Few things in agriculture are as wonderfully diverse and fascinating as the world’s grape varieties—where subtle shifts in soil and climate can transform a single vine into vastly different expressions.
I’ve compiled and open-sourced a structured Grape Varieties & Terroir Database covering 80 key wine grapes mapped across 49 global wine regions, based on most of the content in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust syllabus.
Every entry is cataloged with standardised metrics and characteristics:
Structural profiles: Acidity, tannin levels, alcohol potential, and body.
Sensory characteristics: Typical regional aromas and flavour profiles.
Viticultural context: Skin thickness, aromatic classification, and climatic/terroir factors.
Practical references: Wine styles produced, regional synonyms, food pairings, and price tiers.
This is still a work in progress as I improve the accuracy of the information and add more grape varieties. The next step is to build an interactive map explorer allowing users to select an appellation anywhere in the world, view its planted varieties, and immediately see how that grape performs in that specific microclimate.
If you find any errors, I'd appreciate it if you leave a comment or contact me to fix them. Let me know how you are using the database, and what else would be useful for you.