Red Wine Types An introduction to red wine types, their characteristics and the foods that go with them.
Understanding wine could be seen as an artform rather than a science.
Different grape varieties have certain recognisable characteristics, but the wine they produce can vary greatly depending on where the grape is grown, what the weather was doing at the time, and, most importantly, who made it.
Originating in Bordeaux, France, Cabernet Sauvignon is now a very popular variety of grape grown throughout the world. It is often blended with other grape varieties such as merlot.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep red wine with aromas and flavours of blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry, bell pepper, and oak.
It is well matched with rich, hearty foods, and foods with a peppery, spicy taste. This wine also goes well with aged cheddar cheese and brie, and even matches well with chocolate.
Malbec originated in the Bordeaux region of France. It's still used in Bordeaux wines but is now more often grown in countries such as Argentina and Chile. It is usually blended with other wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Generally, Malbec produces a soft, easy-to-drink, mid-bodied wine with fruity flavours of berry and plum. Depending on where it’s grown, it can be quite spicy and tannic.
It goes well with roasted white meats.
Merlot
Merlot dates back to first century France but was only recently recognised for its value as a varietal (a wine made from one variety of grape). For most of its history it has been blended with other grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
On its own, Merlot is a soft, mellow, easy-drinking wine. It may contain aromas and flavours of currant, plum, black cherry, violet, peppercorn and bell pepper.
Merlot matches well with hearty foods and foods with a peppery quality, such as beef, pasta and mushroom dishes. It also matches well with medium strength cheeses such as Gouda, and goes very nicely with chocolate.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is hard to grow and maintain, and difficult to ferment. For these reasons it will often cost more than more common varieties. It is rarely blended with other grapes.
Pinot Noir is a light red wine but its colouring can deepen with age. Depending on where its grown, it can be a complex, intense wine with flavours and aromas of cherry, berries, cinnamon, black olive, mushroom and earth. It sometimes has a spicy quality too.
It matches well with a light beef dish, grilled salmon, lighter Asian dishes, mushroom dishes and pasta with a red sauce.
Tasting Cabernet Sauvignon Gary Vaynerchuck from Wine Library TV talks and tastes Cab Savs.
Even More Fast Facts About Red Wine Types
Shiraz
Shiraz (also known as Syrah) is known as a spicy, peppery wine, sometimes described as “cheeky”. The grape produces a rich, deep red colour with flavours of black currant, blackberry, plum and oak, often including notes of licorice, black pepper and even bitter chocolate.
Some Shiraz wines can have a more fruity style, while others can be more mellow and less peppery. These characteristics often depend on the climate of the region where the grape was grown, or the temperature range of a given growing season.
Shiraz compliments hearty, spicy foods such as stews and casseroles, Indian and Mexican. It also pairs well with steak or pasta.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a versatile grape that produces a wide range of wines from Rose style to deep reds. Zinfandel varietal wines generally do not age well and should be enjoyed when young.
Depending on the style produced, the wine may match well with fresh, light foods or heavier, richer foods.
"Light the candles and pour the red wine into your glass. Before you begin to eat, raise your glass in honor of yourself. The company is the best you'll ever have." Daniel Halpern
"What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning, with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?" Isak Dinesen
He did not wear his scarlet coat
For blood and wine are red
And blood and wine were on his hands
When they found him with the dead
The poor dead woman whom he loved
And murdered in her bed. from The Ballad Of Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. Old Testament, Proverbs 23:31
