Red wine
Red wine is made from blue grapes whose skins ferment along with the juice: the juice itself is colorless, while the skin provides the color and astringency. Here you can read where that tannin comes from and which grape suits you.
Red wine by grape and region
Four pages where we take a closer look at a grape or a region from this selection.
Merlot
A fairly large grape with a relatively thin skin, and therefore less color and less tannin than cabernet sauvignon.
About Merlot →Valpolicella
The region in Veneto where corvina, rondinella and molinara come together in the blend, from ripasso to amarone.
About Valpolicella →
Rioja
The Spanish region where tempranillo is king among the grapes and aging in oak is still its hallmark.
About Rioja →
Brunello
In Tuscany, sangiovese is the main grape, just as much in Chianti as in Brunello di Montalcino.
About Brunello →The skin does the work
Red wine is made from blue grapes, but the color is not in the juice. The juice that comes from grapes is always colorless; it is the skin of the blue grape that gives the wine its color. With red wine, those skins ferment together with the juice, and the longer that contact lasts, the darker the wine becomes. For red wine, the skins soak in the must for about 24 hours, compared with 8 to 14 hours for rosé. That difference in soaking time immediately explains why rosé is so much lighter than red wine. Incidentally, color says little about body: nebbiolo is generally light in color but full of flavor.
That astringency in your mouth also has an origin. Tannin is the name for the tannic acids in wine, and they come from the grape skins, seeds and stems, or from the barrel in which the wine has matured. During fermentation, they move into the grape juice. You taste them as an astringent flavor that makes the corners of your mouth contract. With red wine, the skins, stems and seeds ferment together with the juice, so that astringency ends up in the glass; with white wine, only the juice ferments, without the skins, stems and seeds, which is why it does not contain it. The thickness of the skin also matters: grapes such as syrah, cabernet sauvignon and nebbiolo have thick skins and therefore produce more robust wines.
In brief
Five bottles, from light to powerful
When someone says red, they could mean anything from a light pinot noir to a full-bodied malbec. These five are arranged from the lightest grape to the most powerful.
Pinot noir
The lightest of the noble red grapes, with aromas of red berries, cherries, raspberries and often an earthy note. This Loire is juicy and smooth, light red in color and has silky tannins.
Tempranillo
The star of Rioja: earthy, with cherry and plum, light tannins and a velvety mouthfeel. This bottle was aged in oak, which comes through in the vanilla and cigar-box notes.
Corvina
The grape of Valpolicella, known for fresh acidity, red fruit and subtle spiciness, making up 70 percent of this blend with rondinella and molinara. As a ripasso, the wine undergoes a second fermentation on amarone must, resulting in a much fuller wine.
Primitivo
From the heel of Italy, where the thick, dark skin protects the grape from the heat and immediately provides firm tannins. Full-bodied, with black cherries, plums and blackberries, along with tobacco, rooibos and anise.
Malbec
A small, dark-colored grape with a powerful flavor: dark fruit such as plums and blackberries, with cacao, pepper, leather or licorice. Argentina produces by far the most of it, and this Mendoza is firm, dark and robust.
Above malbec come syrah and cabernet sauvignon: thick skins, lots of tannin, and cassis and cedarwood on the nose.
Fruit, spices and an astringent edge
Red and black fruit
Cherries, red berries and plums in lighter grapes, dark fruit such as blackberries and cassis in more powerful ones. If the wine has been aged in oak, vanilla, cacao or spices are added.
Astringent from the tannins
That astringent taste that makes the corners of your mouth contract comes from the tannins in the skins, seeds and stems. The thicker the grape skin, the firmer that astringency feels.
Warm and spicy
From short and juicy with a light pinot noir to long and full-bodied with a primitivo or a malbec. Pepper, licorice, leather and cacao belong to the more powerful end of the shelf.
An average across the entire range. Pinot noir is clearly lower in tannin and body, while malbec and cabernet sauvignon are higher.
How to serve red wine
Red wine at room temperature is usually too warm. Chilling it, opening it in time and using the right glass make the biggest difference.
Chill to 14 to 18 degrees
Fruity red wines are best at 14 to 16 degrees, so half an hour in the fridge is enough. Powerful, full-bodied wines should be served at 18 degrees, so chill them for about fifteen minutes. Our average room temperature of 21 degrees mainly brings out the alcohol, and wine that is too warm loses its fruitiness.
Chill white wine further →Decant, but not always
Decanting literally means pouring the wine from one vessel into another, giving it more oxygen. Young, tight red wines really need that oxygen so their flavors can develop; decant them half an hour to three hours before serving. Older, refined wines should not be decanted, because they already have plenty of aroma and flavor.
To the decanters →Pour to just below the widest part
Pour red wine to just below the widest part of the glass, so you can swirl it without spilling. Hold the glass by the stem, because wrapping your hand around the bowl warms the wine. A 75 cl bottle yields about six glasses.
The right glass →Cocktails with wine
Red wine rarely goes into a cocktail on its own, but in Spain it is routinely mixed; that is where sangria and tinto de verano come from. The other two are wine cocktails with sparkling wine.
Sangria
Red wine with pieces of fruit and plenty of ice, intended to be served in a pitcher at the table.
Tinto de Verano
Literally the red wine of summer: red wine topped up with sparkling lemonade, served over ice.
Kir Royal
Crème de cassis at the bottom of the glass, topped up slowly with a dry sparkling wine.
Aperol Spritz
Aperol, prosecco and sparkling water in a large glass with ice, garnished with a slice of orange.The right glass for red wine
Red wine benefits from a little extra oxygen, so the glass is larger and wider than one for white or rosé. The bowl captures and distributes the aromas; the stem keeps your hand from warming the wine. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about red wine
Is your question not listed? View our cocktail recipes or contact us.
To the cocktail recipes →