HAVE YOU EVER been confused by a wine label? Do the varietals send you into a tailspin?
It's hardly surprising. Let's face it: If the whole world could decide on one name for each grape, life would be so much easier.
Esperanto for the wine world. I say we take a vote.
Without a doubt, Shiraz/Syrah is the best known example of oenological pseudonyms. The Syrah grape so famous in the Rhone is known as Shiraz in Australia. Ours is not to reason why, but it is useful to know these things when reading the blurb on the bottle.
One of my favorite grapes, Petite Sirah, a heady, peppery, powerful grape, is known in Australia as Durif. But just to add to the confusion, Petite Sirah is no longer thought to
It's not enough to change the name, though. To further cloud the issue, many grapes take on the names of other wine terms in different regions. Italy's Trebbiano grape is known elsewhere as Ugni Blanc. But in the Cognac region of France, the same grape is called St. Emilion (not to be confused with the rather fine appellation in Bordeaux).
Originally an oak-aged version of sauvignon blanc, we have Robert Mondavi to thank for the name Fume Blanc. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea in the '70s. Then again, disco music and platform shoes seemed like a good idea in the '70s.
Chenin Blanc, the beautiful, adaptable, kaleidoscopic grape of Vouvray, is also known as Pineau de la Loire. But in South Africa it becomes the rather harsh-sounding Steen.
Pinot blanc, a principal grape in the Alsace, is pinot bianco in Italy. In Germany, it becomes Weissburgunder. Auxerrois in Cahors becomes Malbec in Argentina.
Cabernet Franc, traditionally a blending grape in Bordeaux but now being increasingly made as a single varietal, is known in the Medoc (a Bordeaux appellation) as Carmenet. That's not to be confused with Carmenere, an old Bordeaux blending grape now grown principally in Chile.
The cosmopolitan grape known as Mourvedre is also known widely as Mataro. But the Spanish wine growers call it Monastrell. It's all the same grape!
In Uruguay, the bastion of wine-making prowess, the Tannat grape is known as Harriague. There's one to look out for. If you ever find a bottle, please let me know.
This issue is not just international--a matter of language--but also takes place within countries.
Most of Spain calls it Tempranillo, but in the Ribera del Duero it is known as Tinto Fino. Elsewhere, Cencibel is another pseudonym.
There are two major varietals that seem to have escaped this ball of confusion. Cabernet sauvignon, probably the world's best known red grape, is known worldwide as cabernet sauvignon. What a relief.
Chardonnay comes in a close second. It almost escapes this bizarre phenomenon. Almost. The Styrian people of Austria insist on calling it Morillon.
Having put all this down on paper, I think I'm going to drink
It's decidedly reassuring.
SUZANNE GRUMKO, a London native, has worked in the wine industry for 15 years, currently with Total Wine in Central Park. She lives in Spotsylvania County with her husband, John, and seven children. She can be reached by