Before you begin to add wine to your parties, you may want to learn about your choices. There are several different kinds of wine out there; it can most definitley lead to uncertainty. The way that wines are named can also be confusing. Hopefully this information will provide for a better understanding of the huge array of wine.

Sometimes wines are named for the area in which they are produced. (i.e. - Champagne, Pouilly Fuisse), others are named for the grapes from which they are made (i.e.- Chardonnay, Merlot.) Some are named for distant, better known production areas which produce wines that are least slightly similar (i.e. - Chablis, Burgundy or Champagne produced in the United States) and finally, there are wines that have 'made up' brand names applied to them (i.e. - Mateus, Blue Nun.) The decision to name a wine in a certain way is influenced by local laws or traditions and also marketing forces.

Reigonal Wines: In countries (mostly European) that have a long history of wine production, regulations have been developed that require certain varieties of grapes, viviculture practices and winemaking to be applied to wines from individual regions. These laws are based on centuries of experience with different grapes and methods and a resulting knowledge of what works best for that particular location. Most of the better French, Italian and Portuguese wines fall into this category. Examples of a few Regional names include: Bordeaux, Chablis, Chianti, Burgundy, Beaujolais, and Champagne.

Varietal Wines: These wines are named for the grape variety from which they are produced, Almost every country now allows wines to be labeled this way although knowledge of local laws is beneficial because variations do exist. In California, only 75% of a particular grape is required for a wine to be labeled with that varietal name. In France, a wine designated with a grape varietal name must contain 100% of that particular variety. In general, 'new world' countries are more likely to label their better and best wines with varietal names while 'old world' countries use varietal naming to name their every day table wines. Some exaples of varietal names are: Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Pinos Gris and Sangiovese.

Generic Wines: This particular category of wines is more common in the United States than in most other countries and is almost non-existent in European countries. THese are wines that have no content or origin requirements that are named for distant and famous wine producing regions. If an American winery produced a sparkling wine, it was labeled as a 'Champagne' even though true Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France. Similarly, if a wine was white and dry, it might be labeled 'Chablis' even though it bore little resemblence to a true French Chablis. Some examples of generic names include: Chablis, Burgundy, Champagne, Sherry and Port. In the United States and any other countries that allow generic naming, consumers become easily confused and often fail to appreciate the true quality of the real regions whose names are used to market inexpensive and inferior wines.