WSET Level 2 Grape Varieties Cheat Sheet
If you learn one thing thoroughly for WSET Level 2, make it the grapes. Almost every other topic hangs off them: regions are defined by the grapes they grow, wine styles are the grapes handled differently, and tasting is largely the art of recognising a grape from its structure and flavours. For each variety below you get three things to hold onto: its typical structure, its classic flavours, and its home regions. Learn these and a large slice of the exam takes care of itself.
A quick note on the vocabulary. Acidity makes your mouth water and gives white wines their freshness. Tannin is the drying, grippy feel in reds. Body is the weight of the wine in your mouth, from light to full. Cooler climates tend to give higher acidity and lighter body; warmer climates give riper, richer fruit and higher alcohol.
Key white grapes
Chardonnay
A chameleon with no strong flavour identity of its own, which is exactly why it appears everywhere. In cool climates such as Chablis it is high in acidity with green apple, lemon, and wet-stone notes. In warm climates such as California and Australia it turns to ripe stone fruit and tropical flavours like peach and pineapple. Oak and malolactic winemaking add vanilla, toast, and a buttery texture. Homes: Burgundy (Chablis and the Cote d'Or), California, Australia, Chile.
Sauvignon Blanc
High acidity, light body, and unmistakably aromatic. Look for green and herbaceous flavours: gooseberry, elderflower, cut grass, and green bell pepper, alongside grapefruit and, in New Zealand especially, passion fruit. Usually unoaked. Homes: the Loire Valley (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume), New Zealand (Marlborough), Chile, and South Africa. It also blends with Semillon in Bordeaux.
Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris
The same grape, two styles. As Italian Pinot Grigio it is light, fairly neutral, and high in acidity, with lemon and apple. As Alsace Pinot Gris it is fuller and richer, with riper stone fruit and sometimes a touch of sweetness. Homes: northern Italy and Alsace.
Riesling
High acidity, intensely aromatic, and made across the full range from bone dry to lusciously sweet. Green apple, lime, and citrus when young, honey with age, and a distinctive petrol or kerosene note as it matures. Homes: Germany (the Mosel and Rheingau), Alsace (typically dry), and Australia (Clare and Eden Valley, dry and limey).
Others worth knowing
Chenin Blanc: high acidity, dry to sweet, with apple, pear, and honey. Home in the Loire (Vouvray) and South Africa. Gewurztraminer: low acidity, full body, often off-dry, with lychee, rose, and ginger. Home in Alsace. Viognier: full body, lower acidity, with apricot and blossom. Home in the northern Rhone (Condrieu). Muscat: floral and grapey, made dry and sweet.
Key black grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon
High tannin, high acidity, full body: the classic structured red. Blackcurrant (cassis) and black cherry, often with a minty or herbaceous edge and cedar from oak. It needs a warm climate to ripen fully. Homes: Bordeaux (the Left Bank), Napa Valley, Chile, and Australia (Coonawarra). Very often blended with Merlot.
Merlot
Medium to high tannin but softer and rounder than Cabernet, with plum, blackberry, and red fruit. Approachable young. Homes: Bordeaux (the Right Bank, including Saint-Emilion and Pomerol), and widely planted across the world as both a varietal wine and a blending partner.
Pinot Noir
Low to medium tannin, high acidity, light to medium body, and pale in colour. Delicate red fruit: strawberry, raspberry, and red cherry, turning earthy and savoury (forest floor) with age. A cool-climate specialist. Homes: Burgundy, Oregon, New Zealand (Central Otago), and Germany, where it is called Spatburgunder.
Syrah / Shiraz
High tannin and full body under two names. As northern Rhone Syrah (Hermitage, Cote-Rotie) it shows blackberry, black pepper, and smoked meat. As Australian Shiraz (Barossa) it is riper and richer, with jammy black fruit, licorice, and chocolate. Homes: the northern Rhone and Australia.
Grenache / Garnacha
Medium tannin but high in alcohol and full-bodied, with red fruit, strawberry, and warm spice. Often blended. Homes: the southern Rhone (a backbone of Chateauneuf-du-Pape) and Spain (Rioja and Priorat).
Tempranillo
Medium to high tannin and medium acidity, with red fruit, leather, and tobacco, frequently aged in American oak that adds vanilla, coconut, and dill. Homes: Spain, above all Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
Sangiovese and Nebbiolo
Sangiovese: high acidity, high tannin, medium body, with sour red cherry, herbs, and a tomato-leaf note. Home in Tuscany (Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino). Nebbiolo: very high tannin and acidity but pale in colour, with red cherry, rose, and tar. Home in Piedmont (Barolo, Barbaresco).
Others worth knowing
Malbec: medium to high tannin, full body, black fruit and plum with a violet note. Home in Argentina (Mendoza) and Cahors in France. Gamay: low tannin, high acidity, light body, bright red fruit, sometimes with banana and bubblegum from carbonic maceration. Home in Beaujolais.
How to actually learn these
Do not try to swallow the whole list at once. Take three or four grapes, learn their structure and two or three signature flavours, then test yourself the next day. Group them by pattern: the high-acid aromatic whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling), the structured reds that need warmth (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah), the pale high-acid reds (Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo). Patterns are far easier to recall than a flat list, and they mirror how the exam frames its questions.
Practise with Verdant
Verdant turns this cheat sheet into short drills you can do in a few minutes. It quizzes you on structure and flavour signatures, links each grape to its regions, and tracks which ones you have mastered so you can spend your time on the grapes you keep missing. The full app is free with everything unlocked, a one-time purchase of 4.99 removes ads, and there are no subscriptions.