White wine, generally, is made from white grapes, although white grapes can be anything from pale green to gold or pink. Surprisingly, white wine can also be made from red wine grapes, with sparkling white produced from a variety of grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier), two of which are red.
The difference between red wine and white is fermentation time on the skins, as the colour comes from anthocyanin pigments in the grape’s skin. White wine is fermented without skin contact, producing wines ranging from almost colourless to deep golden or orange.
As tannin also comes from the grape’s skins, seeds and stems, and white wine is fermented without these, tannin only develops in whites through ageing in wooden barrels.
Sweetness is one of the characteristics used to describe wines, ranging from bone dry to very sweet. Most Australian white wines would be on the dry end of the scale. Some wines have only a little sweetness, and these are often referred to as off-dry. Dry wines utilise the complete fermentation of the grape must, whereas sweet wines are produced by interrupting the fermentation before all the grape sugars are converted into alcohol. White wines are often considered more refreshing and lighter in style and taste than most red wines. Acidity is another crucial characteristic of wine and contributes to a wine’s tart or sour flavour. Sweetness decreases the sensation of acidity, so a drier wine may appear more acidic.
You will find a wide range of styles which can be categorised from sparkling, light, medium, and full-bodied, generally categorised as below, with the wines becoming bolder as you read through the list.
Sparkling
Sparling white wines – Prosecco, Moscato
Light-Bodied
Lighter-bodied white wines – Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc Vermentino, Grűner Veltliner, Verdelho
Full-Bodied
Fuller-bodied white wines – Marsanne, Semillon, Viognier, Chardonnay
Aromatic
Aromatic white wines – Chenin Blanc, Riesling Gewűrztraminer
