White wine is the lightest colored wine made from grapes of any color without skin contact during fermentation. It typically has an alcohol content between 11-14% ABV.
How it is made
To minimize contact between grape juice and skins, grapes are pressed quickly after harvesting, sometimes without destemming. The juice is then clarified through centrifugation or natural settling. Fermentation requires careful temperature control at around 20°C to maintain acidity and freshness.
History
Temperature control during fermentation, introduced in the 1980s, allowed for crisp, fresh white wines instead of oxidized ones. In the 1990s, chardonnay and New Zealand sauvignon blanc were most popular. The 2000s saw demand for Italian pinot grigio and similar wines, while the 2010s featured Spanish albariño from Galicia.
How it is served
Dry white wines are typically served chilled in narrow glasses and pair well with fish, seafood, and occasionally poultry. Highly aromatic varieties like gewürztraminer and muscat are more challenging to pair. Dessert white wines complement sweet desserts or are served as digestifs.
Cocktails
White wine is used in cocktails such as Kir, Autumn Sangria, White Wine Sangria, and Yvonne's Toronto on this site.
Adapted from the Russian Wikipedia article Белое вино, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Kinds of white wine
Other styles
- Vin jaune
- Meursault wine
- Tsinandali wine (Georgia)
- Pouilly-Vinzelles
- Aromatic wine
- Brand
- Spätrot-Rotgipfler
- Bruderthal
- Vazisubani (Georgian SSR)
- Gurjaani (Georgia)
- Псоу (вино) (Republic of Abkhazia)
Well-known brands
- Sonyachna Dolyna (Soviet Union)
- Кокур десертный Сурож (Soviet Union)
- Мадера Массандра (Russian Empire)
- Мускат Белый Красного Камня (Soviet Union)
- Мускат белый Ливадия (Russian Empire)
- Мускат белый Магарач (Russian Empire)
- Нектар Демерджи (Russia, Ukraine)
- Пино-гри Ай-Даниль (Russian Empire)
- Портвейн белый Сурож (Soviet Union)
- Севастополь (вино)
- Семильон Алушта (Ukraine)
- Токай Южнобережный (Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Russian Empire)