Red Wine

Red wines are made from red grapes. So far, so good!
These are some of the big hitters in the wine world, names you're more than likely be familiar with, or at least heard in passing. We're talking Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab Sav), Pinot Noir and Grenache. Of course, there's plenty more, but we'll get to those down the track. These are wines of power, best drunk at room temperature (unless you live in Antarctica or the Sahara) or a touch cooler.

What is red wine?

Pretty straightforward stuff here - red wine is made from red grapes. Or more accurately black grapes. That is, grapes that have a dark pigmentation in their skin. The majority of colour in wine comes from the skin, and wines that are made using these grapes, and some degree of skin maceration, will end up red.

What are the characteristics of red wine?

There's a few main differences in the flavours and textures of red and white wines. Generally speaking, red wines will be rounder and fuller in texture. This is down to two main things, both a little technical, so bear with us. The first is called Malolactic Fermentation, a chemical reaction that softens the texture of the wine. The second is ageing in oak barrels, another technique that rounds out acidity.

Red wines will also have a darker fruit spectrum than white wines. So whereas most whites will have degree of citrus fruit to them eg lemon, lime, orange; red wines will traditionally fall more into the berry spectrum - cherries, strawberries etc.

Once you've broken down the colours of wine, the next logical step to categorise them is by variety. It can be tricky sometimes to say categorically for example that all Shiraz is full-bodied. There's certainly plenty of medium-bodied wines being made from that grape variety out of the Rhone Valley.

There are some 'typical standards' however that give a good indication of the usual style of a certain grape, and so that's how we've broken them down below. Click through for more info on each variety!

Light--red

These wines are at the fresh end of the spectrum - lighter in alcohol and weight. They slip down easily, with no heaviness.

Medium--aromatic

This is the majority of wines - they have a bit of stuffing, but are well balanced and don't have excess tannin or alcohol.

Full--racy

These are the richer styles, with plenty of alcohol or tannin, or both! Lots of fruit here, often accompanied by oak.

About the Author

Banjo Harris Plane is the three-time winner Sommelier of the Year Australia and a certified advanced Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. He first cut his teeth in the wine industry working as a sommelier in Australia's best restaurants, before starting multiple businesses in the space of a few years... these included two restaurants, a wine import business and co-founding Good Pair Days!