check the sweetness chart below.

Riesling

Taste: lime, green apple, peach and blossom, with sharp acidity. Older bottles can develop a note often described as petrol.

Germany's great grape, especially along the Mosel, and also important in Alsace, Austria and Australia's Clare and Eden Valleys. It ranges from bone dry to richly sweet. On a German label, trocken means dry, while Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are ripeness levels that are often, but not always, sweeter. Try it with: Thai food, especially with an off-dry bottle.

Gewürztraminer

Taste: lychee, rose petals and ginger, with soft acidity and a rich, oily feel.

Alsace is its classic home, and it also grows in Alto Adige in northern Italy, Germany and New Zealand. Many are off-dry, meaning lightly sweet. Try it with: fragrant Indian dishes or a strong washed-rind cheese such as Munster.

Torrontés

Taste: rose, jasmine, peach and citrus peel. It smells sweet but usually tastes dry.

Argentina's signature white grape, grown in high vineyards in Salta, around the town of Cafayate, and further south in La Rioja and Mendoza. Try it with: empanadas.

Rich and full-bodied white wines

Full-bodied whites feel weightier and creamier, like whole milk next to skimmed. That comes from ripe fruit, oak barrels or bottle age. Serve them a little warmer than crisp whites, at 10–13°C, so the flavours can open up.

Chardonnay (oaked and unoaked)

Taste: unoaked, green apple and lemon; oaked, ripe apple, butter, vanilla and toast.

In Chablis, in northern Burgundy, it is usually made without new oak and tastes crisp and pure. Further south in Burgundy, and in warmer places such as California and Australia, it is often fermented or aged in oak barrels, which add vanilla and toast. The buttery note comes from malolactic conversion, a step that turns sharp, apple-like acid into softer, milky acid. Try it with: roast chicken for oaked, oysters for unoaked.

Chenin Blanc

Taste: apple, quince and honey, with high acidity.

The Loire Valley makes it in every style, from dry Savennières to still and sparkling Vouvray that can be dry or sweet. South Africa grows more Chenin Blanc than any other country, often in a fresh, fruity style. Try it with: roast pork.

Viognier

Taste: apricot, peach and honeysuckle, with low acidity and a silky texture.

Its classic home is Condrieu in the northern Rhône Valley, and it also grows in southern France, California and Australia. Try it with: a mild, creamy curry.

Sémillon

Taste: lemon and beeswax when young, honey and toast with age.

In Bordeaux it is blended with Sauvignon Blanc for both dry whites and sweet Sauternes. Australia's Hunter Valley makes a very different version: light, lean and modest in alcohol when young, then rich and toasty after years in bottle. Try it with: white fish in a creamy sauce.

Sweet white wine types

Sweet whites keep some of the grape's natural sugar. Winemakers get there in different ways: stopping fermentation early, letting the grapes shrivel, or picking them frozen. Serve them well chilled, at 6–10°C.

Moscato

Taste: fresh grapes, peach and orange blossom, light and often gently fizzy.

Moscato is the Italian name for the Muscat grape. The best-known style is Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont: lightly sparkling, low in alcohol (usually around 5 to 6 per cent) and sweet but fresh. Not every Muscat is sweet, though: Alsace makes dry versions. Try it with: a fruit tart.

Sauternes

Taste: apricot, honey, marmalade and toasted nuts, rich and luscious.

This Bordeaux classic is made mostly from Sémillon with some Sauvignon Blanc. Autumn mists encourage noble rot, a helpful fungus that shrivels the grapes and concentrates their sugar. Try it with: blue cheese such as Roquefort.

Other sweet whites worth knowing include Tokaji Aszú from Hungary, made mostly from the Furmint grape, ice wine, pressed from grapes frozen on the vine, and late-harvest Riesling and Chenin Blanc.

White wine sweetness chart

Sweetness is measured as residual sugar: the grape sugar left over after fermentation, in grams per litre (g/L). The EU uses the bands below for still wine. High acidity makes a wine taste less sweet than its sugar suggests, which is why the dry and medium dry bands stretch further for very crisp wines.

These are typical homes, not rules. For the same chart across red, rosé and sparkling wine, see our full wine sweetness chart.

How to choose the best type of white wine for you

There is no single best white wine, only the best one for you. Start from what you already enjoy:

• Zesty and refreshing: Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño or Grüner Veltliner.
• Soft and easy-going: Pinot Grigio or Soave.
• Creamy and rich: oaked Chardonnay or Viognier.
• Perfumed and spicy: Gewürztraminer or Torrontés.
• A little sweetness: Moscato d'Asti or an off-dry Riesling.

To learn fast, taste two side by side, such as an unoaked Chablis next to an oaked Chardonnay from a warm region.

Temperature matters more than most people think. Serve light whites at 7–10°C and full whites at 10–13°C; too cold mutes the flavour, and too warm makes the wine taste flat and alcoholic. Our wine serving temperature guide has the full chart. Wine is for adults of legal drinking age and best enjoyed in moderation.