Types of Red Wine

This wine guide is adapted from www.winecountry.com. Types Of Wine The types of grapes used to make a wine are the most important factor in the taste of the wine. However, the flavors are also affected other factors such as soil, exposure to sunlight, climate, how the grapes are handled and fermented, types of yeast used, whether the wine is aged in wood, etc. Because of this, the same type of wine can be produced in several different regions, but various factors result in wines which taste different! Half the fun of experiencing wine is the incredible array of flavors available! Varietal simply refers to the grape variety used to make a particular wine. Serious wineproducing countries and states regulate the amount of a particular grape that make up a particular wine. In California and Washington any wine referred to by the name of the grape (Chardonnay, for example) must be at least 75% of that grape; most varietals in Oregon must be 90% of the named grape; and Alsace requires 100%. Just click on one of the links below to find out about the most common varietals and types of wine. Types Of Wine Red Wines            White Wines            Barbera Cabernet Sauvignon Chianti Merlot Nebbiolo Petite Sirah Pinot Noir Sangiovese Syrah/Shiraz Tempranillo Zinfandel Chablis Chardonnay Chenin Blanc Gewurztraminer Muscat Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris Riesling Savignon/Fume Blanc Semillon Viognier Dessert/Fortified Wines  Madeira  Port  Sherry  Other Wines     Champagne/Sparkling Wine Kosher Wine Rose White Zinfandel Vermouth Types Of Red Wine There are about 40 important types of red wine grapes grown in the world today. Some of the major types of red wine are listed below. The color of the wine actually depends on contact with the skin of the grapes, not the color of the grape. If you separate the grape from its skin soon enough after picking and you can make a very white red wine. For example, most wines made in Champagne are white wines made with a significant proportion of red grapes. Barbera This grape from Italy is planted primarily in Piedmont (as well as other areas of Italy), but has traveled widely, primarily to California. One of the most underrated grapes in, Barbera can be used to make an wide range of styles, ranging from young and spritzy to powerful and intense wines that need extended cellaring. It is a deep ruby color, full bodied, with low levels of tannins balanced by higher levels of acidity. Barbera is charactarized by bright berrylike flavors and is one of the best alternatives to overcropped and overpriced Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon is the grape responsible for the wines of the Medoc region of Bordeaux, arguably some of the finest reds in the world. It performs well practically the world over, as long as it's not too cold, but in some areas of France, and in California's Napa Valley, it produces astonishingly rich and complex wines. The classic Cabernet flavor is one of deep, dark fruits, primarily black currant, and the best are medium- to full-bodied, intense and firm. Cabernets are almost always aged in oak for over a year, and should age several more years in the bottle. The great Cabernets of the Medoc region in France age for 15 years and more. Chianti Around cities of Florence and Sienna in Tuscany is the Chianti region. It is broken up into seven subdivisions: the most famous region is called Chianti Classico, and close on its heels, Chianti Ruffina; then Chianti Montalbano, Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Chianti Colli Senesi, Chianti Colline Pisane, and Chianti Colli Arezzo. Chianti is probably the most well known Italian wine. The dominant grape in Chianti is Sangiovese, but it may also contain Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes. The Chianti wines labeled ''Riserva'' must be aged at least three years and are often fine wines that rank among the best red wines of Italy. Chianti is a perfect red wine to accompany most Italian cuisine, with hints of floral complexity in the bouquet, firmly structured medium-bodied flavors and balancing acidity. Merlot Merlots have soared in popularity in the last decade, as they offer something for everyone: from light and simple wines to full-bodied and complex bottlings. While Merlots are quite often less tannic and more lush than Cabernets, ther are still full-bodied, deep in color and fairly high in alcohol with flavors of cherry, plum and chocolate. Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and is the dominant grape of St. Emilion and Pomerol. Merlot has also been successfully grown (and frequently blended into Cabernets to produce a more complex wine) in wine regions of northern Italy, California, Washington and the Rogue Valley of Oregon. Nebbiolo This grape is named for the dense fogs common in the vineyards of Piedmont, Italy where it is grown. Some of the world's finest and longest-lived wines are made from the Nebbiolo grape. These Nebbiolo-based wines are known by the areas in Piedmonte where they are grown: Barolo, Barbaresco, and to a lesser extent Ghemme and Gattinara. Nebbiolo generally makes powerful and intense wines, with medium body and color. These wines are high in tannins and acids, they often need several years of aging in the bottle before they are ready to drink. They often have aromas and flavors of of raspberries, plums, earth, roses, and tar. Pinot Noir Pinot Noir presents both the ultimate challenge and the ultimate reward to both grape growers and winemakers. At their best, Pinot Noir grapes produce rich and complex wines, tasting of black cherries, red berries, earth and spice, with an aroma that's been likened to everything from herbs and cola to bacon and roses. They can be high alcohol, light in color and low in tannin, although oak aging can increase the tannin levels. One of the most exciting developments in the world of wine is the recent advances Oregon and California winemakers have made in producing world class Pinot Noirs, respectable rivals to the legendary reds of French Burgundy. At their best there is no wine in the world that can offer more seductive, velvety, complex flavors than a fine Pinot Noir. Sangiovese Sangiovese is an important grape in some of Italy's greatest red wines, this hard-working grape from the Tuscan region is coming into its own as a stand-alone varietal. Wines from the Sangiovese can be medium to full-bodied and medium to high in tannin. They are ypically characterized by cherry and spice flavors, sometimes with hints of violet, and sometimes even slightly nutty. Sangiovese wines are constantly evolving, depending on where the grapes were grown and what, if any, additional grapes are blended with them. Syrah/Shiraz Syrah is a rich, full-bodied, complex, spicy, long-lived wine that thrives in the Rhone region of France and produces such famous wines as Hermitage and Cote-Rotie. In Australia and South Africa, it is called Shiraz. It is the most popular red wine of Australia. Syrah is becoming increasingly popular in California, where it is replacing the Petite Sirah. Syrah can be successfully blended with many other wine grapes; it also can be made in a variety of styles ranging from soft and medium-bodied with some berry characteristics to deeply colored, powerful wines, tasting of roasted peppers, black cherry and smoke. Like California Zinfandels, American Syrahs can be full-bodied wines but often show more spice elements and less berrylike fruit than Zinfandels. Tempranillo This important red wine variety is native to Spain. It is primarily cultivated in Rioja, Ribera del Duero and parts of Penendes. Tempranillo is often described as Spain's answer to Cabernet Sauvignon. This variety is capable of producing deeply colored, richly flavored and ageworthy wines with flavors of dark cherry, spice, tobacco, and strawberry. Fairly low in acid and alcohal levels, Tempranillo is often blended with other grape varieties such as Garnacha (Grenache) Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Zinfandel Zinfandel is a "new-world" grape varietal that been around for a long time. It is the one varietal that some say is indigenous to California. Once considered a lowly step-child to more noble grapes, California winemakers lately have been paying close attention to its potential and consumers have responded with a cult following. The wines are big, robust, and incredibly concentrated. Look for zinfandels from Napa, Amador and The Sierra Foothills. Sonoma in particular, was charmed. Look for Russian River, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley appellations. You will find wines with depth, color, concentration and balance as well as those exotic spices so unique to zins. They are drinkable now, but will certainly not wilt in the cellar. Think three-cheese pizza, rib-eye steak and especially..summer barbeques! White Wine There are 50 major white grapes grown in the world today, 24 in California alone. The most important types are listed below. Chablis Chablis is a dry, steely, often ageworthy wine from the most northern vineyards in Burgandy. Chablis vineyards are ranked as Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis. Like all fine white wine in Burgandy, it is made from Chardonnay. In the New World, the name Chablis has been burrowed as a generic name and is used to describe dry white jug or box wine that bears no true resemblence (other than color) to Chablis Chardonnay Chardonnay is to white wine what Cabernet Sauvignon is to red wine. Chardonnay is used to produce France's magnificent white Burgundies and is the main grape in Champagne. In the last decade or so, Chardonnay has become the world's most often-purchased dry white wine. Because of its great adaptability, it grows in nearly every wine-producing region of the world. Some California Chardonnays are stellar examples of the genre. When they are made with care, Chardonnay wines are bold, rich and complex. They taste of ripe figs and peach, honey and butter, hazelnuts and spice. The best Chardonnays are medium-bodied, medium dry and high in acidity. Chardonnays, more than any other white wine, love to be aged in oak. Chenin Blanc Chenin Blanc is one of the most widely grown grapes in California, but has largely disappeared from the most famous growing regions because vineyard owners can get higher prices for Chardonnay and other grapes. Chenin Blanc is perhaps the Beaujolais of white grapes. The best examples have a beguiling fresh fruit character with hints of pears, peaches and fresh grapes. Chenin Blanc can be made in a full range of styles from dry and crisp to semi-sweet and fruity to full blown late-harvest dessert wines. You can detect honey, straw and even exotic scents like oil of Bergamot in the best examples. Chenin Blanc can also make charming sparkling wines, especially from Anjou and California. Chenin Blancs will even stand up to modest oak ageing. It is still a workhorse grape in California, and is frequently blended into Chardonnays and other wines to add fruit and acidity. Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer is a distinctive wine with an intense spicy bouquet. It can be made in a range of styles from totally dry and crisp, like those from Alsace, to slightly sweet and flabby, to luscious, honeyed sweet dessert wines . Besides spice elements, Gewurztraminer can offer suggestions of various fruits, flowers and even nuts! No wine ends up tasting more like its initial grape flavors when freshly picked, so few winemakers barrel-age Gewurztraminer or do anything in the cellar which would interfere with its delightful varietal character. The dry versions of Gewurztraminer are refreshing complements to a wide variety of foods from pork and white meat dishes to onion quiche and various Asian cuisines. Muscat Muscat is a fascinating variety of grape, probably the first to be positively identified by ancient Mediterraneans. It has at least four principal sub varieties, and all of them are famously perfumed, with scents of musk, orange peel, and ripe table grapes. Muscat makes some of the best sweet wines, both light fizzy ones and heavy sugary ones, as well as fully dry table wines. Some of the best Muscats come from Italy, France, Oregon, California and Australia. Pinot Blanc It was once believed that these grapes were related to Chardonnay but actually they are part of the Pinot family (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris/Grigio). And though they are often compared to Chardonnays, they are not as complex and flavorful and as a rule don't lend themselves as well to aging as Chardonnays. Pinot Blanc grapes produce dry, medium-bodied wines with high acidity and hints of apple and spice. Pinot Blanc grows well in France's Alsace region, and some very good offerings are coming from California. Pinot Gris Pinot Gris is a darkly colored white wine grape that evolved from the Pinot Noir. It was originally a popular wine from Alsace and northeastern Italy. Pinot Gris has become one of the most successful wines grown in Oregon. Most versions are quite dry, but Pinot Gris wines can range from light and delicate to fairly full-bodied. Rarely barrel-aged, Pinot Gris wines tend to be dry and crisp, the perfect accompaniment to salmon and seafood. It can be rather subtle in both flavor and aroma, though the best examples are reminiscent of almonds, minerals and peaches. Riesling Riesling grapes produce both refreshing light-bodied wines and full-bodied table wines to pair with the greatest cuisine. Riesling has a very high natural acidity, which both balances the sugar in sweeter wines and acts as a preservative for long aging. The oldest, still-living wine ever tasted was not red--it was a German Riesling from the 1540 vintage. It was tasted in 1961, after 420 years, and had not yet perished. Rieslings are both floral and fruity, and can be delicate, subtle, and low in alcohol, making for a very nice summer wine. But even the sweet, low-alcohol wines from the Mosel in Germany balance the sugar with a steely, teeth-cleaning acidity. And though you might think of Rieslings as necessarily sweet, there are many dry Rieslings, the best being from Alsace. These show best with several years of bottle age, though they are certainly fine to drink young. Riesling wines pair magnificently with pork, foie gras, and other rich foods. Sauvignon/Fume Blanc Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, high in acidity and light- to medium-bodied, and recognizable for its grassy, herbaceous flavor and aroma. When grown in warmer climates the flavors are more fruity, melon-like. Sauvignon Blanc is important in California, New Zealand and Northeastern Italy, but it really shines in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions of France. There it is used prodigiously as a blending grape and is responsible for the stand-alone varietals Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. Though not as rich and complex as Chardonnay, this is a versatile grape, one that grows well in a number of places, responds well to oak or a lack thereof, and can be drunk young or aged several years. Sauvignon Blanc also makes for some fabulous late-harvest offerings. Semillon Semillon is one of the unheralded whites in the world of wine. It plays a key role in white Bordeaux wine and in Sauternes, and it makes a great value white from Washington State. Semillon is also the grape responsible for ''Hunter Riesling'' or ''Honey Hunters,'' one of the most interesting of Australia's wines. Semillon takes to bottle aging surprisingly well, and it's often inexpensive enough to make laying some down for five years or so very easy. In Bordeaux region, Semillon is used to fill out the leaner and more acidic Sauvignon Blanc, and the two complement each other very nicely. Semillon is often a brilliant gold wine with a soft, full, and sometimes even oily texture, and often shows a scent of figs. It can be made dry or sweet. Viognier This noble white varietal, famous for its magnificent Rhone Valley wines such as Condrieu and Ardeche, has been steadily making a name for itself in America. Winery owners and growers on both coasts are planting more and more Vigonier as the demand for it increases. Viognier has flavors all its own and texture that can easily match the most full-bodied Chardonnay. Some Vigoniers are fermented in stainless steel tanks, which results in a precise, aromatic, crisp wine that shows off the peach and apricot flavors of the grape. Many California producers have also used wood barrels to ferment or age the wine, adding further complexities and complements to the fruits natural flavors. Notes of anise, tangerine and fig blend with spicy aromas. Some Viogniers can be feminine and some quite brawny. The region of origin is also an important factor to the varying styles, with warmer regions producing riper wines and cooler retaining more acidity and precision. True of almost all however, is that they are best when consumed fairly young. Other Wines Several varieties of wine can be made with the same grapes as regular reds and whites. But using different techniques produces some different wines. Champagne/Sparkling Wine Many sparkling wines made after the style of Champagne, but only those made in that Champagne region in the north of France, according to the painstaking Méthode Champenoise, can rightfully be called Champagne. All others should be labeled as Sparkling Wine. Champagne and sparkling wines are produced by the process called "Méthode Champenoise." After the grapes are pressed and fermented for the first time, they are blended, and the wine is bottled and temporarily capped. Then comes the second fermentation. Sugar and yeast are added, and this time, the carbon dioxide is kept inside the bottle. The resulting sediment is extracted through a process of racking. The bottles are progressively turned upside down until all the sediment is collected in the neck. The necks are then frozen and the sediment is disgorged. After this phase, the winemaker may decide to add sugar to sweeten the wine. Finally the wine is corked. Some wines move through this process in a couple of months, while others are aged after the racking phase to build greater complexity and depth. Kosher Wine Most Americans probably have the impression that all kosher wines are sweet and red. But more and more wineries from around the world are now producing kosher wines from fine varietal grapes. Kosher wines are produced in accordance with rules governing the production of kosher wines. Generally only Sabbath-observing Jews can handle the grapes and wine at the winery, and only 100% kosher materials may be used in the wine-making, process. Most of the newer kosher wineries are aiming to produce quality varietal wines that can compare and compete with nonkosher wines, wines that can be enjoyed for their quality as well as for the fact that they are kosher. Rose Perhaps best known in Provence and Tavel, rose is a great pink wine. Rose is rarely complex, and not to be aged. A good rose is tart and fruity, and can cut through the garlicky aioli so often accompanying fish and fish stews in the Mediterranean region. They are also good choices for cold luncheons, picnics and buffets. Roses are made from red wine grapes, but during fermentation there is minimal contace with the grape skin, so they don't pick up much color from the skins. White Zinfandel White Zinfandel is a pink wine made in from early-picked Zinfandel grapes. The red grapes are quickly separated from the grape skins during the crushing and fermentation process, so that the resulting wine is very light pink. Because early-picked grapes are usually high in acidity, most White Zinfandels are made in a sweet style to balance the acidity. Sutter Home Winery was one of the first wineries to promote White Zinfandels.