Red Wine Grapes
The various wine grapes available today can produce delicious and
unique red wine due to their signature red grape flavors and
aroma/bouquet.
Wine grapes
come in hundreds of varieties. All grapes grow on vines but the classic winemaking grape comes from the Vitis Vinifera
family of vines. Most red grapes need a much longer growing season
than white, so they are usually planted in warmer locations such as
Italy, Spain, Portugal and the California Napa Valley.
To
learn more about the most popular red wine making grapes click on their
individual links below: Also scroll down the page to learn more about
the less popular but still important red wine grapes by
red wine region.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Syrah/Shiraz
Zinfandel
Cabernet Franc
Grenache
Malbec
Tempranillo
BORDEAUX RED GRAPE VARIETALS:
*Petit Verdot [Puh-TEE-Vair-DO}
This
is a classic Bordeaux red grape varietal. It has traditionally been
used to add color and flavor to the Bordeaux blends It can produce
full-bodied, deeply colored, intense wine with peppery spicy flavors
when allowed the time to ripen fully. These wine grapes tends to take
longer to ripen than the other Bordeaux grapes and therefore has lost
favor over time in this region. In the warmer regions of the United
States, particularly California, this grape is often vinified as a 100%
varietal.
ITALIAN RED GRAPE VARIETALS:
*Barbera [Bar-BEAR-ah]
It
is the second most planted red grape in Italy. It tends to produce
lighter wines with cherry and raspberry flavors. It is high in acidity
and low in tannins and it makes a great wine to pair with foods. It has
never been as popular as the sangiovese or nebbiolo wine grapes but is
still capable of producing fine wines. It is also widely grown in the
California Central Valley.
*Nebbiolo [Nay-bee-OH-loh]
The
wines of Barolo and Barbaresco of Northern Italy are made from this
grape varietal. They produce very bold, full-bodied intense fruit
wines with firm tannins. The grapes home is in the Northwest part of
Italy called Piedmont.
*Corvina [Core-VEE-nah]
This
grape is capable of producing very light and fruity reds like those
from Valpolicella or darker more full-bodied wines from Amarone.
*Dolcetto [Dol-CHET-oh}
A
native to the Peidmont area, this grape is referred to as "the little
sweet one" and only tends to grow well here. Delicious when served
slightly chilled, this sweet red wine is filled with ripe cherry flavors
and is great to serve on a summer day.
*Brunello [Bru-ne-loh]
Grown in the South of Tuscany, this grape resembles the sangiovese. It produces more tannic full bodied reds.
*Negro Amaro [Nay-gro-uh-MAR-oh ]
It is referred to as the black bitter
due to its dark color and bitter taste. It is grown in the Southeast
part of Italy and produces dry, full-bodied intense wines.
RHONE VALLEY RED GRAPE VARIETALS:
*Carignan [Kar-ree-nyahn]
It
has become the most widely grown wine grapes in France. Because of
this, it produces more red wine than any other grape varietal.
Unfortunately the grape is bland in flavor. and is usually blended
with other wines like Grenache and Cinsault. The grape has a deep
purple color heavy tannins and alcohol. It is also grown in Italy,
Spain and in California where it is called Carignane.
*Cinsault [San-SO]
This
grape grows well in heat and thrives in the South of France. It is
capable of producing full-bodied red wines but is most commonly known
for its ability to produce fruity rose wines. It is a perfect summer
wine with aromas of berries, peaches, raspberries and strawberries.
*Mourvedre [Moor-VEH-druh]
Used
most commonly as a blending grape, Mourvedre has a deep color and good
fragrance. The wines produced are usually of medium body. The grape
skins are thick and the berry smaller which is why it produces smaller
yields and is also why it is rarely seen as a single component varietal
wine. In the New World, it is commonly blended with Grenache and
Syrah.
BEAUJOLAIS RED GRAPE VARIETALS;
*Gamay, [Gah-may]
This
is the grape used to make the "infamous" Beaujolais wines. It is a
very easy drinking wine with incredible fruit flavors and little to no
tannins. Served slightly chilled,they are an excellent wine for daytime
summer activities or for those just starting to get their feet wet in
the world of red wines.
SOUTH AMERICAN RED GRAPE VARIETALS;
*Carmenere [Car-men-YARE]
This
grape is grown in Chili and very much resembled the Merlot grown there.
It produces a wine which is low in tannins and full of blackberry
fruit flavors. It use to play a much larger role in the production of
wines in the Bordeaux region but due to its low yield, has lost favor in
this area.
*Tannat [ Tan-NAT ]
This is the red wine grape of Uruguay. The name of this grape comes from the fact that it typically is high in tannins.
PORTUGESE RED GRAPE VARIETALS:
*Touriga Nacional [Too-REE-gah nah-syoo-NAHL]
This high quality Portugese grape produces concentrated fruit and forms the substructure for many of the best port wines.
SOUTH AFRICAN RED GRAPE VARIETAL:
*Pinotage [Pee-noh-TAH ]
This
grape is extensively grown in South Africa. It is considered a cross
between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. This grape is also grown in New Zealand
and Argentina.
CALIFORNIA RED GRAPE VARIETAL:
*Petit Syrah[Puh-Tee See-rah ]
A
very strong and tannic grape, it is most closely associated with the
California area. It produces deeply colored wines with a peppery full
bodied flavor. It does, however, also grow in Mexico and South Africa.
In addition to being bottled as a varietal, it is often blended with
Zinfandel.
