Red Wine
Smooth, Spicy, Delicious

Our red wine favorites is a list of some of the most recognizable varietals, whether it is in your local wine shop or on the wine list of your favorite restaurant. Of course that is not to say that one of these varietals just may be your favorite red.

Cabernet Sauvignon Is an assertive wine with higher tannins and one of the red wines that has aging potential. Typically Cabernet Sauvignon is a full body wine with big bold flavors and will appeal to those who like bold wines.

Some of the flavors associated with Cabernet Sauvignon are blackberries, plums, black currants, and cassis. When aged in oak, it takes on flavors of vanilla, cedar, chocolate, and coffee.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a popular grape and is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is widely grown in California, Chile, Australia and Washington State.

Food Pairing: Hearty stews, grilled or broiled steak, sausages.

Because Merlot is softer and has less tannins it is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.

New World Merlot is grown in California, Chile and Washington State.

Food Pairing: Pork, turkey, burgers and vegetable dishes.

Food Friendly Pinot Noir The acidity of vinegar cuts through the oil and vice versa. When you apply this to wine, take the acidic Pinot Noir and pair it with an oily food like salmon, and you have a match.

PINOT NOIR A difficult grape to grow, Pinot Noir is a delicate medium body wine with a silky texture, lively acidity, and flavors of red berries.

With age, Pinot Noir from Burgundy develops more complex flavors and aromas of earth, mushrooms and decaying leaves (not a very flowery tasting note, but it does express the earthiness aroma best.)

The wines in the New World style are being made in Oregon, New Zealand and in the cooler appellations of California.

Syrah grapes make spicy, rich and dark red wines. This wine has potential for aging and will develop complex flavors.

Syrah wine is made in Australia which is marketed with the name Shiraz. So don't be confused by Syrah and Shiraz. They are the same grape. Australian Shiraz has big, bold and spicy flavors with jammy fruit and aromas of leather and black fruit.

Syrah is also grown in Washington State and California. The styles of the Washington State and California wines are very different but are worth tasting.

Food Pairing: Try with burgers, sausage, and will pair well with dishes that have onions, garlic and herbs.

SANGIOVESE is an Italian grape used to make the popular Chianti wine from Tuscany. It has a medium body with firm acidity, earthy notes, and tart cherry fruit flavors.

You will also find bottles with Sangiovese on the label from areas in and outside of Tuscany.

Food Pairing: Pasta with tomato sauces with ingredients such as capers, garlic, and olives.

RIOJA is the Spanish red wine that takes its name from the famous region in northern Spain. This wine is made from Tempranillo grapes and blended with other local grapes from the Rioja region.

It is a medium body and food friendly wine with flavors of berries and plums that are characteristic of this wine. Some producers age this wine in oak barrels which gives it a vanilla and spicy quality. Wines not aged in oak have a more fruity flavor.

Food Pairing: Seafood, beef, pork, chicken

Don't be intimidated by this little introduction of French wines. We've just included some brief information on 2 of the famous wine regions in France -- Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy are some of the best wines produced. Though these wines are traditionally known to be expensive, there are many wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy that are very affordable and delicious. Don't be intimated by the branded region.

Red BORDEAUX wines are made with the popular Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. Red wine from BURGUNDY is made with the Pinot Noir grapes. Wine labels from these regions do not have the grape variety on the label as do New World wines.

Just go to your favorite wine shop and ask the sales person to help you choose a French Bordeaux or Burgundy that is in your budget. You'll be glad you did.

For great French recipes with easy preparation and cooking tips visit www.easy-french-food.com. This can be the perfect match, French wine and a delicious French dinner.

"White wine with fish and red wine with meat" is just a bit antiquated. Wine-making has changed over the last 25 years or so which makes food and wine pairing easier. We can break some of those old pairing rules and enjoy our favorite wines with our favorite foods.

Food Pairing Hot Tips:

HOT TIPSMatch the flavors Citrus flavors in the wine pair well with foods having the same flavors. This is a simple though often overlooked tip. Full bodied reds, Cabernet Sauvignon for example, pair well with hearty flavorful dishes. "White with light and Red with rich." This just means that the preparation and sauce can be more important than what is being cooked.

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