Red Wine - Tops Tips

Read on to find out all you need to know about buying and serving red wine.

1. Blockbusting red wines and steak – a marriage made in heaven!
   A big full-bodied red wine, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, needs a large, juicy piece of beef to do it justice. This is because these types of red wines are full of tannins, which taste great with meat proteins but will be far too overpowering if drunk on their own or served with light, white meat or vegetables.
   
   
2. Red wine as an aperitif
   Soft and gentle red wines, such as Merlot and Gamay, are a great choice before a meal, as they are easy to drink, full of fruit and low in tannin and acidity.
   

3. Work through the sizes
   The key to serving red wine is to start light and finish big. So to get the most from your red wines, you would be best to start with a Merlot, Barbera or Gamay, moving through to a medium bodied red like Tempranillo, Pinot Noir and Malbec and/or ending with a full bodied red like Shiraz/Syrah (same grape, different names), Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you start the other way around, the heavier red wines will drown the lighter ones.
   

4. Look to where the value is
   There’s no need to splash out on big names and expensive branded red wines - you’ll only be paying over the odds for a fancy label or heavily advertised wine. Far better is to hunt out the less popular regions or areas where the value is. Try a Chilean Cabernet Merlot as an alternative to Bordeaux for example, or an Argentinean Shiraz if you are looking for a cheaper substitute to Aussie Shiraz.
   

5. Serving red wine is the easy bit
   Place the red wine in the kitchen before serving to ensure it is the right temperature. Also, and especially if you are serving a fairly full-bodied red wine, you might like to open the red wine in advance to let it breath. Following that, sit back and enjoy!
   

So what are you waiting for? Choose from a fantastic selection of our red wines now.