People love to drink red wine during different occasions, whether it’s a marriage, a party or a simple get-together with friends and family. Exploring different types of red wine is all about taste, preference and fun. While some may like it dry, others may love its bitter taste. Every wine is unique and has a particular type of aroma that attracts our senses. Many different types of red wine exist today, with a history dating back thousands of years. We have provided a brief overview of red wine origin and how to choose the best from different types of red wine available in the market.
Origin of Wine
Research and pieces of evidence state that red wine originally belongs to Western Asia including the Zagros Mountains, Caucasus Mountains, Southern Anatolia and Euphrates River Valley. Today, these regions stretch to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Eastern Turkey. Anciently, red wines were produced in between 6,000-4,000 BC. Shulaveri is thought to have been the first people to produce wine in the stone age when they learnt how to grow grapes, raise cattle, and invented tools. Some believe, however, that wine was first made 9,000 years ago by the Chinese by fermenting honey and rice. 2,000 years after, the Europeans started winemaking business and flourished gradually. After many game-changing and controversial innovations, 20th-century winemaking was introduced that utilized synthetic corks and screw-capped bottlenecks for wine preservation.
How to Choose the Best Red Wine
Choosing the best red wine depends on how you select a red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, light-boiled red Pinot Noir or spicy Grenache. Every red wine has a different type of aroma and flavour depending on cultivation and wine production. Therefore, choosing the best is about what you like to taste. In addition to flavour, many people consider the acidity, tannins, body, and aroma of the wine when choosing one for themselves. Those who love pungent flavours or bold textures may enjoy wines that are rich in tannins whereas beginners would love having a glass of red wine with subtle taste and fewer tannins.
The wine body is the feeling you experience when you taste the red wine. If you want a rich feel and texture, you should choose bolder flavours. Light boiled are for those who love the airy feeling and for tangy-lovers, high acidic wines are the best. The best way to choose the best is by drinking different flavours until you find one that matches perfectly with your taste buds.
Different types of red wine to choose from
Merlot
A rich and one of the most popular red wines is Merlot which contains fewer tannins as compared to others on the list. If you are a beginner, Merlot will be perhaps the best choice. Its favours and bold content will make your lips pucker, so pair them with a cheese cordon bleu or a steak. The wine has deep glue with colours that look purple and blue. This red wine is produced in areas with a cool climate and tastes black currant, strawberry and plum. Merlots that are produced in warmer regions taste blackberries, dark cherries and vanilla.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Also called Cab, this red wine is cultivated in many places and is popular worldwide due to its medium acidic level, dark fruit flavour and a moderate level of tannins. Cabernet can taste differently depending on where they have been produced. Those cultivated and produced in France, for example, will taste herbier than those in California, which will taste fruitier. If you love berry flavours, try Cabernet. You can serve them with a cheeseburger or fried eggs or smoked bacon to add even more flavor.
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is for spice lovers as the wine has a fruity, spicy and smoky taste with a light body. This is one of the best red wines to choose from due to moderate tanning levels and high acidity that maintains potent flavour besides airy texture. Taste it raw and add cheese pasta or macaroni for a perfect meal.
Syrah
In addition to being more widely known as Shiraz, Syrah is intensely spicy, tangy, and floral. All these combinedly make Syrah a delicious wine that offers notes of smoky herbs and salty bacon with fruits and violets. This red wine offers a wider range of flavours that can be enjoyed during a fancy meal or a birthday party. You can combine them with cheese platters or charcuterie. Shiraz from America is fruiter with plum and berries while European Syrah is like old-age barrels full of anise, vanilla and cloves.
Nebbiolo
Yet another popular red wine variety that is also used to make Barbaresco is produced in Italy. The wine is tannin-laden and acidic while the grape has a light flavour with a complex taste. You may taste anise, rose, leather and berries that can wash your taste buds quickly. Nebbiolo will be loved by people who prefer bold notes that linger after tasting wine. When aged, this wine tastes fantastic and can be used for special occasions such as marriage ceremonies.
Grenache
Grenache is also known as Garnacha which are full of berries and spices. This red wine is mostly produced in Spain and France Cotes du Rhone areas. Since this wine has a lighter body than most of the other flavours and contains high-alcohol content, beginners must avoid having it. For others, match this red wine with paella or other Spanish delicacies. Grenache is often mixed with other red fruit wone such as Syrah and Mourvèdre. Its light spicy favour underpins raspberry, grapefruit, strawberry and cranberry flavours in the light colour body. The wine looks crystalline which adds to its beauty in wine parties.
Pinot Noir
Yet another light-bodied and silky flavoured red wine is Pinot Noir which is for the sultry flavour lovers. The wine tastes berries and cherries yet is non-sweet in taste. This makes it ideal for fruity and non-sweet wine lovers. They can pair it with avocado toast or with salmon. The popular Pinot Noir can be bought from Oregon and California.
Sangiovese
Bold, tasty and good-bodied, Sangiovese is an Italian wine that is mostly produced in Tuscany’s Chianti. This Tuscan wine is high in acidic level with surplus tannins that make it taste fruity and woody. Sangiovese is a medium-boiled red wine with is often aged in oak barrels with vanilla and cedar. Try this mouth-watering red wine with cheese, salami or roasted chicken for the best experience.
Tempranillo
This wine looks excellent due to its garnet and ruby hues. For taste and aroma, the wine has cherries, figs and tomatoes. This bold and understated red wine is mostly produced in Australia, Argentina and Portugal with moderate tannins and acidity levels. Those who love Sangiovese wine or Cabernets will love tasting Tempranillo as well. Just combine this drink with polenta dishes, lasagne or nachos.
Malbec
Malbecs were basically made first in France but now they come from Chile and Argentina as well. It has a deep red hue which looks stunning on any occasion. This red wine flavours black cherry and blackberry. The wine also offers violets, sweet tobacco and milk chocolate taste depending o how they were produced. Since they offer bold taste, Malbec can be tasted easily, especially by those who prefer smoky and spicy hints. Try this one with Mexica or Indian curries for the best experience.
