Quick Guide to Red Wine

An Introduction to Red Wine

Red wine has been a staple of civilisations for centuries, and it still holds significant importance in the daily lives of millions of people today. Whether you like lighter styles like Pinot Noir with red berry flavours or big-hitting Australian Shiraz oozing with blackcurrant goodness, there’s a red wine out there to make every palate sing.

Red wines come from all over the world, in many styles and at many price points. There are hundreds of red wine varieties (far too many to cover in a quick red wine guide), although you’re likely to only come across a handful if you’re a casual wine drinker. We’re talking about those grape varieties we’ve all heard of, such as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Carménère.

There are many reasons for the variations in style we see in red wine across the globe, including the type of climate the grapes were grown in, the characteristics of the grape varieties used in a blend, whether the wine has been oaked, and the production methods used in the winery.

Quick Red Wine Facts

• The earliest remnants of wine were discovered in Georgia in 6,000 BC (Check out our Illustrated History of Wine for more landmark moments through the ages)
• There are approximately 160 calories in a 175ml glass of 13% ABV red wine, and up to 228 calories in a 250ml glass of red wine
• A standard 750ml bottle of red wine contains up to 10 units of alcohol
• One ton of grapes can produce up to 720 bottles of wine
• Once opened, a bottle of red wine should be stored at 10-13°C and consumed within 3-5 days

Styles of Red Wine

In short, there’s a lot to cover when it comes to red wine styles, so we’ve broken it down into sections to keep our red wine guide easy to digest.

Body
Body is a term used describe how rich and weighty a wine feels when drinking it. With red wine especially, you get a huge range, from dainty, light-bodied wines to luscious, much fuller-bodied offerings. Popular examples include:

• Light-bodied red wines: Pinot Noir and Beaujolais
• Medium-bodied red wines: Merlot and Carignan
• Full-bodied red wines: Malbec, Shiraz and Tempranillo

Colour
Younger red wines are often lighter in colour with older wines taking on a more garnet hue. Wines that have been aged for a period of years like Gran Reservas can take on a kind of rust-like brown colour. It doesn’t sound all that appealing, but they’re incredibly complex and delicious. For a quick overview of what the colours of red wine signify, check out our useful diagram below.

Region
Different wines develop different characteristics depending on where the grapes used in the blend were grown. If you ever hear someone say that all Pinot Noir tastes the same, you can point out how wrong they are. Even the same grape variety can differ in flavour profile depending on where it’s being grown. For example, a Burgundy Pinot Noir will taste completely different to a Napa Valley wine of the same grape due to climate, winery equipment, and winemaking tendencies.

Tannins
Red wine will also range hugely in tannins depending on the grape variety it’s made from. That tannic mouthfeel you often find in red wine comes from the tannins that naturally occur in grape skins and stalks. Generally speaking, the thicker the grape skin (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon) and the longer the skins are left in the blend during winemaking, the higher the tannins will be in the resulting wine. White wine production is about separating the skins from the fruit immediately, which is why tannins are only noticeable in red vino.

Climate
From cooler climates, you’re more likely to get light to medium-bodied reds, with noticeable acidity and bright red fruit flavours, such as German Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais. Whereas a red wine from warm or hot climates will be big, bold and juicy, as well as higher in alcohol and fuller in body.

Age
Many red wines are also aged, which adds another dimension of complex flavours and characteristics. Even the type of oak the winemaker uses can impact the wine in different ways! Generally speaking, oak imparts toasty and nutty nuances into red wine, softens tannins to create a silkier texture, and turns the colour of the wine into a rusty, autumnal red.

How is Red Wine Produced?

Red wine production varies depending on where you are in the world, how modern the winery is, the climate in which grapes are cultivated, and the preferences of the winemaker. When we say a wine is really an expression of its environment, we really mean it.

Winemaking can be a lengthy process, but there are a few basics to know when it comes to how red wine is produced.

Firstly, of course, the winemaker plants their chosen grape variety (a variety with thicker skins will result in a deeper colour wine, and also lead to more tannins in the resulting wine). Once ripened, the grapes are picked by hand selection or by machine harvest, before being taken to the winery where they can be sorted to remove any unwanted stems and leaves. The grapes are then crushed.

Now it’s time for fermentation, where yeast cultures enable the grape sugar to turn into alcohol. Once this process is completed, the wine is pressed to remove grape skins and then aged for the desired amount of time, depending on the winemaker’s preference. After maturation, it’s time to bottle and label the wine, before sending it on its merry way.

For a more in-depth look at the winemaking process beyond what we’ve covered in this red wine guide, take a look at our article How is Red Wine Made.

Did You Know?

• The earliest remnants of wine were discovered in Georgia in 6,000 BC! (see Illustrated History of Wine for more info)
• Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape in the world
• Red wine gets its colour from being fermented in contact with the skin. The actual grape juice is largely clear