There are several types of wines with various styles within each of the types:

Red Wines

Amazingly, almost all grapes produce white juice. Red wines are produced by leaving the skin of the purple grapes in with the juice for some period of time as it ferments. This contact of the grape skin with the grape juice produces the color of the wine, ranging from light pink rosé to the deep red wines.

These are dark in color and have bold dark fruit flavors.  These typically have stronger tannins from the seed, skins and oak aging, as well as higher alcohol levels. In general, darker grapes produce bolder wines with greater flavors.

Full bodied red wines include Aglianico, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Monastrell, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Nero d'Avola, Petite Sirah, Sagrantino, Syrah, Tannat, and Tempranillo. 

These wines sit between light and full bodied, with moderate tannins and fruit-forward flavors that make them among the most versatile and food-friendly reds.

Medium bodied red wines include Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Côtes du Rhône blends, Dolcetto, Grenache, Merlot, Super Tuscan blends, Valpolicella and Zinfandel.

These tend to be lighter in tannin, lower in alcohol and have bright acidity and fruit flavors.

Light bodied red wines include Cinsault, Gamay (used in the production of Beaujolais Nouveau) and Pinot Noir.

White Wines

White wines are generally made from green or yellow-skinned grapes, though a few varieties — such as Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris — come from pink or lightly red-skinned grapes. Unlike red wines, white wines undergo little or no contact with the grape skins during fermentation, which is why they remain pale in color.

These are going to have bigger, fuller flavors than those of the light bodied whites, contain a bit more alcohol and may be aged in oak.

These wines have bigger, fuller flavors than the light bodied whites, contain a bit more alcohol, and are often aged in oak, which adds richness and complexity.

Medium bodied white wines include un-oaked Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Marsanne, Sémillon, and Viognier.

A full bodied white is best illustrated by an oaked Chardonnay — rich, creamy, and bold in flavor.

Fruity and Dry White Wines

These are fresh, bright, and high in acidity, with citrus, stone fruit, or floral notes depending on the grape.

Includes Albariño, Chablis (un-oaked Chardonnay from France), Pinot Gris/Grigio, Dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc (also known as Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé), Verdicchio, Verdejo, and Vermentino.

Lightly Sweet White Wines

These have a touch of residual sugar that gives them a gentle sweetness, balanced by natural acidity.

Includes Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, Muscat Blanc, Riesling, and Torrontés.

Sweet White Wines (also see Dessert Wines)

White wines with significant sweetness, typically from late-harvested grapes or naturally concentrated juice. Includes Ice Wine, Late Harvest wines, and White Port.

White Wine Blends

White wine blends are produced by combining two or more grape varieties to achieve a flavor, balance, or complexity that a single grape alone might not deliver on its own. Blending is also a practical tool for consistency — allowing winemakers to produce a wine that tastes the same from year to year even when individual vintages vary.

Winter White Wines

Winter white wines are not the bright, fruity, and refreshing styles you may normally associate with white wine — such as Sauvignon Blanc — but rather whites that are bigger and more powerful in flavor, designed to pair well with heartier winter dishes. These wines are also best served at a slightly warmer temperature than typical whites: 50–55°F rather than straight from the refrigerator.

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Rosé Wines

Rosé wines occupy a delicious middle ground between red and white — they're made from red wine grapes, but the skins are left in contact with the juice for only a short time during fermentation. The longer the skin contact, the deeper the color, which is why rosés range from the palest copper-pink to a more vivid salmon or even light ruby.

Because of their limited skin contact, rosés tend to share many characteristics with white wines — they're typically light, fruity, and higher in acidity — while still carrying some of the character of the red grape they were made from.

Common grapes used to make rosé include Grenache, Mourvèdre, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Syrah.

Sparkling Wines

Sparkling wine is often synonymous in people's minds with Champagne — and for good reason. Champagne is one of the world's great sparkling wines, produced in the Champagne region of France using specific grapes and a time-honored method. But the name Champagne is legally protected: no sparkling wine made outside that region can use it, no matter how similar the style. The good news is that wonderful sparkling wines are produced all over the world, often at a fraction of the price.

What sets sparkling wine apart from still wine is carbon dioxide — the same gas that gives fizz to sparkling water, but created here in a far more interesting way. Rather than being added artificially, the bubbles in sparkling wine are the natural byproduct of a secondary fermentation. In the traditional method (Méthode Traditionnelle), this second fermentation happens inside the bottle itself, producing the fine, persistent bubbles associated with Champagne and other premium sparklers. In the Charmat Method, the secondary fermentation takes place in pressurized stainless steel tanks before bottling — the approach used for Prosecco and many other approachable, fruit-forward sparkling wines.

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Dessert Wines

Dessert wines are unified by one characteristic — sweetness — but they arrive at that sweetness through a surprisingly wide range of methods, from late-harvested grapes and noble rot to naturally sweet grape varieties and halted fermentation. They range from lightly sweet and delicate to intensely rich and complex, and they're not always reserved for dessert — many make wonderful aperitifs or companions to cheese.

Sparkling Dessert Wines

Sweeter sparkling wines are classified by their level of residual sugar: Dry (17–35 g/liter), Demi-Sec (35–50 g/liter), and Doux (50+ g/liter). Despite the name, "Dry" in this context is actually the sweetest of the standard sparkling wine categories — it's sweet enough to qualify as a dessert wine.

Includes Asti Spumante, Moscato d'Asti, Sparkling Gewürztraminer, Demi-Sec Riesling, Demi-Sec Chenin Blanc, and Sparkling Rosés.

Lightly Sweet Dessert Wines

These gently sweet white wines have just enough residual sugar to feel indulgent without being cloying, making them lovely after-dinner drinks or a pairing for fruit-based desserts.

Includes Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Moscatel, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, and Viognier.

Richly Sweet Dessert Wines

These are the most intensely sweet wines in the category, typically made from grapes that have been concentrated through late harvesting, freezing, or the effects of noble rot — a beneficial mold that shrivels the grapes and dramatically intensifies their sugars.

Includes Ice Wines, Late Harvest Wines, Muscat, Noble Rot, Sauterns, Sweet Riesling and Sweet Gewurztraminer..

Sweet Red Wines

Sweet red wines are less common than their white counterparts but offer a unique experience — the richness of red fruit flavors combined with noticeable sweetness. Late Harvest red wines are also included here, made from grapes picked very late in the season when sugar levels are at their peak; fermentation is halted before all the sugar converts to alcohol, resulting in wines that are lush, rich, and deeply flavored.

Includes Brachetto d'Acqui, Freisa, Lambrusco, Recioto della Valpolicella, Schiava, and Late Harvest red wines.

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Fortified Wines

Fortified wine is wine to which a distilled spirit — usually brandy — has been added. The practice originated in the days when wine was shipped long distances by sea, and it was discovered that the added alcohol acted as a preservative, keeping the wine fresher on long voyages. Today, fortification is a deliberate winemaking choice that produces some of the most complex and long-lived wines in the world.

Examples of fortified wines include:

Port — A rich, sweet red wine produced in the Douro Valley of Portugal. Fermentation is halted by the addition of brandy, which preserves the natural grape sugars and results in a wine that is both sweet and high in alcohol. Port ranges in style from the fruity and approachable Ruby Port to the nutty, aged complexity of Tawny Port.

Sherry — Produced exclusively in the Jerez region of southern Spain, Sherry ranges dramatically in style from bone dry (Fino, Manzanilla) to richly sweet (Pedro Ximénez). It is aged using the traditional solera system, in which younger wines are gradually blended with older ones to achieve consistency and complexity.

Marsala — A fortified wine from Sicily, Italy, available in dry and sweet styles. While it has a long history as a drinking wine, it is perhaps best known today as a cooking wine and as the key ingredient in the classic Italian dessert zabaglione.

Madeira — Produced on the rugged Portuguese island of the same name off the coast of Morocco, Madeira is made from four principal noble grapes — Malmsey, Bual, Verdelho, and Sercial — and fortified with brandy. Uniquely, it is then deliberately exposed to heat and oxygen during aging, a process that gives it extraordinary longevity and a flavor profile that ranges from bone dry to intensely sweet.

Vermouth — A fortified wine flavored with an array of botanicals, herbs, spices, and sometimes fruits. Available in dry and sweet styles, Vermouth is widely used as an aperitif and as an essential ingredient in classic cocktails such as the Martini and the Negroni.

Distilled Wines & Spirits

Distilled wines take the winemaking process one step further — rather than stopping at fermentation, the wine is heated and the alcohol vapor is captured and condensed into a much stronger spirit. The result is a category of drinks that retains the character of the grapes and regions they come from, but in a far more concentrated and complex form.

Brandy — Brandy is essentially distilled wine. Any fermented fruit juice can technically be distilled into brandy, but grape-based brandy is by far the most common. The name comes from the Dutch brandewijn, meaning "burnt wine" — a reference to the heat used in distillation. Brandy is produced all over the world and varies widely in style depending on the grape varieties used and how long it is aged.

Cognac — Cognac is brandy produced specifically from white wine grapes grown in the Cognac region of southwestern France. It is double-distilled in copper pot stills and aged in French oak barrels, which gives it the smooth, complex character it is known for. By law, only brandy produced in this region using approved grape varieties and methods may be called Cognac.

Grappa — Grappa is an Italian spirit made by distilling the grape pomace — the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems left over after the grapes have been pressed for winemaking. Originally a way of using every last bit of the harvest, Grappa has evolved into a respected artisanal spirit, ranging in style from raw and fiery to smooth and elegantly aged.

Other Wines

Some wines don't fit neatly into the main categories above, and some wine terms you'll encounter — on a menu, in a shop, or in conversation — deserve a plain-language explanation of their own. Here is a collection of those topics:

What is a Table Wine? — Table wine is an everyday term for a straightforward, unpretentious wine meant to be enjoyed with a meal rather than saved for a special occasion. The term has no strict legal definition in the United States, but in Europe it carries a specific classification indicating a wine that falls outside the regulated regional designation system.

What is Jug Wine? — Jug wine refers to inexpensive wine sold in large-format containers, typically 1.5 liters or larger. The term dates back to an era when wine was literally sold in ceramic jugs, though today it most often comes in glass magnums or boxed wine formats. It's produced in large volumes with consistency and affordability as the primary goals.

What is a Picnic Wine? — A picnic wine is less a formal category than a practical one — it refers to any wine that travels well, doesn't require a glass to appreciate, and suits casual outdoor settings. Think light reds served slightly chilled, crisp whites, rosés, and sparkling wines that are easy to enjoy without ceremony.

What is Cooking Wine? — Cooking wine is wine that has been specifically processed for use in the kitchen, typically with added salt and preservatives that extend its shelf life. Most culinary experts recommend cooking with a wine you'd actually drink, since the flavors concentrate as the liquid reduces — a wine you wouldn't enjoy in a glass rarely improves a dish.

What is a House Wine? — A house wine is the wine a restaurant or bar offers as its default option, typically served by the glass at an accessible price point. It's chosen by the establishment to be broadly appealing and reliably consistent, and while it rarely represents the most interesting option on the menu, a good house wine is always a dependable choice.

What is an Orange Wine? — Despite the name, orange wine contains no oranges. It is made from white wine grapes that have been fermented with extended skin contact — the same process used to make red wine — which gives it an amber or orange hue and a distinctly different character from standard white wine: fuller bodied, more tannic, and often with earthy, nutty flavors alongside the fruit.

What is a Pétillant Naturel (Pet Nat)? — Pétillant Naturel, commonly known as Pet Nat, is one of the oldest methods of making sparkling wine. The wine is bottled before fermentation is complete, and the naturally occurring carbon dioxide produced by the remaining fermentation creates the bubbles inside the bottle. The result is typically a lightly sparkling, cloudy wine with a rustic, fresh character that has made it a favorite among natural wine enthusiasts.

What is a Non-Alcoholic Wine? — Non-alcoholic wine is wine from which the alcohol has been removed after fermentation, typically through a process of vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis that preserves as much of the wine's original flavor as possible. Low-alcohol wines — generally under 6% ABV — are also included in this growing category, which has expanded significantly as more consumers seek alternatives to full-strength wine.

What is an Organic Wine vs a Wine Made with Organic Grapes? — These two terms sound similar but mean different things. A wine made with organic grapes simply means the fruit was grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. An organic wine goes further — it must also be produced without certain additives in the winery, most notably added sulfites, which are commonly used as a preservative in conventional winemaking.

What are Natural, Bio-Dynamic and Sustainably Produced Wines? — These three terms reflect different philosophies around how wine is grown and made. Natural wine takes a minimal-intervention approach both in the vineyard and the winery. Biodynamic farming treats the vineyard as a self-sustaining ecosystem, following a specific calendar and using organic preparations. Sustainable viticulture focuses on environmental responsibility and long-term land stewardship without necessarily adhering to the strict standards of organic or biodynamic certification.

Why Most Wines are not Vegan — Wine might seem like a naturally vegan product, but many winemakers use animal-derived fining agents — such as egg whites, milk protein (casein), or fish-derived isinglass — to clarify the wine and remove unwanted particles before bottling. While these agents are filtered out before the wine reaches the consumer, their use in the production process means the wine is not considered vegan.

How Vegan Wines are Made — Vegan wines achieve the same clarity and stability as conventionally made wines but use plant-based or mineral fining agents instead of animal-derived ones. Common alternatives include bentonite clay, activated charcoal, and pea protein. Some winemakers skip the fining process altogether, allowing the wine to clarify naturally over time.