Red wine derives its rich color from a variety of grape varietals. Grapes can range from deep purple, reddish, or even blue. Wines that are described as garnet, dark red, light red, purple, violet, almost black, and maroon gain their coloring from the grape skins and how long they are mixed with the grape juice during the fermentation process which allows the dispersion of tannins and color.
Choosing the best glass for drinking your wine can be a confusing business. Red wines are best served when poured into a large oval or egg shaped bowl that is narrower at the top as opposed to a flute shaped glass. With approximately 10-22 ounces of wine in the glass, you should have room to swirl the wine inside the glass and provide a larger surface area to enable the wine to breathe.
Red Wine Style
Wines are generally classed by body-type. For example, someone may describe a bottle of wine as “full-bodied”, which refers to how many tannins are present. The lighter the wine the less tannins are present. Full-bodied wines contain the highest tannin and alcohol levels. Light-bodied wines have a similar sensation to water when drunk, medium-bodied similar to milk, and full-bodied will have a similar consistency as drinking cream.
Key Red Wine Varietals
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Malbec, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Sangiovese are the most popular red wine varietals that are available. Occasionally, red wine is referred to it’s location rather than the varietal such as Bordeaux which uses three different varietals, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc grapes.