A guide to wine, without the jargon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the world's most widely recognized red grape, prized for producing deeply colored, full-bodied wines with firm tannins — the dry, gripping sensation you feel on your gums and tongue after a sip. Its flavor shifts dramatically with climate, from green pepper and blackcurrant in cooler regions to ripe black cherry and jammy fruit in warmer ones. Thick skins and high tannin give it excellent aging potential, often softening into notes of cedar and tobacco after years in the bottle.

Chardonnay is one of the world's most widely planted white grapes, prized for how dramatically it can change character depending on climate and winemaking. In cool regions like Chablis it stays lean and green-apple crisp; in warmer regions or with oak aging and malolactic fermentation — a winemaking process that softens acidity and adds a buttery, creamy texture — it becomes rich and tropical. On its own the grape is fairly neutral, which is exactly why it takes on the fingerprint of wherever it's grown.

Merlot is a soft, approachable red grape known for its plush texture and gentler tannins than its frequent blending partner, Cabernet Sauvignon. It ripens earlier and produces wines with juicy plum, black cherry, and cassis flavors, ranging from lush and velvety in warm climates to leaner and more herbal in cooler ones like Bordeaux. Its friendly character has made it one of the most popular red wines by the glass worldwide.

Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned, notoriously finicky red grape that produces light, elegant wines with bright red fruit flavors and silky, low tannins. It's highly sensitive to where it's grown, picking up subtle differences in soil and climate more than almost any other grape. Young Pinot Noir tastes of cherry and raspberry, while aged examples develop earthy, mushroom-like complexity.

Riesling is a highly aromatic white grape capable of more sweetness styles than almost any other — from bone-dry to lusciously sweet dessert wines — while always keeping a backbone of high, mouth-watering acidity. Young Riesling smells of green apple, lime, and white flowers; with age it can develop a distinctive smoky, honeyed character and even a whiff of petrol, a classic and prized trait rather than a flaw. Because it's rarely oaked, the grape's natural character and the personality of its vineyard site come through clearly.

Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, aromatic white grape known for its zingy acidity and vivid, unmistakable aromas — think fresh-cut grass, gooseberry, and grapefruit in cooler regions, riper passion fruit and tropical notes in warmer ones. It's almost always made bone dry and unoaked, which lets those punchy aromatics shine through. It's also a key blending partner in the sweet dessert wines of Sauternes.