varietal wine

noun

variants or less commonly varietal

: a wine (such as merlot) bearing the name of the principal grape from which it is produced

Examples of varietal wine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc, California $9 Known for bold flavors, Dark Horse delivers quality varietal wines at an affordable price. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

While the grape was first approved for production as a single varietal wine in 2021, it has been cultivated in the Duero Valley since the Middle Ages and has been used in small amounts alongside Tempranillo as a blending grape, much the way Viognier is added to Syrah in the northern Rhône. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2025

First promoted as a varietal wine by Bodega Tierra Roja’s Christian Villamor in 2010, the Vischoqueña mantel has since been taken up by Yokich, Cepa de Oro, and Jardín Oculto among others. —Marianne Perez-Fransius, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024

Unfamiliarity with this or that varietal wine hasn’t kept consumers from recognizing and embracing suggestions of apple, lime and revitalizing acidity in her Picpoul Blanc, the juicy complexity of her Grenache Blanc, and the tropical fruitiness, richness and persistence of her Clairette Blanche. —Mike Dunne, SFChronicle.com, 16 June 2020

Petite sirah has its advocates, but it’s never been all that popular or respected as a varietal wine. —New York Times, 21 Oct. 2021

At the time, many Napa Valley wineries used Merlot grapes, but they were rarely fashioned into a varietal wine. —Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Nov. 2022

Bending Branch Winery, the first to plant Souzao (a dark skinned grape with good natural acidity), released a single vineyard varietal wine, Bending Branch Estate Souzao, Lost Pirogue Vineyard, 2017. —Dallas News, 18 May 2022

Wine Folly says in Chile, a single-varietal wine is allowed to have up to 15% other varieties blended with it. —Marc Bona, cleveland, 14 Aug. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for varietal wine

• aconitine
• adamantine
• anopheline
• bromocriptine
• chlorhexidine
• clomipramine
• creatinine
• desipramine
• guanethidine
• heterodyne
• imipramine
• meperidine