"any given grape will perform differently under different conditions of climate and soil" and these factors may change from year to year, producing significant variations in wine quality (Finigan 4). In addition, techniques of growing and vinification vary, as do the skills of the individual producers of wine. The underlying rationale for the complicated, rigorous system of wine nomenclature is based on the assumption that all these factors must be controlled as carefully as possible in order to ensure maximum consistency in the highest quality wines.
The majority of the types of grape used in wine production have given their names to the specific types of wine in which they are the predominant element. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel are all examples of varietals that are identified with specific kinds of red wines--even though some are basic elements in blended wines such as Pinot Noir which is a major ingredient in champagnes, for which the skins are removed to avoid coloration. Chardonnay, White Riesling, Gewnrtztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc are important white-wine varietals that have followed the same course. But, since "it is not so much heredity as environment which shapes a wine's character," it is the place of origin that is the primary factor in wine classification (Johnson 20).
The conjunction of conditions and tradition usually means, however, that particular varietals dominate regional production. The Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance, is the principal red-wine grape of Bordeaux. But a Cabernet from France and one from another country can vary considerably. The Cabernets of Bordeaux are usually produced from a blend of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape and complementary varietals such as the Cabernet Franc which "contributes fruit and even finesse to blends" (Finigan 6). In California, however, Cabernet Sauvignon, which grows very well in the vineyards of the northern coastal region, is ofte...