va·ri·e·tal
və-ˈrī-ə-tᵊl 
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
plural varietals
1
or varietal wine
: a wine (such as merlot) bearing the name of the principal grape variety from which it is produced
… 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
Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Enjoy varietal vinifera wines or blended wines using vinifera and French-American grapes from the winery’s Habersham and Creek labels, or taste the Southern Muscadine grape in wine from its Southern Harvest label.
—Crystal Tate, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Nina Ruggiero, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2026
To add to the complexity, smoke taint is inflected by subtle distinctions between grape varietals, too.
—Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
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Adjective
Its credited with introducing wine varietal-specific stemware in the 1950s, putting forth the idea that the shape of the glass impacts the wine's taste—and your ability to enjoy it fully.
—Noun
Montage International launched its private collection of Montage Estate wine in December, featuring three varietals harvested at Montage Healdsburg in partnership with Aperture Cellars.
—Cite this Entry
“Varietal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/varietal. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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