Chardonnay – a name that is so familiar to wine drinkers that many of us don’t even realise that it is in fact a grape variety. Or that it is the grape variety that makes other global wine drinkers favourite – Chablis.

What does it taste like? At best it produces complex aromas of nuts, buttered toast and even mushrooms with tastes that range from crisp apples and fresh lemon through to peach and melon, with the same buttery, creamy, nutty notes that are suggested by the aromas. One of the worlds easiest grapes to grow and can be found all around the world, with exception to Portugal, where they have seemed to withstand the chardonnay mania.

Chardonnay also loved oak, whether it has been aged in oak barrels of touched by oak chips during the wine making process, it can help make some chardonnays great (if you like oaky whites – that is).

Sauvignon Blanc – Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume and Fume Blanc are still the mainstays of trendy restaurants and bars all around the world, but many of us don’t know that they are all make from Sauvignon Blanc. Grown all around the world but most famous for the wines from the Loire Valley in France and New Zealand. Both countries offering different styles. The French classic of Sancerre offers gooseberry and grassy aromas and the New Zealand style offers a fruitier version, offering fruit such a lime and tropical fruit.

Chenin Blanc – one of the world’s most versatile grape varieties. It is capable of making sweet as well as dry wines. Grown all around the world. France, predominantly in the central part of Loire, however it is most at large in South Africa. Where it turns out dry and refreshingly crisp.

The dry version can produce great wines with intense aromas and flavours such as apricot, apples and honey.