Jacob's Creek Steingarten Vineyard

Do you ever wonder, as you sip contentedly on your Chardonnay, your Pinot Grigio, your Cabernet or Pinot Noir, which grape varieties are the most planted on the entire planet? I was always taught that a lesser known grape called Airén – a white grape of middling quality – was the most widely planted. But that’s not true anymore. It still is in Spain, though even there its popularity is diminishing.

But a recent study at the University of Adelaide reveals how our tastes in wine have changed over the past 20 years worldwide, and the reasons for the change are significant. Let’s start with the top 10 most planted wine grapes in 1990:

1. Airén


2. Grenache rouge (aka Garnacha)


3. Rkatsiteli


4. Sultaniye


5. Trebbiano (aka Ugni Blanc)


6. Mazuelo (aka Carignan)


7. Merlot


8. Cabernet Sauvignon


9. Monastrell (aka Mourvedre or Mataro)


10. Bobal

What, no Chardonnay? No Pinot Noir? No Sauvignon Blanc? That five of the top 10 positions were taken by Spanish grapes is easy to understand as until very recently Spain had more land under vine than any other. But Rkatsiteli? Sultaniye?

Now let’s look at the most planted wine grapes in 2010:

1. Cabernet Sauvignon


2. Merlot


3. Airén


4. Tempranillo


5. Chardonnay


6. Syrah/Shiraz


7. Grenache rouge


8. Sauvignon Blanc


9. Trebbiano


10. Pinot Noir

Well this offers a few more varieties that you might recognize, yes? Mighty Cabernet and Merlot have jumped to the top of the list. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Pinot Noir make welcome appearances. Which grape is showing the most significant rise in plantings? Tempranillo. In Spain alone Tempranillo has increased from 5% to 20% of total plantings between the years 2000–2010. How about white versus red? In 1990 the majority (51%) of plantings were white grapes. In 2010 red grapes took the majority at 55%.

Looking at these differences, our first inclination might be to congratulate ourselves on the education of our worldwide palates. Certainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir make greater wine than Bobal or Sultaniye. But let us not congratulate ourselves too much as other factors are also in play, among them the sudden rise of China – which drinks almost exclusively red wines – in the international wine market. And a greater awareness of climate change also plays a role as winemakers the world over are planting vines according to how they see their weather patterns over the next 20 to 50 years.

More importantly, varietal labeling was not as predominant in 1990 as it is today. As the international wine market grows to staggering heights in terms of sales, we are also seeing a dulling homogeneity in our wine palates worldwide. Countries are producing wines for an international market more and more while the local market for indigenous grapes is being sadly forgotten.

So as outstanding and popular as the noble grape varieties are, and as delicious as they can be, let’s try not to forget that there is a whole world of enticing wines out there, and that Monastrell and Mazuelo and Rkatsiteli all have their place. Try a wine that’s new to you tonight!

Bill Stobbs, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinebills