meanings of wines

[Innkeeper]

Hi Embo, and welcome to the Wine Board. There are thousands of types of wine. Those you mentioned are both grape varieties and the names of what are called varietal wines. The three most common red grapes/wines are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pinot noir. The three most common whites are chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and riesling. The shiraz you mentioned is what they call the syrah grape in Australia and South Africa. The wines made from it are gaining in popularity rapidly.

Recommend an elementary book such as Tom Stevenson's "101 Essential Tips: Wine." It is available in the store on our front page at www.wines.com as well as many other sources.