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.
The King of Red Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon is known as the king of red wine. It is a popular grape and is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is widely grown in California, Chile, and Australia, among other popular growing regions such as France and Italy.
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.
Food Pairing: Hearty stews, grilled or broiled steak, sausages.
Merlot
Merlot is a wine that came into it's own in the '90's. It is a soft, supple wine with fruit flavors of plums and blackberries, and sometimes it will have mint, chocolate, and eucalyptus flavors and aromas.
Because Merlot is softer and has less tannins it is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is grown in California, Chile and Washington State.
Food Pairing: Pork, turkey, burgers and vegetable dishes.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow. It 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.)
Some of the best New World wines are now being made in Oregon, as well as other cooler appellations in California and New Zealand.
Food Pairing: The earthy flavors in Pinot Noir make it a good match for foods with mushrooms. Also pair with pork, turkey, and some vegetarian dishes.
Syrah
Syrah grapes make spicy, rich and dark red wines. This wine has potential for aging and will develop complex flavors.
In Australia, Syrah 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 from Australian Shiraz and are definitely worth your while to try them.
Food Pairing: Try with burgers, sausage, and will pair well with dishes that have onions, garlic and herbs.
Sangiovese
Sangiovese is an Italian red 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.
Sangiovese is also a red wine labeled as such which is made in other areas outside of Tuscany, and should not be confused as "Chianti" wine.
Some of the flavors of Sangiovese can be red berry, spicy, and can have oak and flavors of tar when aged in wood. All similar to the chianti flavors, though the wine-making for chianti can be different than the wines labeled "Sangiovese".
Food Pairing: Pasta with tomato sauces with ingredients such as capers, garlic, and olives; and pizza.
Rioja
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 characteristic flavors of berries and plums. 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
French Reds -- Bordeaux and Burgundy
Don't be intimidated by this little introduction of French wines. This is simply some brief information on 2 of the famous wine regions in France -- Bordeaux and Burgundy.
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 the New World wines. Just go to your favorite wine shop and ask the sales person to help you choose a red 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.
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