Red Wine Basics

An Introduction to Red Wine

First things first, red wine is well…red, but why? It's color can be derived from a vast assortment of grape varietals ranging from grapes that are reddish, deep purple, and even a beautiful blue on the color scale. These grapes give rise to a wine that is color classified with such descriptors as garnet, almost black, dark red, light red, ruby red, opaque purple, deep violet, maroon and the list goes on. It is the grapeskins that are responsible for the red wine’s distinct color spectrum. The skins are in contact with the grape’s juice during the fermentation process, allowing the dispersion of both color and tannins. The individual wine’s particular red hue depends on the grape type used in the process and the length of time the skin’s pigmentation is in contact with juice. There are right around 50 key red wine varietals that consistently manifest themselves in today’s worldwide wine market.

Red Wine Glass Choice

Red wines will put their best foot forward when poured into and sipped out of a wine glass with adequate room. A distinctly oval or egg-shaped bowl that narrows slightly at the top as opposed to a slender flute-like glass is necessary to enjoy a red wine to the fullest . The ideal red wine glass will accommodate between 10-22 ounces of liquid, allowing more room to swirl your wine and better surface area for allowing the wine to breathe a bit. On the serving note, keep in mind that most red wines are at their best when serving temperatures are between 60-65 degrees Farenheit – serve them too warm and the taste of alcohol is overly evident, serve them too cold and they will quickly veer towards bitter and more astringent on the palate.

Red Wine Style

As with all wines, the particular winemaker will have adequate “say” in the style of wine he will produce. That said, red wines are often classified by “body-type.” For example, one might say that a certain red wine is “light-bodied” – referring to the mouth-feel and tannin structure. A light-bodied wine will have fewer tannins present and less presence on the palate. These are wines that are often less demanding partners with flavor-filled foods. An example of a light-bodied red wine would be one derived from the Gamay grape varietal, such as France’s famed young red wine: Beaujolais Nouveau. A medium-bodied red wine will contain more tannins than the above Beaujolais Nouveau, but will not have near the pucker power of a high-powered California Cabernet Sauvignon or an Italian Super Tuscan. Typical examples of medium-bodied red wines include: Merlot, Shiraz or a Chianti. Full-bodied red wines boast the highest tannin (and often alcohol) content. Prime examples of full-bodied reds are France’s esteemed Bordeaux wines, California’s key Cabs and Italy’s sizzling Super Tuscans. In general, light-bodied wines tend to “feel” more like water in the mouth. In contrast, “full-bodied” wines feel heavier, more like milk, this effect is due in large part to the higher tannin (and again, alcohol) content.

Key Red Wine Varietals

The top red wine varietals that you are likely to encounter are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Chianti, Barolo, Barberesco, Syrah, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Malbec, Bordeaux, and Côtes du Rhône.

>> Common Red Wine Flavor Descriptions <<

Cherry

Plum

Strawberry

Blackberry

Raspberry

Currant

Gooseberry

Boysenberry

Raisin

Fig

Pepper (white/black)

Clove

Cinnamon

Coffee

Cocoa

Mocha

Tobacco

Leather

Licorice

Toast

Smoke

Violet

Suggested Reading

Beginner's Guide to French Wines
Beginner's Guide to Italian Wines
Super Sangria Recipes

Related Articles

Cabernet Sauvignon
Jacob's Creek
Tipicitá -- Tradition versus Innovation in Italianwine
Piedmont Region
Red Wine and Cancer: Does Red Wine Really Prevent Cancer?

Stacy Slinkard

Wine Guide, About.com