Tempranillo is a famous Spanish grape variety used in many rich Spanish red wines. Tempranillo is marked by strong fruit flavors and aromas. Other characteristics of Tempranillo include deep color, weak acidity, medium to strong tannins, and moderate amounts of alcohol. Tempranillo grapes are frequently blended with other grapes, but the flavor and color can be better when Tempranillo is bottled as a varietal wine. Tempranillo is usually aged several years in oak barrels before serving.

Merlot grapes produce a red wine with flavors and aromas of black cherry, berries, plum, chocolate, and some herbs. Merlot wine is popular with people trying to get accustomed to drier, more complex red wines because of its other characteristics, like low tannins which make it easier to drink than other reds wines.

The softer characteristics of Merlot with the fruity flavors make it a red wine that's well-suited to lighter foods that won't overwhelm the flavors of the wine.

Sauvignon Blanc is a versatile white grape variety that create white wines ranging in flavor from grassy to mineraly to fruity. Other Sauvignon Blanc flavors and aromas include apples, melons, peppers, and smoke. Sauvignon Blanc tends to be more grassy when picked early, more fruity when picked late. Sauvignon Blanc flavors also depend heavily on where the grapes are grown. The most famous wines made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from Bordeaux and the Loire valley in France.

Chardonnay is the most common and well known variety of white grape in wine production today. The most prominent flavor in Chardonnay wine comes from oak used in the wine production process. Other flavors and aromas include fruit, lemon, melon, grass, and vanilla. Some other characteristics of Chardonnay wines are high acidity, golden colors, and a velvety feel in the mouth.