What is the difference between varietal character and regional character in wine tasting notes?

• A. Varietal character refers to typical grape traits; regional character reflects terroir and winemaking style influences from a region.
• B. Varietal character is determined by the winery branding.
• C. Regional character is about age; varietal character is about sugar level.
• D. Varietal and regional character are the same.

Answer: (A)

Varietal character describes the grape itself—the typical aromas and flavors you expect from a given variety, shaped by the grape’s genetics and its usual winemaking approach. For example, certain varieties bring distinctive traits like citrus and herbal notes, red fruit, or stone fruit, and these characteristics tend to appear when the grape is made into wine in a straightforward, varietal style.

Regional character, on the other hand, comes from where the wine is grown and how it’s made in that place—the influence of terroir (climate, soil, vineyard practices) and regional winemaking choices (style, oak use, fermentation and aging). This gives the wine a sense of place, so two wines made from the same grape can taste different if they come from different regions or are produced in different regional styles.

So a wine’s grape-name character stays with the variety, while the regional character reflects the influence of the vineyard location and winemaking approach. This isn’t determined by branding, nor is it primarily about age or sugar level, and the two concepts are distinct.