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Red Wines
Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Syrah, Marbec
When we start to think about the world of red wine grapes things get more complicated. They are usually much more difficult to make, there is more variety in the flavorsof each verietal ,and there's a lot more competition for the top slot and therfor a little less agreement about which one is at the top of the food chain. There are five essential red grapes to know; Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which all originall come from the burgundy and Bordeaux regions of France. Those three are the icons of the classic style of wine. The fourth and fifth grapes that I would add to this major-league list is called Syrah know other in the southern parts of the world as Shiraz; also from France; but often has because of the importance that it's picked up just in the last 10 or 20 years. And Finally Malbec.
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As an introduction to reds; learn the difference between each variety, as well as how to choose the best bottle of red for your tastes. Let's begin by looking at the lightest one of these wines first.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the grape variety that has been grown in Burgundy since the 12th century. Pinot Noir as a red wine grape and varietal rose to prominence in Burgundy wines from France, and it's also grown and produced in the United States. Oregon's Willamette Valley is adept at producing stunning and powerful Pinot Noir wines, and Sonoma County and Napa Valley also produce world-class Pinot Noir wines. Interestingly, Pinot Noir is also one of the grapes found in Champagne and sparkling wines as well. Pinots are typically medium to light bodied with a soft tannic structure. Pinot Noir is not commonly blended with other grapes, although in Burgundy (Bourgogne) wines, it may be blended with a small amount of the Gamay grape. In Germany, you'll find Pinot Noir wines labeled as Spätburgunder and Frühburgunder. This verietal style is on the lighter end of the red wine spectrum; "so as a cheat", just by looking at it in the glass we can see it has a recognizable translucency to it. This is because the grape has relatively thin skins and so it's delivery of color and flavor intensity to the wine is on the lighter end of the spectrum too. The flavors that it does give are so seductive and desirable that Pinot Noir is that one of the most desired styles of wine on earth.
Pinot is a cool climate style that is a little brighter than some of the other reds. They are a little bit more in the red fruit aromatic spectrum so tastes like cranberries and strawberries should come to mind. This is a lighter style of red that works well with some foods that you might normally think of pairing with a white wine; seafoods and white meats for example.. Best food to pair it with: “People say, ‘Don’t, drink red wine with fish.’ When combined with Omega 3s and all the fats in fish, tannins can create this weird metallic, copper flavor,” Selecman said. “Pinot noir is very light in tannins, so it won’t give you that unsavory taste. Pair it with some barbecue-glazed salmon, ideally.”
Pinot is a cool climate style that is a little brighter than some of the other reds. They are a little bit more in the red fruit aromatic spectrum so tastes like cranberries and strawberries should come to mind. This is a lighter style of red that works well with some foods that you might normally think of pairing with a white wine; seafoods and white meats for example.. Best food to pair it with: “People say, ‘Don’t, drink red wine with fish.’ When combined with Omega 3s and all the fats in fish, tannins can create this weird metallic, copper flavor,” Selecman said. “Pinot noir is very light in tannins, so it won’t give you that unsavory taste. Pair it with some barbecue-glazed salmon, ideally.”
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Merlot
Next we have Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon , "the kissing cousins" that come from Bordeaux. These two grapes were and still are planted in the same region and are distantly related. Like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is both the name for the red wine grape as well as the single-varietal wines made from the grape. When they're grown in cold places like France and Italy they often have a little bit of aromatic resemblance to them as well. If we plant them in sunnier warmer places like Chile or California for example, we get a little more divergence in their aromatics and it gets easier to tell the two apart.
On the nose Merlot tends to give us a little bit more of an herbal quality to it. There is little bit less of the earthiness that we find in Pinot Noir and its taste consistent with its color seems to be a little bit darker in its fruit range. Merlots flavors are little bit more like blackberries and plums and a little bit less like strawberries and cranberries. These medium-bodied wines are less tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon and are often blended with other grapes to bring softness and complexity to a finished red wine. Well-known wine blends that may contain Merlot include Meritage, Bordeaux, super Tuscans, and Priorat, among others. When we encounter it from a cool place we often get a woodsy character to it almost like cedar or even roasted bell peppers. It is very well-suited to food.. Best food to pair it with: It’s fairly food versatile, and it definitely doesn’t demand being paired with fatty, saltier foods—like a cab. Vegetable-based dishes or tomato-based pastas are excellent counterparts to this varietal.
On the nose Merlot tends to give us a little bit more of an herbal quality to it. There is little bit less of the earthiness that we find in Pinot Noir and its taste consistent with its color seems to be a little bit darker in its fruit range. Merlots flavors are little bit more like blackberries and plums and a little bit less like strawberries and cranberries. These medium-bodied wines are less tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon and are often blended with other grapes to bring softness and complexity to a finished red wine. Well-known wine blends that may contain Merlot include Meritage, Bordeaux, super Tuscans, and Priorat, among others. When we encounter it from a cool place we often get a woodsy character to it almost like cedar or even roasted bell peppers. It is very well-suited to food.. Best food to pair it with: It’s fairly food versatile, and it definitely doesn’t demand being paired with fatty, saltier foods—like a cab. Vegetable-based dishes or tomato-based pastas are excellent counterparts to this varietal.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is both a red wine grape and the name of the wine varietal that is made from the grape. It is one of the best-selling varietals of red wine in the United States. Its a distant relation to Merlot, but Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely among the most famous and well-known grape varieties in the world. It makes some of the finest wines of Bordeaux, and is known for the long term aging potential that it can have. This is due to the fact that the Cabernet Sauvignon grape has smaller berries and thicker skins than Merlot and when we ferment it in the barrel that gives us a double dose of all of the sources of color and flavor that we get in the wine. You'll find Cabernet Sauvignon in both single-varietal wines and wine blends including French Bordeaux blends, American Meritage blends, and Italian super Tuscan blends. You may also find Cabernet Sauvignon blended in lesser amounts into wines such as Chianti and Priorat.
Cab is an intense powerhouse of a wine that will deliver a big oof of flavor., generally big, full-bodied, and tannic, and the wines made from them can age for years. Aromatically Cabernet Sauvignon has some resemblance to Merlot in its fruit, but if you taste carefully it definitely in the dark fruit blackberry and cherry range, but it adds to that herbal quality, flavors that remind me of darker foods like liquorice and chocolate and coffee. In my opinion, there is good wine around the world... Cabernet Sauvignon always seems to appeal to my senses the most. Especiailly Napa Cabs... juicy jamy wine with an almost chewy mouthfeel that is silky smooth and slightly sweet with a moderate and appealing tannic bite accompanied by a good alcohol kick that is balanced with the rest of the notes which reminds me a dark berry and stone fruit compote with a shot of good cognac and sweeted with the slightest bit of cane sugar or even some aromatic honey. Best food to pair it with: Cabernet needs fat to latch onto—if you don't have fat or salt in your meal, the dryness of the cab will coat your tongue. If you’re at a steakhouse, your go-to order should be cabernet sauvignon.
Cab is an intense powerhouse of a wine that will deliver a big oof of flavor., generally big, full-bodied, and tannic, and the wines made from them can age for years. Aromatically Cabernet Sauvignon has some resemblance to Merlot in its fruit, but if you taste carefully it definitely in the dark fruit blackberry and cherry range, but it adds to that herbal quality, flavors that remind me of darker foods like liquorice and chocolate and coffee. In my opinion, there is good wine around the world... Cabernet Sauvignon always seems to appeal to my senses the most. Especiailly Napa Cabs... juicy jamy wine with an almost chewy mouthfeel that is silky smooth and slightly sweet with a moderate and appealing tannic bite accompanied by a good alcohol kick that is balanced with the rest of the notes which reminds me a dark berry and stone fruit compote with a shot of good cognac and sweeted with the slightest bit of cane sugar or even some aromatic honey. Best food to pair it with: Cabernet needs fat to latch onto—if you don't have fat or salt in your meal, the dryness of the cab will coat your tongue. If you’re at a steakhouse, your go-to order should be cabernet sauvignon.
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Malbec
Somewhere between the muscle of a cab and the fruity softness of a merlot lies the malbec. It’s the best of both worlds.Malbec is full-bodied and can compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for its complex tannin structures and suitability for long aging. Styles can vary, but it tends to present the same range of dark fruit flavors as Cabernet and often has quite a bit more emphasis on things like dark chocolate, coffee, and spice flavors like vanilla bean.
“Generally, winemakers use oak barrels with malbecs, so a lot of them have a nice, toasty, smokey, graham cracker-y flavor. It’s not expensive to grow, and it’s able to please people on both sides of the cab and merlot aisle. It’s become increasingly popular over the past several years for this reason,” Selecman said.
If you are stuck juggling between the cab and the merlot, pick up a malbec. It's like the Goldilocks of red wine.
Best food to pair it with: “My go-to here is BBQ, brisket, pulled pork... any sweet and spicy food, Malbec complements them very nicely, which isn’t easy to do.”
If you are stuck juggling between the cab and the merlot, pick up a malbec. It's like the Goldilocks of red wine.
Best food to pair it with: “My go-to here is BBQ, brisket, pulled pork... any sweet and spicy food, Malbec complements them very nicely, which isn’t easy to do.”
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Syrah / Shiraz
Our 4th grape is called Syrah and comes from another region of France called the Rhone Valley. When it's grown in the southern hemisphereplaces like Australia and South Africa it is called Shiraz. but is genetically identical to the grape we call Syrah grown in places like California and France.
An interesting mistake you will hear about Shiraz (Syrah): is that historically Persia was once (prior to Islam) a famous wine producing region. By the 9th century, the city of Shiraz had already established a reputation for producing the finest wine in the world , and was Iran's wine capital. The export of Shiraz wine by European merchants in the 17th century has been documented.
This being said: The NAME Shiraz is clearly of Persian origin, and wine was historically made there. But not with the GRAPE that we now call Shiraz or Syrah, DNA testing has proven it to be native to France, not Iran.
One of the Believable version about the origin of Shirazi wine Is related to History of Georgia, in 17th Century king of Iran Abbas II of Persia resettle people from eastern of Georgia in Iran and they bring in Shiraz Georgian grape variety Saperavi which is very similar to Syrah. As described by enthusiastic English and French travellers to the region (Marco Polo made mention) in the 17th to 19th centuries, the wine grown close to the city was of a more dilute character due to irrigation, while the best Shiraz wines were actually grown in terraced vineyards around the village of Khollar .now Iran and is a variety better suited to warmer climates.
Syrah has similar thick skins and density of color to what we find from Cabernet Sauvignon but usually does not have quite as much tannic structure and as a result is more often made in a "drink me now style" with a little bit more emphasis on forward fruit. This verietal style has a kind of blackberry pie and black pepper quality to it that makes it very appealing and friendly. Syrah delivers a lot of flavor per square inch making it very tasty to drink. A well aged Shiraz from the Barossa region of Australia will reward with a soft full bodied wine with BIG flavor - perfect for an aged prime steak... and is a great choice for cooking when making a red wine sauce on the side.
Best food to pair it with: This is one of the rare red wines that pairs well with spicier foods. “It has a high fruit profile, and Indian or Thai food won’t overpower it,” Selecman said. “In fact, it will help the spice shine through in your dish.”
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Red Wines from Lightest to Boldest
Just 32 red wine varieties make up a majority of the wine available in the marketplace. If all red wines were placed on this chart, there would be hundreds!
Where does boldness in wine come from?A combination of several fundamental traits in wine define how bold it is. For example, the tannin level in wine indicates boldness, and so alcohol level. Higher alcohol wines tend to taste bolder. On the other hand, wines with lower alcohol, less tannin, and higher acidity are lighter-bodied.
Where does boldness in wine come from?A combination of several fundamental traits in wine define how bold it is. For example, the tannin level in wine indicates boldness, and so alcohol level. Higher alcohol wines tend to taste bolder. On the other hand, wines with lower alcohol, less tannin, and higher acidity are lighter-bodied.
- Another common way to identify a wine’s position in the spectrum has to do with its dominant fruit characteristics:
- Wines with red fruit flavors tend to be lighter-bodied
- Wines with black fruit flavors tend to be fuller-bodied
Some other Red Varietals
In this area you can list out the key services and product groups that your business offers.
There are many type of reds but typically you wil fear about these:
- Zinfandel wines run the gamut in flavor characteristics and range from big and hearty to light and delicate. They are primarily single varietal wines, often produced in the United States with particularly stellar varieties coming from Sonoma County. Zinfandel isn't used in a ton of blends, but you may find it blended with the Petite Sirah grape or in some blends. In Italy, Primitivo is actually the same grape as Zinfandel, so wines labeled Primitivo are also Zinfandel wines.
- Sangiovese is another favorite. While it is primarily recognized as an Italian wine grape found in Chianti, Sangiovese is also grown in other wine regions, such as the United States, and used to produce single-varietal named wines. Other wines that contain Sangiovese as either the primary grape or in blends include super Tuscans, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Some wines can taste kind of flat with these stronger flavors, it is more on the earthy side in flavor characteristics with medium tannins and high acidity . Gamey meats go outstanding with sangiovese. The wine helps bring out some sweetness in meat, venison, and duck. And of course, it goes exceptionally with tomatoes, vinaigrette, and balsamic sauces and dressings. ”
- Barbera is a grape and wine varietal that comes mostly from Northern Italy. It's a low-tannin red with soft plum flavors and zingy acidity. Barbera is almost exclusively used as a single varietal wine, and you will find some wine regions outside of Italy produce Barbera wines.
- Cabernet Franc originated in France and is used in single varietal, Bordeaux wines, and Bordeaux-style blends from around the world. It may also be blended in small amounts in Chianti, super Tuscan wines, and Meritage style wines. Cabernet Franc has medium-tannins with flavors of plums, berries, and spice.
- The Nebbiolo grape can be found labeled as the varietal, but it's mostly found in Italian wines from Tuscany including Barolo and Barbaresco. Nebbiolo is a medium-bodied wine with strawberry characteristics and powerful tannins. Nebbiolo wines can often be aged for longer than a decade because of the powerful structure the tannins provide.
- Grenache/Garnacha is known in Spain as Garnacha, Grenache is often earthy, smoky, and soft. You'll find these wines labeled as a single varietal, but it's also a great blending grape found in many of the world's greatest wines including Spain's Priorat, GSM from Australia and the US, and many blends from France's Southern Rhône region including Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône. You'll find Grenache also grown and labeled as single varietals in Australia, the United States, and other regions from around the world.