Our version of March Madness is a BUNCH of fun! Follow along and vote for your favorite grape varieties. Will there be any upsets? It's too soon to tell, but we're here to keep you posted!

Grape Madness 2023

by JP Bacchus

WE HAVE A WINNER! Introducing your Grape Madness 2023 Champion, PINOT NOIR!

What a great tournament—it was filled with upsets, buzzer-beaters, and this year's Cinderella grape, Albariño. In the final matchup, Pinot Noir came out strong and never relinquished the lead, although Albariño tried a few times to get back into their rhythm and make it a game.

This is a great victory for Pinot Noir fans—and ALL wine fans, really—because this weekend (April 1-2), you can enjoy a 15% discount on all Pinot Noirs in the store! We're talking Crus, rosés, sparkling Pinot Noirs (including Champagne), and of course your favorites from Oregon, New Zealand, and every where in between.

The discount is offered in-store only, so be sure to come by this weekend and pickup a bottle or two. If you're in between 1-4pm, join our wine tasting, where we'll be featuring delicious Wines for Easter and Passover.

Grape Madness has ended, but you can still get into the spirit of March Madness—pick up some of your favorite wines from DCanter to enjoy and share with friends as you root for your favorite teams!

For more news about this year's tournament and the results, be sure to check out our Instagram post. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram to stay in the know about all things happening at DCanter!


From Thursday, March 30, 2023:

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have ourselves the GRAPE MADNESS 2023 FINAL MATCHUP!

Pinot Noir (#2) will be representing the Red Grape Division and eighth seeded Albariño (aka Albariñ-YES!) will be representing the White Grape Division. (Ummm...where are all the #1 seeds?)

Who could have predicted the fairy tale season that Albariño is having? The fans are clearly behind this grape, but will we see it go all the way? The stats show that the Red Grape Division and Pinot Noir will walk away as this year's Grape Madness Champion, but the White Grape Division still has some eager fans that want to see Albariño go all the way.

With only one matchup left, your votes are needed now more than ever. Let's see if team #RedWineLovers or team #WhiteWineLovers shows up...remember, only you can decide the GRAPE MADNESS 2023 CHAMPION!


From Friday, March 24, 2023:

Chenin Blanc and Malbec have punched their tickets to the Final Four! 

Malbec wins easily over Syrah, and Chenin Blanc defeats Pinot Grigio in a lop-sided victory. Those were great matchups, but let's talk about next week's Final Four matchups...

Red Bracket: #2 Pinot Noir vs. #6 Malbec

We saw Pinot Noir knock out powerhouse Cabernet Sauvignon in what was probably this tournament's biggest upset, but Malbec has been looking strong and we expect this to be a close game.

White Bracket: #6 Chenin Blanc vs. #8 Albariño

Feisty Albariño has been defeating heavy hitters all tournament long, but I can't help but wonder how much gas is left in the tank. Will Albariño continue dancing to the final matchup or will Chenin Blanc end its fairy tale season?

Which grape variety is heading to the finals? Only YOU—the fans—can decide!


From Thursday, March 23, 2023:

The Cinderella Story continues—Albariño survives an overtime matchup against Sauvignon Blanc to advance to the Final Four, where they'll meet the winner of today's #4 Pinot Grigio vs. #6 Chenin Blanc matchup.

In the Red Grape Division, Pinot Noir fans are waving bye to Cabernet Sauvignon! "Nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey hey hey, goodbye!" The winner of today's #4 Syrah vs. #6 Malbec matchup will play Pinot Noir next week for a shot at the Championship.


From Tuesday, March 21, 2023:

After an exciting weekend of March Madness, we're back with Grape Madness. Although there are no upsets to report, we did have some close finishes. Let's take a look at what happened last week:

Pinot Grigio hangs on to take the win over Viognier, but Viognier didn't go down without a fight. It really looked like they could have moved on to the next round, but the fans rallied and pushed Pinot Grigio through.

Syrah was favored to advance in the red grape bracket, and that held true. Although Cabernet Franc never let up, Syrah was able to maintain the lead throughout the entire matchup and will advance to the next round.

Now let's see what's coming up today in Grape Madness 2023!

Red Bracket: #1 Cabernet Sauvignon vs. #2 Pinot Noir

Two powerhouses going head-to-head today: Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir! This will definitely be the pivotal matchup of the entire tournament; a lot of brackets hang in the balance! Come on, fans, don't let your grapes down today...VOTE!

White Bracket: #2 Sauvignon Blanc vs. #8 Albariño

Will the Cinderella team of this year's Grape Madness, Albariño, be able to keep their fairy tale hopes alive by getting a wine over Sauvignon Blanc today? Only the fans can decide!

Remember to follow us on Instagram to VOTE for your favorite grape varieties all month long! We'll offer a store-wide discount for the winning grape variety—tag your friends to vote, too!

Following along with your bracket? Click here to view the bracket as it gets updated each week and to check out future matchups. And if you really want to get into the spirit of Grape Madness 2023, pick up some of your favorite wines from DCanter to enjoy and share with friends as you root for your favorite teams...and grapes!


From Wednesday, March 15, 2023:

We're back after another fantastic set of matchups in this year's Grape Madness!

The *GASP* heard 'round the world: Chenin Blanc gives Riesling fans a riesling to wonder, "What happened?" A lot of fans were cheering for Riesling—and it was beginning to look like a sure win—but Chenin Blanc made easy work of Riesling and will advance to the next round.

In other news, Malbec absolutely dominates Merlot. We're seeing higher seeded teams take loss after loss, and we're starting to wonder who will be next?

Looking ahead to more matchups this week:

Red Bracket: Syrah (#4) vs. Cabernet Franc (#5)

A pretty even matchup that could go either way, we're counting on fans to show up and support their favorite red grapes on Thursday! The winner here will take on Malbec in the next round—will Syrah or Cabernet Franc be more problematic on the court for Malbec?

White Bracket: Pinot Grigio (#4) vs. Viognier (#5)

Early on, there was plenty of chatter about Pinot Grigio advancing to the final. At least, a lot of fans want to see that happen. But can this popular white grape take out Viognier? We can't wait to see who comes out on top!


From Friday, March 10, 2023:

What a great second day of matchups in this year's Grape Madness! No big upsets to report, but let's talk about how close one matchup was, despite the outcome...

It was a tale of two halves: In the white grape division, Grüner Veltliner had a strong first half and appeared certain of taking home the win. But Sauvignon Blanc was able to play through that first-half deficit and come out on top, absolutely dominating the second half of this matchup.

In the red grape division, I think we all got what we expected, with Pinot Noir besting Grenache. Pinot Noir didn't have to play too hard, which might be to their advantage—these grapes can be well-rested for their next matchup against Cabernet Sauvignon!

These grapes are getting a few days off to rest and game-plan, but we've got some more matchups coming to you next week. Here's a look at Tuesday's (March 14) pairings:

Red Bracket: Merlot (#3) vs. Malbec (#6)

While many are still shocked that Merlot came in at such a high seed, we know it's a crowd pleaser! This grape has definitely proven it's got what it takes to win big, but is it enough to win against Malbec? The fans will decide!

White Bracket: Riesling (#3) vs. Chenin Blanc (#6)

Riesling is a grape everybody loves, and it can play both sides of the ball. We're not just talking offense and defense, we're talking dryness and sweetness. But fans are rallying around Chenin Blanc as the tournament underdog, and we're excited to see what happens in this matchup.

Remember to follow us on Instagram to VOTE for your favorite grape varieties all month long! We'll offer a store-wide discount for the winning grape variety—tag your friends to vote, too!

Following along with your bracket? Click here to view the bracket as it gets updated each week and to check out future matchups. And if you really want to get into the spirit of Grape Madness 2023, pick up some of your favorite wines from DCanter to enjoy and share with friends as you root for your favorite teams...and grapes!


From Wednesday, March 8, 2023:

Ladies and gentlemen, we've had our FIRST UPSET of Grape Madness 2023! The number one seed in the white bracket has been defeated by the number eight seed—Chardonnay goes down to Albariño

The fans had a lot of strong feelings going into this matchup. They weren't going to make it easy for Chardonnay, and Albariño (aka, Albariñ-YES!) comes out on top. 

Heading over to our red bracket, I think we all got what we expected here, but Sangiovese almost pulled it off with a buzzer-beater. Unfortunately for our Italian wine lovers, that shot rimmed out and Cabernet Sauvignon holds on to move into the next round. 

Get ready for more matchups on Thursday, March 9...voting starts at noon! Here's a preview of the grapes that we'll see:

Red Bracket: Pinot Noir (#2) vs. Grenache (#7)

We've already seen one big upset in this tournament so far...will this be the next one? Pinot Noir seems to be the crowd favorite, but Grenache came to play. The winner meets Cabernet Sauvignon in the next round, so this is a matchup we'll be watching closely.

White Bracket: Sauvignon Blanc (#2) vs. Grüner Veltliner (#7)

This is a matchup we're really excited for—these grape varieties have a lot in common, but it's really going to come down to what our fans prefer in their flavor profiles. Are our Sauvignon Blanc drinkers going to make the jump to Grüner? We can't wait to find out!


From Tuesday, March 7, 2023:

We've got a lot of great matchups for you this season—but will there be any upsets? It's too soon to tell, but we're taking a look at some of the grapes going head-to-head in this tournament.

Our Selection Committee has put 16 grape varieties in the field (no pun intended), so let's talk about some of the key matchups in this first week:

Cabernet Sauvignon (#1) vs. Sangiovese (#8)

Don't count out Sangiovese! Cabernet Sauvignon is popular, as the votes have shown so far, but Italy's favorite red grape looks to be a dominant variety in this year's tournament. I mean, who doesn't love a delicious Chianti?

Syrah (#4) vs. Cabernet Franc (#5)

Now here's a matchup we can't wait to see! Two popular varieties that have very strong fan bases, I think this one's going to be close. It may be one of the first upsets we see in this tournament with Cab Franc coming out on top, but not without a fight from Syrah.

Sauvignon Blanc (#2) vs. Grüner Veltliner (#7)

I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about these white varieties! Sauvignon Blanc is definitely favored, but let's talk about Grüner for a second—does it have what it takes to beat the number two seed in the white variety bracket?

Riesling (#3) vs. Chenin Blanc (#6)

If you're looking for an underdog to root for, Chenin Blanc is it! Riesling is versatile and can really do a lot, but Chenin Blanc is here to show us what it's got!