A "varietal wine" is a wine that lists the name of the grape variety on the label.
In European countries, such as France, which has a long history of wine, the mainstream method was to prominently display the name of the place of production on the label, and many wines did not specify the grape variety on the label. Consumers could buy their favorite wines as long as they knew the taste of the famous wine-producing region, even if they did not know the grape variety.
However, as wine culture gradually spread, wine-producing regions expanded beyond Europe to countries around the world, and the wine-producing regions became more diverse. As a result, it became difficult to imagine where a wine would taste just by looking at its place of origin.
So, in order to make it easier for consumers to understand the taste, wines that highlight the name of the grape variety were introduced. These are called varietal wines.
With the advent of varietal wines, consumers have become more aware of the differences in taste between grape varieties, and more people are choosing wine based on their favorite grape variety.
Varietal wines first made their name in California, USA, and in the second half of the 20th century they spread to other New World countries (such as Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan).
