There are more than 10,000 grape varieties around the world. Not all of these are used to make wine, but many of the most popular are.
The International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV) last published figures in 2017 so these are a little out of date, but they still make interesting reading.
The most popular grape variety is Kyoho. Have you ever tried it? No, me neither. It is a hybrid variety first developed in Japan but is now popular in China too. Apparently, it produces good yields of large berries with lots of sugar. It is used to make grape juice or as a table grape, to be eaten fresh, and occasionally wine.
The second most popular variety is very familiar to us; cabernet sauvignon. It originated in southwest France and is now grown in most wine-producing countries around the world. In Bordeaux, it provides the backbone for many of the world’s greatest wines, including Châteaux Lafite, Latour, and Mouton-Rothschild.
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At number three is sultana, widely used to make raisins as well as table grapes. Also called Thompson Seedless, it is widely grown in California and Turkey, but rarely to make wine.
Number four is merlot, another familiar variety. It also originated in southwest France, and Bordeaux in particular, where it is used to make Petrus, one of the most expensive and sought-after wines of all. However, both California and Italy grow more merlot than France. The wines are generally rich in soft fruits and low in tannins.
Tempranillo is the fifth most popular variety. The grape behind Rioja, Ribera del Duero and many other quality Spanish wines it is grown almost exclusively in Spain. The wines are medium to full-bodied depending on where the vines are grown.
You may not have heard of Airén, our number six, but it was once the most widely planted grape variety of all. It is grown almost exclusively on the hot arid plains of central Spain and used mainly for simple inexpensive white wines and for brandy. It has fallen out of fashion, and many vines have been uprooted.
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Chardonnay is the seventh most popular grape. Originally from northeast France, where it is a key ingredient in Champagne and the sole grape in most white Burgundy, chardonnay is now planted in virtually every wine-producing country in the world. It varies in style from fresh and crisp to rich and textured, and it can produce very high-quality wine.
Syrah, also known as shiraz, comes in at number eight. In France, it is often blended with Grenache in the southern Rhône to add colour and tannins. In the northern part of the Rhône, you are more likely to come across pure syrah. In Australia, where it is known as shiraz, you will find a variety of styles, but shiraz is best known for rich warming red wines.
At number nine, Red Globe is a seeded variety used for table grapes. It is widely grown around the Mediterranean, California and Chile.
Number 10 is the only Italian-sounding grape to make the list. Trebbiano Toscano is widely grown in Italy, but it is also very popular in southwest France, where it is known as ugni blanc. In both countries, it produces large quantities of fairly innocuous white wine with high acidity. In France, it is used to make Cognac and Armagnac.
And what about two of our other favourite grape varieties – sauvignon blanc and pinot noir? They come in at numbers 11 and 12 respectively.
