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Characteristcs
of Red Wine
- Download pdf of red wine varietal
characteristics
Color:
From
red to purple. The more blue
or purple the younger the wine.
Orange or bricky color denotes
age.
Fruit:
From red fruits to dark bramble
fruit. Older wines tend to be
lacking fruit.
Tannins:
When they are young they are
rough, an almost tactile sensation
in the mouth. The harsh ones
are from the seed and stems.
The softer tannins are from
oak. Harsh tannins can be softened
with careful winemaking during
the macerations period (skin
contact);
Leather
flavors in aged red wine are
to be expected. Leather tends
to be more pronounced once the
fruit has fades.
Tobacco
- along with cedar and leather
are a product of well aged tannins.
Astringency:
Different than tannins, this
is the drying out of the mouth.
It is due to acidity.
Off
Flavors and Smells:
- Wet
cardboard - Corked wine
- Wet
horse blanket - Brett, a common
bacterial spoilage, in smaller
concentrations is more like
dirt than merde.
- Slight
sparkle - If it is slight
it is dissolved CO2, if it
is accompanied by a wet forest
floor smell, than it is Malo-Lactic
fermentation in the bottle.
Wine
Making Flavors:
Malo-Lactic
Fermentation - the
process of changing the sharp
malic acid (in apples) into
the softer lactic acid (in milk).
The process also leaves the
by product DIACETYL, the taste
of butter.
Carbonic
Maceration (CM) - This
is a quck way of making wine
that results in fruity wines
with no tannin and only slight
varietal character. Strawberries,
bananas, and raspberries, as
well as cotton candy sweetness
in the nose are typical.
Oak
- If it is complex with cloves
and woody spices, it is French
oak. If it is forward with vanilla,
it is American Oak. If it is
musty, it is from old barrels.
Oxidation
- Caramel and a dark, plum smell
(Port). Light orange hues are
another hint.
Blending
- While not always obvious,
a wine that tastes complex may
have been blended wtih several
grape varieties.
Climatic
Characteristics:
Hot
weather - A deep rich flavor
lacking in acidity or bright
fruit. The hotter the region
the more flabby (less acidic)
the wines tend to be. Because
of the overripe fruit, and the
propensity to oxidize hot fruit,
the color tends towards brown
shades of red.
Cool
weather - Long cool growing
conditions pronounce the fruit
and the acidity. Tannins and
color are low.
Temperate
weather - If it is not too hot
nor too cool, the ideal grape
variety are thsoe wtih long
growing seasons, but thick skins
to protect the fruit. Tannin
and color are products of the
grape skin.
Varietals
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Barbera
Pronunciation: bar-BEAR-uh:
This is a hearty red wine that's
usually blended into jug wines,
but sometimes sold as an inexpensive
varietal wine.
Beaujolais
Pronunciation: bow-zhuh-LAY:
This is a region in Eastern
France that produces light,
fruity, fresh-tasting red wines
that are relatively low in alcohol.
Beaujolais wines should be drunk
while young.
Bordeaux
wine Pronunciation: bore-DOUGH:
The Bordeaux region in France
produces excellent red wines,
especially in the districts
of Médoc, Haut-Médoc,
and St. Emilion. These wines
are rich and complex, and usually
made with a blend of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and
Merlot grapes. Bordeaux wines
with the generic label "Bordeaux
Wine" usually aren't as
good as those with more specific
appellations, like "St.
Emilion Wine." Red Bordeaux
wines go especially well with
lamb and poultry. See article
on Right
Bank vs. Left Bank.
Burgundy
wine (red): Burgundy is a region
in eastern France that produces
excellent red wines, but the
Burgundy wines produced in the
United States are usually inexpensive
jug wines made from different
grape varieties.
Cabernet
Franc Pronunciation:
cah-burr-NAY FRAHN: Cabernet
Franc grapes are related to
Cabernet Sauvignon, but they
make for a lighter, fruitier
wine. The wine is often blended
with others, but sometimes sold
as a varietal wine.
Cabernet
Sauvignon Pronunciation:
cah-burr-NAY sow-vee-NYOHN:
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes make
a hearty, complex red wine that's
especially good with roasted
meats and heavy stews. Domestic
Cabernets are often excellent.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Pronunciation: shah-toe-nuff
due PAHP: This is a village
in Provence that's known for
its excellent red wines, which
are blended from as many as
13 grape varieties. These wines
tend to be pricey.
Chianti
Pronunciation: kee-AHN-tee:
A lot of cheap domestic red
wines go by this name, but the
real thing comes from Tuscany
and has a seal of authenticity
on the neck. Italian Chianti
is a hearty wine that's great
with Italian food.
Gamay:
This is a grape variety that
the French use to make their
famous Beaujolais wine, a fruity,
fresh-tasting red wine. Wines
made from these grapes outside
of the Beaujolais region are
simply called Gamay. Don't confuse
this wine with Gamay Beaujolais,
which is made from a blend of
Pinot Noir and Valdiguie grapes,
or with Napa Gamay, another
name for Valdiguie.
Gamay
Beaujolais: This name
is given to American red wines
made mostly from Pinot Noir
and Valdiguie grapes. It's an
unexceptional fruity wine that
goes best with hearty dishes
that have rich sauces. Don't
confuse this wine with Gamay
or Napa Gamay, both of which
are superior. The name Gamay
Beaujolais is scheduled to be
phased out by 2007.
Grenache
Malbec
Pronunciation: MALL-beck: This
red wine is similar to Merlot.
It's a good choice if you want
a decent but inexpensive red
wine to serve with red meat
and pasta.
Merlot
Pronunciation:
mer-LOW: This is a hearty red
wine that's similar to a Cabernet
Sauvignon, but softer and less
tannic. It goes especially well
with pork, turkey, and pasta
dishes.
Nebbiolo
Petite
Syrah Pronunciation:
puh-TEET see-RAH: This is a
grape variety which produces
an excellent red wine that's
very dark and often described
as "peppery." Don't
confuse Petite Syrah with Syrah,
another red varietal wine.
Pinot
Noir
Pronunciation: pee-no NWAHR:
This earthy red varietal wine
goes best with beef, ham, poultry,
salmon, or tuna. Unfortunately,
making it is tricky business,
so the quality varies tremendously.
A good one will be expensive and
sublime.
Rhône wine
Pronunciation: RONEs: Vineyards
along the Rhône River in
Southeastern France produce red,
white, and blush wines, but they're
best known for their excellent
red wines. Châteauneuf-du-Pape
is the region's most famous appellation,
while Côtes-du-Rhône
is the catch-all name given to
lesser Rhône wines.
Rioja
Pronunciation: ree-OH-ha: This
is a region in Northern Spain
that's known for its economical
and fairly good red wines.
Sangiovese
Pronunciation: san-joe-VAY-zee:
This is the red grape variety
that's often blended with Cabernet
Sauvignon to make Italian Chianti.
California Sangiovesi are hearty
and good with Italian food.
The quality of this wine varies
tremendously, but a good Sangiovese
is sublime.
Syrah
or Shiraz Pronunciation:
see-RAW: This wine is called Syrah
in Europe and America, and Shiraz
in Australia. It's a dry red wine
that's especially good with barbecued
meats, sausages, strong cheeses,
and spicy foods. Don't confuse
Syrah with Petite Syrah.
Valdiguie:
This is a relative of the Pinot
Noir grape, and it makes a red
wine that goes well with hearty
meat-based dishes. Don't confuse
it with Gamay or Gamay Beaujolais.
Zinfandel
Pronunciation: ZIN-fan-dell:
This is a hearty red varietal
wine that's especially good
with sausages and barbecued
meats. Don't confuse it with
white Zinfandel, a fruity blush
wine that wine snobs abhor.
California Zinfandels are often
excellent.
Red
Wine Ratings and Reviews
Learn
about White Wine
Read
an article about the benefits
of Red Wine to your health
Wine & Spirits Top 100 wines of the year at Wine.com
Health
- Red
Wine and it's Effects
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Learn
Even More About Red Wine
Back
To Top
Red
Wine Grapes - A great read
from DamnGoodWine.com with an
online tutorial for impressing
the neighbors featuring a pronunciation
guide, and descriptions and
characteristics of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir
and Zinfandel.
S-wine.com
- Red Wine Ratings - The latest
award winners or otherwise highest-rated
by site members, and click around
for more on their top ten picks,
wine search, registration details.
Red
Wine Making in France -
A step-by-step description of
the process starting with the
crushing of the grapes followed
by fermentation, maceration,
raking and aging.
Red
Bordeaux wines - A clickable
map and neat fact sheet on where
and how Bordeaux is produced,
grape varieties used, plus details
on color, aroma and taste, and
a quick guide to serving and
appreciating Bordeaux.
Cooking
with Red Wine - Rule #1:
Never cook with anything you
wouldn't drink, with complete
recipes for classics such as
Asparagus Beef, Beef Bourguignonne,
and Lamb Stew, along with new
twists on Duck with Raspberry
Sauce and Mussels Marinara.
Removing
Red Wine Stains - A simple
formula for getting out those
pesky red wine stains with readers
giving it a rave over at Strat's
Place.com. And, no - the solution
isn't white wine.
Professional
Friends of Wine - If you
want to know what the grapes
look like, how to pronounce
them, and every bit of information
about a varietal. This is the
place for you.
Wine
Ratings and Reviews - Learn
how to buy the wine you really
love.
Learn More
about Wine Tasting
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with "Vinovixenz
Partner" in the
subject line. We are usually
able to reply within a single
business day.
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