Different Types Of Dry Red Wine

Think choosing between a few dry red wine types should be easy? Think again! When you're trying to find the best red wine for a dinner party or special meal, you'll probably find the sheer range of red wine choices more than a little daunting.

Step one is knowing the most common dry red wine types you'll encounter when you're out shopping. Read below to learn a bit more about the different types of dry red wine, and what to look for. Or check my Choosing Wine for a Party page for resources on red wines, whites, and pairing wine with food. Here is a list of some very common red wines, including how they're flavored and where they tend to come from. Or you can check this page for an overview of all the common wine types, including white, champagne, and sweet wines.

Barbera Wines

Most of this dry red wine comes from the Piedmont region of Italy, though it is also becoming a popular grape variety in California wines. More aged versions of Barbera tends to be very full bodied (great with heavy food) but with a nice balance of acid. Lighter, younger varieties are medium bodied and fruity.

Cabernet Franc Wines

France and California are both famous for growing this dry red wine type. But this wine is often mixed with other grapes or flavorings, and is not commonly used on its own.

You'll generally find Cab Franc mixed with Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot (as with French Bordeoux wines) and occasionally with other varieties for use in Chianti. You'll also find this variety mixed with other grapes in Spanish, California, Washington State, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina.

Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

This is one of the most popular dry red wine types there is, and is grown all over the world. The most famous probably comes from France near Bordeaux, but you can find it grown all over the world. This grape is either produced on its own, or blended with merlot, shiraz, cabernet franc, you name it.

The beauty of this wine is how it ages to perfection. It's powerful, full-bodied, and takes on a lot of flavor from the aging process. Some versions of this wine are a bit more subtle, but many are very intense, with a lot of sharp or bitter-tasting tannins. Not a wine for people who don't like the flavor of wine! It also tends to be a bit higher in alcohol, making it difficult to pair with very spicy foods.

Grenache/Garnacha Wine

This is another one of those dry red wine types grown all over the world. The most famous Grenache (or Garnacha in Spain) wines come from California, Spain, and France. The most famous varieties probably cone from Spain.

This dry red wine type has berry overtones and a high-medium body, and is often blended with other varieties of wine to add body and fruitiness to wines. It has a higher amount of alcohol and low amounts of tannins.

Merlot Wine

This is probably one of the most user friendly dry red wine types in the world. Merlot has become an incredibly popular wine in the last decade because it has a low acid content and very smooth flavor. It also has strong berry tones. This wine is grown all over the world, to be made alone or mixed with other varieties.

Merlot tends to be a fruity wine, with hints of plum and currant, and is lower in tannins than more intense reds like Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlots grown in cooler areas tend to be fruiter and more acidic.

Pinot Noir Wine

This variety of wine has always been known as a very finicky grape, but, when well executed, produces lovely, complex wines-- the most famous of which come from France (such as Burgundy wine) and California. This is a delicate wine that, depending on the vintner, will have a variety of flavors. It's generally light-to-medium bodied, and filled with aroma and flavor, ranging from fruity to floral to herbal. This is also one of the wine grape varieties used in French champagne.

Tempranillo Wine

Tempranillo is the quintessential Spanish wine grape, and is the most commonly used grape the famous Spanish wine region of Rioja. Once exclusively Spanish, this grape is now grown in Australia, California, South America, and South Africa, as well.
This is a wine that is either drunk young or aged, and it takes very well to a long aging process. It is often used on its own, especially in Rioja wines, but is also mixed with other varieties all over the world. It can be either light and mild, as in a young Tempranillo, or oakey and intense when aged.

Red Zinfandel Wine

Most wine newbies think Zinfandel is a bad thing-- and only comes in a sweet white. Not true! This grape is also one of the more popular dry red wine types to come out of California. This type of red wine has both spice and fruit tones, depending on how it's produced. Cooler areas produce a more berry flavored wine, while warmer areas produce a spicier wine.

Get The Low Down On Everything You Need To Know About Dry Red Wine

Red wines are some of the most classy and preferred products existing in the industry and they are sub-grouped further based mainly on the type of grapes used to make them and the regions where those are grown. Also, the dry red wine is categorized to incorporate sweet, partly sweet and other types and thus the choice is based on how well a person is familiar with varying flavors.

Basically the term, dry red wine, refers to the level of sugar content in the drink itself and the variation of this is determined by the fermentation process that in turn result to a certain percentage of alcohol. In other words, the yeasts consumes all the sugar in the wine until it is approximately 1.2 to 4 percent or nothing at all and the manufacturer select the types of the fungi to use to achieve expected results.

Dry red wine is more than just an alcoholic drink, it embodies a certain type of lifestyle and mindset. Before you next pay a visit to you local liquor store, take a moment to read the following guide. It should allow you to have a better understanding of this tipple, and also help you when it comes to making a selection.

Dry red wine has a bold color due to the type of grape skins used in the manufacturing process. There are in fact as many different kinds of grapes and grape skins as there are wines, each has its own distinct color, flavor, and fragrance. Depending on the skin used, the liquid that is produced will have a different shade. Another factor that influences the depth of color is the length of time the skin was left to ferment before being extracted.

Many people are confused by the sheer range of options of red wine that are now available. Over time you can develop a taste or preference for certain varieties, though you will need to judge the body on a wide selection of bottles to really satisfy your taste buds.

A lot would depend upon the food that is accompanying the drink. For example, Beaujolais Nouveau is a light bodied option that goes well with food that has a strong flavor. A bottle of Shiraz or Merlot has a heavier body, though is not as strong in taste as a French Bordeaux.

One of the hardest decisions will be deciding on which dry red wine to serve to your guests, as everyone has their own preferences. Today the task has become even more difficult as there are new producers emerging. In the past, most people would have opted for a bottle from Italy, or France, but today there are also successful vineyards in Australia, California, and even China and India. You may find it useful to check out the opinions and reviews of the experts, by doing so you should not end up wasting your money.

Whenever a need arises to select wine for family or guests always consider the food that normally complement the product or find out what their preference would be. It is not all times that it feels right to consult guests about various types of wines and substitutes or food they want before the big day and therefore it is good to buy all so they can pick their choices.

There are many examples of dry red wine that are very popular in both online and offline markets and they consist of Cabernet Sauvignon that is voted high by Wine Institute with every catchy detail that would prompt a potential customer to buy instantly. The other best dry red wine is called merlot that is adored for having delicious and mild flavor and it has registered major sales in the entire US in the recent past.

The question, "is shiraz a dry red wine" is still unanswered in the minds of many and it looks like it is not only a dry variety they can buy since it is grouped among the sweet and it is loved for its fresh flavor. Of course Pinot Noir is another very classy and desired example of dry red wine that anyone can drink because it has a fruit-like taste. Those looking for a cheaper alternative could buy the blush wines made from the top high quality type, Zinfandel.

There is actually a perfect product for everyone comprising also of an Italian dry red wine called Barbera known to have a silky appearance or settle for Sangiovese grapes product, Chianti. The other method of drafting a list of dry red wine to go for could be based on various countries celebrated as major sources of white types as well such as the French Gamay, a fresh type that has strawberry tastes.