If you have ever had trouble keeping certain public figures straight — actors, writers, movie directors — perhaps you have had the same confounding experiences with some wine words.
Have you ever struggled to distinguish Tom Wolfe from Thomas Wolfe and Tobias Wolff? Was there a time when you were slow to differentiate between Edith Warton and Eudora Welty? For any of these people, if you know them, you know them. If you are familiar with their work and what they are all about, mistaking one for another is not even imaginable. But if you are not so clear on them — if their names ring a bell, but their work is vague in your mind — that’s when you can turn one person, or one wine style, into someone or something else in your mind.
Maybe there are wine words that run together for you, and below is a list of some potential candidates. But if a few of them are fuzzy, perhaps this guide will offer some help. In many cases, the words look or sound similar. In other cases, they might be words that have sort of a similar feel to them — like “Iowa” and “Ohio.”
Viognier vs. Vouvray: Viognier is an aromatic white grape variety used for wines that can be a viable alternative to chardonnay, and Vouvray is a Loire Valley growing region known for its chenin blanc-based wines ranging from dry to sweet to sparkling. Chenin blanc is often referred to as simply “chenin,” so you should know that Chinon is typically a red wine, also from the Loire Valley, and made from the cabernet franc grape variety. Confused yet?