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Day 5 of The Falstaff wine advent calendar.

Day 5 of The Falstaff wine advent calendar.
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Home News Wine The Falstaff wine advent calendar: Day 5

The Falstaff wine advent calendar: Day 5

Wine Inspiration

Ever wondered how many grape varieties there are?

Gabriel Stone,
05.12.2022

Wine shelves may be dominated by just a handful of household names, but the ubiquitous Chardonnay and Syrah really are just the tip of a very large iceberg. There are well over 10,000 grape varieties, and that’s just those classified as vitis vinifera, the European species that is generally regarded as most suitable for wine production.

Even narrowing the field to those in commercial production, it’s tricky to pin down an exact figure – many varieties are prone to mutation and grow in remote places. But let’s go with 1,368, the number of varieties included in Wine Grapes, the authoritative guide by Jancis Robinson MW, Julia Harding MW and grape geneticist José Vouillamoz.

How many have you tried?

Gabriel Stone
Gabriel Stone
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