varietal

American  

[vuh-rahy-i-tl] / vəˈraɪ ɪ tl /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, designating, or characteristic of a variety.

2. constituting a variety.

3. (in U.S. winemaking) designating a wine made entirely or chiefly from one variety of grape.

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noun

1. a varietal wine named for such a grape (distinguished from generic).

varietal British  

/ vəˈraɪɪtəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characteristic of, designating, or forming a variety, esp a biological variety

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noun

1. a wine labelled with the name of the grape from which it is pressed

Other Word Forms

• intervarietal
  adjective
• varietally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of varietal

First recorded in 1865–70; variet(y) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

varietal

MacLachlan’s Walla Walla tasting room for his Pursued by Bear wines, which opened in spring 2023, will add to its offerings this fall when a single varietal merlot joins the Twin Bear line.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2024

Delicata is a very popular varietal with sweet flavor and creamy texture.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023

Sadly, it is almost impossible to trace a current varietal back to western Asia or the Caucasus, the two early domestication centers.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023

With its embrace of the international varietal of football, the U.S. is becoming a global sports hub in the same way it has long been a hub for music and film.

From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2023

The remainder are to be considered as varietal forms of a very trifling departure from the type, or as hybrids.

From The History of the European Fauna by Scharff, Robert Francis