Even if white wine is more accessible than red wine for a novice, it is nonetheless a complex wine that brings real tasting pleasure.

Whether for the discerning oenophile or the occasional connoisseur of fine wine. Dry or sweet, organic or biodynamic, white wines most often deliver fruity, flowery aromas and flavors with a thousand secrets.

In France, we are fortunate to find exceptional winemakers who, thanks to their regional know-how and innovative methods, produce white wines: dry, sweet, syrupy, vins doux naturels blancs, and even bubbles.

So, let's take a look at the different types of white wine and their grape varieties, so that you can fully appreciate all their secrets when tasting them.

Discover Gérard Bertrand's collection of white wines.

A reminder of the different types of white wine

There are several types of white wine. 

Dry white wine

It is characterized by a very low sugar content. This fresh wine is balanced only by acidity and alcohol.

Sweet white wine 

Mellow wines have a lower sugar content than sweet wines, ranging from 12 to 45 grams per liter. They are made from grapes at optimum ripeness.

Sweet white wine

The sugar content of sweet white wines is over 45 g/l, and can reach up to 200 grams of sugar per liter. Here, the grapes are hand-picked in several successive selections. Depending on the region, these are known as "grains nobles" or "vendanges tardives".

Sparkling white wine

Sparkling white wine is most often associated with Champagne, but there are many other types of sparkling white wine, all worth tasting, such as Clairette de Die and Crémants.

We recommend our cuvée Code Rouge, an AOP Crémant de Limoux sparkling wine, Blanc de Blanc (produced exclusively with white grapes), from the Gérard Bertrand estates.

Matured white wine

Muted white wines are naturally sweet wines obtained by mutage. This involves stopping the fermentation of white wine by adding alcohol.

Such is the case with our Muscat de Rivesaltes Gérard Bertrand, a well-balanced white Fortified Wine that's delicious served chilled (10°C) as an aperitif.

France's main white wine-producing regions and their grape varieties

Some of France's white wine-producing regions are world-renowned for the distinctive character of their terroir and the typicity of theirgrape varieties . To answer a question often asked by the uninitiated, a white wine is made from white grapes and, depending on the region, also from black grapes. To avoid coloring the wine, red grape varieties such as Pinot-Noir do not undergo maceration. In fact, it's the skins of the black grapes that contain the coloring agents used to tint the wine. In white wine vinification, the grapes are pressed directly.

The Bordeaux region and its art of blending

Between dry, sweet and syrupy white wines, the wines of this wine-producing region are mainly made from Sauvignon, Sémillon and Muscadelle grapes. It is the subtle blending of these three main grape varieties that gives rise to Bordeaux's blended white wines.

Côtes de Gascogne and its atypical terroir

In the past, this region was focused on Armagnac production. Today, grape varieties such as Colombard and Sauvignon-Blanc produce dry white wines with a light alcohol content. On this terroir, the phenolic ripeness of Petit manseng and Gros manseng is enhanced to produce mellow white wines.

Burgundy and its star grape

The star grape variety, Chardonnay , comes into its own in the release of its aromatic expression in this region. Not only does it dominate almost all Burgundy cuvées as a single variety, but it also transcribes each parcel of Burgundy terroir with elegance.

The Alsace region and its exceptional terroir

Thanks to its geological diversity and microclimates, Alsace produces dry white wines from Riesling for its freshness and Sylvaner for its lightness. Then, sweetwhite wines are produced from Gewurztraminer for its aromatic power and Pinot Gris for its generous intensity. Finally, white wine bubbles with the red grape variety, Pinot Noir which produces an effervescent white wine.

The Loire Valley vineyards and their unique style

The diversity of Loire white wines extends over the vineyards of the Pays Nantais, the Touraine and Anjou winegrowing regions, as well as the vineyards of Centre Loire. Take, for example, the white wines of Anjou-Saumur, recognized for their particular schist and sandstone soil, which favors the quality of dry and sweet white wines produced with the Chenin grape variety.

Languedoc-Roussillon and its strong identity of terroir and grape varieties

A wide variety of soils vary from terraces of rolled pebbles, sandstone and marl, limestone and schist areas, clay soils, poudingues, sandy soils, and even basalts. Chardonnay dominates dry white wine production, with other grape varieties such as Carignan Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Maccabeu, Bourboulenc, Muscat Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, PiquepoulBlanc, Clairette Blanche, Rolle, Tourbat and Viognier gracefully express the terroir's strong identity. However, as well as producing dry white wine, Languedoc-Roussillon also produces vins doux naturels blancs, such as Muscat de Lunel and Muscat de Rivesaltes.

Côtes-du-Rhône and its emblematic grape varieties

The most common white grape variety in the Rhône vineyards is Viognier. It produces full-bodied, smooth wines. The Côtes-du-Rhône also produces dry and sparkling white wines from the Muscat Petit Grain grape variety. This grape offers complex citrus aromas to the wines of this region.

The secrets of white wine and tasting

We recommend starting your white wine tasting with a dry wine. And work your way up from the driest to the sweetest. If you start with a sweet white wine, your palate will quickly become saturated. Nevertheless, to enjoy a glass of white wine to the full, you need to follow an ascending order of strength. Some white wines are fruity, others are lively, while white wines aged in oak barrels are more powerful, bringing a more marked and intense taste.

The color of white wine depends on the grape variety and the sugar content. It ranges from yellow-green to russet. The younger the wine, the lighter its color, pale with green highlights. As it matures, its color evolves towards more orange tones. Gérard Bertrand's orange wines are made from white grapes.

To savor the secrets of white wines, once served in a stemmed glass, you swirl it slightly to capture its aromatic fragrances and observe its dress and legs, others call it the tears of wine. In this way, traces of the wine's textural viscosity can be traced on the inside of the glass.

From aperitif to dessert

Served chilled, dry and sparkling white wines are ideal from aperitif to dessert. La Clairette du Languedoc Adissan from Gérard Bertrand's Art de Vivre collection is a good example of a white wine to enjoy as an aperitif.

For lovers of sweet wines, sweet and syrupy white wines are ideal as aperitifs, as long as they are served chilled.

The ideal pairing is with seafood. However, the advantage of white wine is that it goes well with white meats, tarts, quiches and other mixed salads.

That said, the most sublime pairing is that of white wine with cheese. Tasting a cheese such as mature Comté or Beaufort, goat's or sheep's cheese, with a glass of white wine rather than red wine prevents the milk protein from curdling on contact with the tannins in the red wine, leaving a soapy taste on the palate. Even more incredible is the pairing of stronger cheeses, such as Munster or Maroilles, with the white wine from which it comes.

And for epicureans, the perfect cheese pairing is Roquefort, Bleu or Fourme (from Ambert or Montbrison) with a Fortified Wine like a white Banyuls.

For dessert, with cakes, fruit tarts, custards or fruit salad, opt for sweet white wines, or sparkling wines that will replace champagne with panache.

List of products :

Our Cuvée Extra Blanc, gourmand, fresh and intense, based on Grenache Blanc.

Our Prima Nature Chardonnay, an organic white wine with no added sulfites

Domaine de Cigalus Blanc, a biodynamic Chardonnay Viognier Sauvignon Blanc blend

Learn more about wine :

And everything you need to know about orange, red and rosé wines.

Discover the best Gérard Bertrand wines:

Best red wine

Best white wine

Best rosé wine

Best orange wine

Discover the Gérard Bertrand estates:

Languedoc-Roussillon wine châteaux

His expertise in the creation of biodynamic wines

And discover Gérard Bertrand's wine collections.