Notable Red Wines

While this topic is a subjective one, I do feel it is important for every red wine enthusiast to be aware of these wines.  Obviously there are many more great red wines to discover and enjoy, but I think being informed about these ones will provide the red wine enthusiast with a strong foundation of knowledge of which he or she can expand upon as much as desired. 

You'll notice that some wines mentioned in this section have already been mentioned in the "Types of Grapes" section of my website.  Rather than have redundant content, I simply refer you back to the "Types of Grapes" section, where appropriate. 

By way of information, in some countries wines are referred to by the type of grape(s) used in their production; while in other areas wine names are based on the area of production(depending on the country this could be done by region, or more specifically a district within a region, or in some cases a town or even the vineyard. 

Barbaresco & Barolo - come from the Nebbiolo grape and certainly the Piedmont region of Italy is famous for the Barbaresco and Barolo wine.  These wines are high in tannin, acidity, alcohol, very dry and full bodied.  Out of the two wines, Barolo wines generally require more aging and more full bodied.

Beaujolais - Is one of the five districts within the Burgundy region of France.  The Namay grape is used to make this wine.  This wine is low in tannin and very fruity.

Bordeaux - A region in western France.  When young this wine can be quite full of tannen but over time can become quite flavourful.

Red Burgundy - Is made from the Pinot Noir grape in France.

Cabernet Sauvignon - This grape can grow in many wine regions.  Its wines are high in tannin and are medium to full bodied.

Chianti - Almost entirely made from the Sangiovese grape and also blended with Canailo and sometimes other grapes.

Dolchetto - A light bodied wine, dry, grapy wine wih medium tannin, made from the dolchetto grape in Piedmont region of Italy.

Merlot - This grape produces wines that are high in alcohol, low in tannin, dark in colour, and full bodied.  The flavours can be plum or chocolate.

Pinot Noir - Pinot Noir is a very difficult grape to grow properly for wine because it requires a certain soil and climate combination.  But when it does grow right, it can make a fantastic wine.   The model wine for Pinot Noir is red Burgundy from France.

Port - True Port, labelled "Porto" comes from Portugal and distinguishes it from other ports from around the world.  Port wine is higher in alcohol than other wines and is typically fortified using brandy.  There are many styles of Port and the main styles include: White Port, Ruby Port, Tawny Port, Vintage Character Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port, Colheita Port, and Single Quinta Vintage Port.

Valpolicella - This wine tends to be low in tannins, velvety, and fruity.  The grapes used in the production of this wine are Corvina Veronese (40-70%), Rondinella (20-40%) and Molinara (5-20%). And in some cases, 15% of a combination of varieties such as Rossignola, Negrara, Trentina, Barbera and Sangiovese.

Zinfandel - The zinfandel grape produces a wine that is high in alcohol, medium to high in tannin.  It has a fruity aroma, spicy or jammy flavour.