Often used in Bordeaux-style red blends, the Petit Verdot varietal is known for its tendency to ripen late and for that reason is often shunned by growers in the Bordeaux region nowadays. Not so however in the warmer climates of the New World, where the varietal ripens more reliably.

In Bordeaux, it is used as a seasoning in blends to add stronger acidity, tannins and shades of dark purple, but usually at less than about 5 percent.

As a varietal (single grape) wine, Petit Verdot has a pronounced taste of blackberries along with aromas of banana when young, that change as the wine matures to violets and leather.

An older vine variety Petit Verdot probably predates Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux. Historically, Petit Verdot was used as a minor component in many of Bordeaux's finest encepagement, (an assortment of grape varieties planted on one particular property).

In the warm and dry conditions of South Australia and Northern California, where it ripens fully, the grape adds deep rich purple color, firm tannins and an exotic floral and spicy perfume to wines. A growing number are using the grape to make deeply pigmented, highly extracted and aromatic single varietal labelled wines. With an ever-growing string of medals for excellence, the Petit Verdot varietal from the Pirramimma vineyard in McLaren Vale is a fine example of a true varietal. The Pirramimma Petit Verdot vineyard was the first and is now the largest in Australia.

One of the oldest grape varieties, Pinot Noir was cultivated in Burgundy before the Roman invasion. The vine is not genetically stable and mutates easily. Today there are over 1,000 varieties in Burgundy alone. You could say there is a clone of Pinot Noir for any purpose! It is temperamental and difficult to grow, produces low yields, and is susceptible to frost, mildew and rot! So why do makers continue to use it? Wine drinkers love it. It's as simple as that - demand rules!

When it is less than two years old, Pinot Noir is sensually fragrant with subtle aromas and flavors of raspberries, strawberries and red cherries. When it matures it becomes a veritable tiger; blatantly sexy and wonderfully complex with exotic tastes and aromas of mulberry, truffles, game and leather - without losing its elegance!

For white wines, Semillon is often used in blends, particularly with Sauvignon Blanc in France, when it can be citrusy with a lanoline texture and waxy. In the sweet wines of Sauternes and Graves, it has a pronounced honeyed richness.

As a stand-alone varietal, one of the best I've tasted comes from Peter Lehman of the Barossa Valley in South Australia. From the Art Series the un-oaked 2008 has delicate green tints, the nose is fragrant with lemon blossoms and subtle notes of grapefruit. Overall the wine is lively and beautifully refreshing. The vines are low-yield and very old.

The Pinot Gris is a mutation of Pinot Noir and can produce aromatic, fruity wines of some stature. It is at its best in Alsace, where it is known as Tokay.

To clarify aroma, it describes a sensation, which is a combination of smell and taste. That's because you smell the wine with your nose and your mouth. That is one reason that professional tasters approach smelling a wine with their mouths partially open and not as you might think, trying to swallow the glass too!

Maggie Beale can be contacted on wine-expert@hotmail.com.

(HK Edition 06/30/2010 page4)