varietal
adjective
va·ri·e·tal
| \ və-ˈrī-ə-tᵊl
\
\
Definition of varietal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, or characterizing a variety
varietal names
also
: being a variety in distinction from an individual or species
varietal corn
2
: of a varietal wine (see varietal entry 2 sense 1)
varietal grapes varietal blends
varietal
noun
plural varietals
Definition of varietal (Entry 2 of 2)
1
or varietal wine
: a wine (such as merlot) bearing the name of the principal grape variety from which it is produced
Brothers Ross and Bill Spence established Matua in 1973 and were the first to bottle Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand. Today, the winery produces a range of varietals at varying price points.— Alison Napjus Zinfandel works as a stand-alone, 100-percent varietal wine and also lends itself to blending.— James Laube
2
: a grape variety that is used to produce a varietal wine
The grape, which produces lush fruit flavors of boysenberry and blackberry, along with vibrant acidity, it is without question Argentina's lead varietal.— James Molesworth
Examples of varietal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
That goes for varietal malbec, syrah and grenache, too, which in addition to tempranillo are now the leading red varieties in the warm-climate regions of Oregon. — Gerry Frank, oregonlive.com, "Cheers to these 2 Roseburg wineries: Gerry Frank’s picks," 14 July 2019 Soft, professional, varietal music in a restaurant getting complaints. — Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Classical clarinetist entertains at the bar at Carrabba’s restaurant in Westlake," 5 Aug. 2019 Today, varietal tempranillo is produced by over 200 wineries throughout the U.S., and Abacela can rightly be considered a pioneer in that effort. — Gerry Frank, oregonlive.com, "Cheers to these 2 Roseburg wineries: Gerry Frank’s picks," 14 July 2019 The origin and varietal composition of these wines is often unfamiliar. — Lettie Teague, WSJ, "Rosé’s Marvelous, Multi-Tasking Italian Cousin," 24 May 2019 The Darting winery makes Weißburgunder, but the rest of its portfolio is practically a study in the varietal diversity of the Pfalz. — Lettie Teague, WSJ, "How German Winemakers Are Quietly Conquering the World," 19 July 2018 For those looking for a new white varietal bubbly, try a sparkling Pinot Grigio thats citrus notes and sparkling finish are nothing short of refreshing. — Lauren Sheffield, Harper's BAZAAR, "Forget Rosé: These Are the Wines You Need to Be Sipping," 26 July 2018 But not anymore; rosé is all the rage this summer, somehow managing to outshine every other wine varietal out there. — Marlisse Cepeda, Woman's Day, "Here's Why Everyone Is Suddenly So Obsessed With Rosé Wine," 30 June 2016 Plum, smoke, black cherry, vanilla, roasted meat, herbs and cedar notes are all present in this 100 percent varietal from Leelanau Peninsula. — Michael Austin, chicagotribune.com, "Explore Michigan's diverse wine scene, one of the country's most exciting developing regions," 5 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'varietal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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