{"id":14716,"date":"2019-09-02T12:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T11:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/?p=14716"},"modified":"2026-04-08T23:40:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T22:40:36","slug":"best-red-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/?p=14716","title":{"rendered":"Best Red Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"

This list focuses on the grape varieties used to make the best red wines popular around the world. After the grapes are grown, ripened, bottled and labelled in wineries and vineyards they end up in your local wine merchant, liquor store or supermarket where choosing the best red wines can be confusing.<\/p>\n

Steps to Choosing the Best Red Wines<\/strong>:
\n– Pick the wine Character, from our list, which appeals to you.
\n– Note the grape variety.
\n– Find wines in your locality which are made using the grape variety which appeals to you.
\n– Choose a bottle, or several to compare, to fit your budget.
\n– Experiment with other labels and grape varieties until you find your favorites.<\/p>\n

Cheers, Sant\u00e9, Chinch\u00edn, Prost etc!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Grape Variety<\/th>\nOrigin<\/th>\nColor<\/th>\nCharacter<\/th>\nCultivation \/ Grown<\/th>\nBest Red Wines Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Barbera<\/strong><\/td>\nPiedmont region, Italy<\/td>\ndeep red<\/td>\nPowerful red wines with a pronounced plum flavor and low tannins.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • ?Italy (Piedmont)<\/li>\n
  • USA (California)<\/li>\n
  • Argentina.<\/li>\n
  • Mexico<\/li>\n
  • Australia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cabernet Franc<\/strong><\/td>\nBordeaux region, France<\/td>\nlight red<\/td>\nFruity, lighter than its big brother Cabernet Sauvignon.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • France (Loire)<\/li>\n
  • Australia<\/li>\n
  • USA (California)<\/li>\n
  • South Africa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Mainly blended, base of many famous Bordeaux wines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong><\/td>\nBordeaux region, France<\/td>\nblack<\/td>\nAged 15-18 months in oak barrels and there develops vanilla aroma reminiscent of currants and licorice.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • France (Provence)<\/li>\n
  • Italy (Tuscany)<\/li>\n
  • Chile<\/li>\n
  • Argentina<\/li>\n
  • Australia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
High susceptibility to vine diseases (powdery mildew).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Carignan<\/strong><\/td>\nAragon (Spain)<\/td>\ndark red<\/td>\nTannin and acid-rich with slight plum and fig aroma.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • France<\/li>\n
  • Algeria<\/li>\n
  • Spain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Susceptible to mildew, blend for Rioja wines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grenache (Garnacha)<\/strong><\/td>\nNorth-East Spain<\/td>\nlight red<\/td>\nLow tannins, alcohol rich yet soft, fruity flavor.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Spain<\/li>\n
  • France.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Often used in ros\u00e9, resistant to heat, wind and drought.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lambrusco<\/strong><\/td>\nEmilia-Romagna region, Italy<\/td>\ndark red<\/td>\nSweet, fruity with a light mousse, should be drunk young.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Italy (Modena, Parma and Lombardy).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Malbec<\/strong><\/td>\nCahors region, SW France<\/td>\nblack-purple<\/td>\nFruity spices with notes of plum and tobacco.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Argentina (Mendoza 70%)<\/li>\n
  • France (20%)<\/li>\n
  • Chile<\/li>\n
  • USA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Very susceptible to frost.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Merlot<\/strong><\/td>\nBordeaux region, France<\/td>\npurple<\/td>\nSoft, slightly plummy taste, medium alcohol content.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • France<\/li>\n
  • Switzerland (Ticino)<\/li>\n
  • Italy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
High proportion in Cuvee (blends) of Bordeaux wines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Montepulciano<\/strong><\/td>\nAbruzzo region, Italy<\/td>\nintense red<\/td>\nDelicately aromatic, smooth taste, dry and rich in alcohol.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Italy (Abruzzo, Marche, Umbria, Apulia).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Good for storing but can also be drunk young.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pinot Noir (Pinot Burgundy)<\/strong><\/td>\nProbably Burgundy, France<\/td>\nbrick-red<\/td>\nVelvety, with fine acidity, berry and cherry aromas.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Argentina<\/li>\n
  • Australia<\/li>\n
  • Canada<\/li>\n
  • Chile<\/li>\n
  • UK<\/li>\n
  • France (Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace)<\/li>\n
  • Switzerland<\/li>\n
  • Germany (Palatinate)<\/li>\n
  • Italy (South Tyrol)<\/li>\n
  • New Zealand<\/li>\n
  • Slovenia<\/li>\n
  • South Africa<\/li>\n
  • Spain (Catalonia)<\/li>\n
  • USA (California, Oregon).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Quality grape, important ingredient of Champagne; thin-skinned. Ideal soil is chalky clay.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sangiovese<\/strong><\/td>\nTuscany, Italy<\/td>\npurple<\/td>\nStrong acid and tannin structure with intense cherry aroma.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Italy (Emilia-Romagna, Umbria)<\/li>\n
  • USA (California)<\/li>\n
  • France (Corsica)<\/li>\n
  • Argentina.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Main Chianti component. The name derives from Latin for \u201cblood of love\u201d.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Syrah (Shiraz)<\/strong><\/td>\nRhone Valley<\/td>\ndark red<\/td>\nTannic with peppery spices and strong blackcurrant aroma.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • France<\/li>\n
  • Australia (Shiraz)<\/li>\n
  • USA (California)<\/li>\n
  • South Africa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tempranillo<\/strong><\/td>\nLa Rioja (Spain)<\/td>\ndeep red<\/td>\nStrong, fruity, with hints of vanilla, tobacco and plums.<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Spain (Navarra)<\/li>\n
  • Portugal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Noblest grape in Spain, blend for Rioja.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This list focuses on the grape varieties used to make the best red wines popular around the world. After the grapes are grown, ripened, bottled and labelled in wineries and vineyards they end up in your local wine merchant, liquor… Lexo →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-extracted"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letrat.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}