It’s common to hear people proclaim how they dislike a certain wine — how they can’t stand a Chardonnay, or there’s just no way they’d ever touch a rosé.  

I’ll be honest and admit that I used to have a similar outlook when it came to wine. But as my love of wine, and indeed my wine education, has developed, I’ve enjoyed plenty of different wines covering all sorts of grape varieties. 

And do you want to know the truth of it? It’s not the grape variety itself that you hate, it’s the style of wine and how a wine is made that you dislike.  

Wine is a hugely varied product, and it’s influenced by multiple factors which all influence the final product and the taste.  

Let’s explore this concept a little more! And look at some wines that you might like even if you don’t like their counterpart. 

Factors that influence the taste and style of wine even if the grape varieties are the same

The terroir  

The terroir, or in more simple term the environment, that vines are grown in hugely influences the end product. 

Different climate, soil types, altitude and overall location of the wines (e.g. being near the sea) can greatly impact the vines and the grapes that grow on them. 

For example, some wines in coastal regions may come with an added salinity due to the sea spray that is absorbed into the soil or which lands on the grapes. Wines such as Spanish Rías Baixas, Portugese Vinho Verde, and French Picpoul de Pinet are often known for this characteristic. Cool right?! 

But to get back to the orginal point… the same grape varieties may be planted in different regions and as a result will be influenced be the terroir in which they are grown.  

The winemaking process 

The winemaking process that different producers take is a big factor in how the final wine tastes.

Winemakers are constantly making decisions throughout the winemaking process from grape ripeness to techniques used, and this directly impacts the final result by modifying the taste and aroma of the wine. 

Some producers may ferment in steel tanks, whilst others may use oak vats. Some producers may macerate the skins for longer to develop additional colour and tannins. Some producers may decide to use a process known as malolactic conversion, and some may decide to age their wine on lees. Some may use the champagne method for sparkling wine, whereas others may use the Charmat method. Some producers may use single varieties in their wines, whereas some may blend. The list goes on and on… 

But my point here is that there is a huge variance in the final output depending on the decisions that a producer makes. So we just need to find wines that are produced in ways that give us a finished wine which we like the taste of. 

The consumer market and our fear of certain wines 

Some of you born before the 00s will probably relate to me here… I grew up in a household where the wine was white or rose, pretty cheap and always quite sweet.  

As a result, I went years convinced that I hate Chardonnay and would avoid it at all costs. 

In the UK we went through a period in the 80s and 90s where we were importing a lot of mass-produced Chardonnay, often from new world countries such as Australia. We were drinking a lot of wine, so everyone jumped on the bandwagon and tried to capitalise on it and go bigger – this resulted in a lot of very oaky and unbalanced Chardonnay wine which is what put many of us off it altogether! 

Similarly, rose wine gained a bad rep after it went through a phase of being centred on overly pink, overly sweet Zinfandel wines. These were often cloying, but perfect for those who wanted to get drunk but hated anything that tasted close to alcohol. 

But hear me out… 

If you try out other wines that are made using Chardonnay grapes (and which are from old world wine countries), such as Chablis, you may just realise that Chardonnay can taste completely different to the ones you dislike. It can be fresh, more citrussy and definitely better balanced than some of the mass-produced versions we’re all scarred from! You may even like a buttery or slightly oaked Chardonnay, just not that oaked. 

Not keen on a sweet zinfandel rose? Look for something that is more of a provence style rose and you might just find that you enjoy a few glasses in the sunshine.  

Linking back to my point earlier about terroir and wine making methods – it’s all about finding the style of wine you like and looking into the region of the wines to determine whether it’ll be more to your liking and tastebuds. 

Some wines that use the same grape varieties 

Sancerre vs a New Zealand Sauvignon 

New Zealand Sauvignons are renowned for being full of intense, aromatic flavours of tropical fruit (think passion fruit, pineapple, guava) and bright citrus (think grapefruit and lime). These often come from a cooler, but sunny, coastal climate. 

In contrast, Sancerre offers some more subtle, restrained flavours which emphasise citrus, minerality, and flinty characteristics (as do many other French wines made from Sauvignon). Sancerre often comes with a more complex, terroir-driven minerality and refined texture from its cooler climate and unique limestone-rich soils.  

Californian Chardonnay vs Chablis 

As touched on above, some Chardonnay wines can be quite full-bodied, creamy and have characteristics that have formed as a result of oak barrel aging and malolactic conversion. 

Chardonnay from New World regions, like California, can be an example of a Chardonnay from a warmer climate which is richer, has more vanilla notes and a kind of sweeter taste. 

Chablis on the other hand, is a French wine made with Chardonnay grapes and is from a cooler climate and from a region that gives it a more acidic, fresh and mineral-driven characteristic. 

Notice here how terroir and techniques are really giving us two wildly different variations! 

French Syrah vs Australian Shiraz 

These grapes are the same variety, each country just has their own name for it which is used locally.  

Again France is the cooler climate here, and resulting French Syrahs offer more acidic wines with peppery and herbaceous notes. These wines are often very good for aging as they can develop more flavour in the bottle. 

In comparison, an Australian Shiraz often provides a bolder, richer, and intensely fruity wine with flavours of dark berries and plums. Plus, higher alcohol content and softer tannins.  

This is just a top-level dive into how different factors can impact the taste of grape varieties, and therefore give us multiple different wines from the same grapes. 

When looking for wine either by the glass, or by the bottle, I’d really recommend you trying to find the styles of wine you like and focus less on the grape varieties! 

Tilly Haines – guest wine writer