White wine

Order the best and most beautiful white wines from all over the world in the Globus online shop.

Exploring the flavour nuances and styles of a wide variety of white wines is a wonderful and exciting undertaking. We have selected the most beautiful white wines from all the world's wine-growing regions for you and present you with an insight into our fine range of white wines:

White wines from the Old World

Switzerland produces a fine selection of elegant white wines. The most important grape variety in German-speaking Switzerland is still Riesling-Sylvaner, also known as Müller-Thurgau. Many indigenous grape varieties such as the high-quality Completer are also used. Other specialities are made from Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and even Pinot Noir. Räuschling is mainly produced in the canton of Zurich and on Lake Zurich. The most important producers in German-speaking Switzerland are Zahner and Pircher from the canton of Zurich, Gantenbein, Christian Hermann, Jan Lutzi with Sprecher von Bernegg, Tscharner, Obrecht and Davaz. In western Switzerland, the most widely cultivated grape variety is Chasselas, which is a good indicator of terroir. It is the absolute queen, especially in Vaud. Well-known regions for Chasselas in Vaud are La Côte with Féchy, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lavaux with the well-known appellations of Dézaley, Calamin, Epesses and St. Saphorin. Another appellation is Chablais with Aigle and Yvorne. In Vaud, Louis Bovard, Luc Massy, Philippe Gex and Raymond Paccot have a good reputation. In Valais, the wines made from Chasselas are called Fendant. Valais is also particularly famous for its indigenous grape varieties and specialities such as Heida/Paien/Savagnin, Petite Arvine or Arvine, Humagne Blanche and Amigne. However, Valais is also known for specialities made from Sylvaner, which is called Johannisberg in Valais, Marsanne, which is called Ermitage in Valais, as well as international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Important producers in Valais are Histoire d'Enfer, Cedric Flaction, Rouvinez and Domaine Cornulus. In the canton of Neuchâtel, there are also beautiful white wines made from Chasselas, but the capricious Viognier is also becoming increasingly important. Geneva is considered the Mecca of many international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Riesling. Ticino also produces some white wines, especially from the red grape variety Merlot, which is vinified in white. It is called Merlot Bianco. However, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are also known. Producers of good white wines in Ticino are Guido Brivio, Feliciano Gialdi and Tamborini.

White wine is also grown in all French wine regions. This is the case in Alsace, the Loire, Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley and Languedoc-Roussillon. Alsace mainly produces white wines from the Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc varieties. The first four grape varieties mentioned can be used in Grand Cru sites. The vineyards are located between Mulhouse, Colmar and Strasbourg. Well-known white wine producers include Zind-Humbrecht, Hugel and Josmeyer. The Loire Valley is particularly well known for its excellent Chenin Blanc wines, which are particularly fine and storable and come from the Savennières, Vouvray and Mont-Louis regions. The Sauvignon Blanc grape variety also shows its best qualities in the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé appellations with its famous flinty flavour. Famous producers are Ladoucette and Domaine des Baumard. In Burgundy, the white wine variety Chardonnay reigns supreme. Great mineral wines are produced here, especially in Chablis, both as Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru Chablis and Grand Cru Chablis. The Grand Cru sites are Bougros, Blanchot, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur and Vaudésir. Well-known Premier Cru sites are Monté de Tonnerre, Fourchaume and Vaillons. In southern Burgundy, the Chardonnay grape is particularly at home in the Côte de Beaune, especially in the Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru vineyard, in Meursault and in Puliny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet with the Grand Cru vineyards Montrachet, Bâtard Montrachet, Chevalier Montrachet, Bienvenues Bâtard Monrachet and Criots Bâtard Monrachet, where the most expensive wines are produced. Further south are the Pouilly Fuissé and Marsannay appellations. The Chardonnay wines in southern Burgundy are mostly matured in barriques. Bordeaux is known for its blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, which are usually matured in barriques for longer periods, particularly in the Péssac Leognan and Graves regions. Well-known wineries include Mission Haut-Brion, Laville Haut-Brion, Smith Haut Lafite and Domaine de Chevalier. Another important region for French white wine is the Rhône Valley. The white wine grape varieties Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne are cultivated there. While Viognier is the only authorised grape variety in Condrieu, Marsanne and Roussanne are blended in the northern Rhône. This is the case in the Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage and Saint-Péray regions. In the southern Rhône valley, white Châteauneuf-du-Pape in particular is becoming increasingly important. Famous producers in the Rhône Valley are Chapoutier, Guigal and Georges Vernay. Finally comes the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which boasts a wide variety of white grape varieties. These include Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Macabeo, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Many orange wines are produced in the Côtes Catalanes. One famous producer is Domaine Gauby.

Italy is known for its many indigenous grape varieties. Piedmont is the region for the Arneis grape. It grows best in the Roero and is called Roero Arneis there. Wine from this grape variety is mild, balanced and has fine fruit flavours such as pear. In addition to Arneis, Cortese is also often grown in Piedmont. Gavi and Gavi di Gavi are vinified from it. The region's producers are Bruno Giacosa and Abbona. In Veneto, the area around Soave is particularly well known as a white wine region. The best qualities are achieved above all from the Garganega grape variety in Soave Classico, where the best-known producer is Gini. South Tyrol is generally an excellent white wine region. International grape varieties such as Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco are mainly vinified here. Top producers in Veneto are Alois Lageder, Cantina Terlan with the Sauvignon Blanc Quarz and Erste und Neue. Friuli is famous for good quality white wines from the Friulano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio grape varieties. Globus stocks wine from the well-known Borgo del Tiglio winery. Tuscany is a red wine region, but there are also some excellent white wines from Tuscany. In addition to international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, Italian varieties such as Vermentino, Verdicchio, Vernaccia and Malvasia are also well-known. Discover the white wine Poggio alle Gazze from Ornellaia, the Vermentino from Guado al Tasso and the Terre di Tufi from Terruzi & Puthod. From Umbria comes the Cervaro della Sala, a Chardonnay matured in barriques and one of the greatest white wines in Italy. In addition to Tuscany, Sardinia is also famous for its Vermentinos. Sicily is another province with a large number of indigenous white wine varieties. From Basilicata comes wine from Greco and Fiano. Another excellent Chardonnay comes from the Planeta winery.

Spain is primarily known for its high-quality red wines, but white wines should not be neglected. The most widely cultivated white grape variety comes from Spain itself and is called Airén. However, it is rarely used in quality wines as it is very neutral. The Rías Baixas wine region is located in the very north-west of Spain in Galicia. Vineyards there often reach down to the sea. The region's main grape variety is Albariño. In the Rueda region, white wine is produced almost exclusively from the Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc grape varieties. Wines made from Verdejo are very fresh, grassy and have grapefruit flavours. Wonderful in summer on the terrace. Only a small proportion of wine production in Rioja is white wine. The white wine from Rioja is mainly produced from the Viura grape variety, which is called Macabeo in Catalonia and southern France. Whereas in the past, Viura was mainly used to produce oxidative, matured Reservas, today the wines from Rioja are fresh, fruity and easy to drink. The most prestigious Rioja wineries are Marqués de Murrieta, Barón de Ley and Bodegas Muga. Other white wine regions in Spain are Extremadura, Mallorca and Terra Alta (DON). The cult wine in Rueda is Basa.

More and more white wine is also being produced in Portugal. This includes the Douro Valley and the Alentejo. A very well-known white wine from the Douro Valley is the Redoma from cult winemaker Niepoort.

The Riesling white wine grape variety is very widespread in Germany. It produces white wines of the highest quality here. Riesling is used to make wines in a wide variety of styles. Be it a dry, off-dry, sweet or lusciously sweet white wine. There are Auslese wines, Beerenauslesen (BA), Trockenbeerenauslesen (TBA) and even ice wines. The most important German wine-growing regions are the Moselle with its famous steep slopes, the Rheingau, the Nahe, the Palatinate, Rheinhessen, Baden and Franconia. Well-known producers from Germany are Bernhard Huber, Diel, Dönnhof, Weil, Vollenweider, Weingut Johannisberg and Müller. Other important grape varieties besides Riesling are Pinot Gris, which is widely grown in Baden, Sylvaner from Franconia, Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau from Liebfraumilch and Scheurebe.

Austria produces the best qualities from the Grüner Veltliner grape variety in the Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal and Wagram regions. The wines Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd come from the Wachau. But beautiful white wines are also produced in Burgenland. Another hotspot for Austrian white wine is Styria with its famous Sauvignon Blancs. Chardonnay, which is called Morillon in Austria, is also cultivated. Producers here include Sattlerhof, Tement, Gernot Heinrich, Bründelmeier, F. X. Pichler, Knoll and Hitzberger.

White wines from the New World

Increasing competition for the Chardonnays from French Burgundy is coming from California, specifically from the Carneros, Napa Valley, Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, Sonta Ines Valley, Santa barbera Valley, Monterrey and Russian River Valley regions. While these Chardonnays used to be wood-accentuated, heavy white wines, today they are also characterised by freshness and elegance. In addition to Chardonnay, other important grape varieties in California are Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Riesling. Well-known wineries are called Hess Collection and Ramey. White wines are also produced in Oregon and Washington. Globus, for example, stocks a Viognier from Gramercy Cellars..

South American white wines are produced in Argentina and Chile. Argentina is best known for its red Malbec. However, there are also beautiful white wines made from the indigenous grape variety Torrontés and from the international grape varieties Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Important Argentinian wine-growing regions are Mendoza and Salta, which lies at over 2000 metres above sea level. In Chile, white wine is mainly produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Australia is famous for its Sémillon from the Hunter Valley. There is also a lot of Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Famous white wine regions include the Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Peninsula Estate, Yarra Valley and Tasmania. New Zealand, on the other hand, has earned an excellent reputation for crisp, grassy green Sauvignon Blancs, primarily from the Marlborough region. Famous Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough come from the cult winery Cloudy Bay. White wine is also produced in the Auckland, Hawsk Bay and Central Otago regions..

Finally, South Africa also produces excellent white wines, especially in the region around Cape Town in the Coastal Region with the famous Stellenbosch, Constantia and Franschhoek appellations. International grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are mainly cultivated. Chenin Blanc from South Africa in particular has gained an excellent reputation in recent years. Important South African wine estates that produce white wine are Glen Carlou, Constantia and Simonsig.

The most popular grapes for white wines

Contrary to popular belief, white wine is not only made from light-coloured grapes. As the grape variety is also a decisive factor for the flavour and aroma of white wine, we have listed the most important ones for you:

When it comes to white wine, there is no getting round Chardonnay. The grape has become so widespread because it is not very demanding to grow. It grows in the north and south, in humid and dry regions and is even tolerant of a little less sun. Chardonnay is used to produce the highest quality white wines alongside Riesling. White wine made from Chardonnay has a fairly high alcohol content. The fact that it can also be matured in barriques adds further exciting flavours. Everyone is probably familiar with the Riesling grape variety. It is lovely to drink when young, but can also age excellently in the cellar. Its colour changes to a golden yellow and aromas of almonds and petrol are added. There is actually no need to go into the aromas any further, because anyone who has ever drunk Riesling will immediately recognise this fruity bouquet, which is reminiscent of apple, peach, apricot and roses. Sauvignon Blanc is characterised by its different aromas on the nose, depending on its origin. It covers the whole spectrum from grass to gooseberries, elderberries to green and tropical fruits, making opening every new bottle a little adventure and especially fun for wine novices. The Sauvignon Blanc grape variety is not only popular in France, such as in Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, but also in New Zealand (Marlborough), in the Austrian region of Styria and in South Tyrol..

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