Basic Guide to White Wine

Written by Madeline Puckette

Do you love the basic white wines but want to try more?

This visual guide will help you see how different, lesser known varieties fit into the major styles of white wine and will help you determine what to try next! Since there’s so much to know about white wine, this is a great way to help visualize the basics. Salut!

White Wines List for Beginners

A White Wines List for Beginners

Light & Zesty

These wines are light bodied and dry, with a fresh clean taste.

Herbaceous

These wines are typically light bodied with “green” and herbal aromas like grass, jalapeño, or bell pepper. These wines pair excellently with salads and herb-driven dishes!


Bold & Dry

These wines will blow the top of your head off with their intense flavor and a creamy-vanilla note brought about with oak aging.


Light & Sweet

Often with just a touch of residual sugar (from the grapes), these wines are slightly sweet and very aromatic.


Bold & Sweet

These wines are very sweet and perfect for pairing with dessert and sometimes chocolate.


Wine 101 Education

Explore Wine 101

Subscribe to our newsletter and get 50% off our Wine 101 Course. Discover the tools, techniques, and types of wine – there are over a 1,000 different varieties of Vitis vinifera, so it’s high time we start drinking them!

Learn More

Written byMadeline Puckette

James Beard Award-winning author and Wine Communicator of the Year. I co-founded Wine Folly to help people learn about wine. @WineFolly