Red Wine
This is a Red Wine List, containing
fine French, Spanish, Italian, and other wines both international and
American.Click here to a comprehensive list of red wine and essential
information about a given wine, where it comes from, what kinds of grapes are
in it and flavors.
List of Red Wines
Aglianico del Vulture - The red Aglianico del Vulture wine was accorded the
DOC designation in 1971. It is made from the Aglianico red grape variety in
much of the southern region of Basilicata near Mount Vulture. It was the first
southern DOC wine.
Amarone - Amarone is a very special, powerful northern Italian red
wine made from shriveled grapes that have dried for several months. It is a
full-bodied wine weighing in at about 15% or 16% alcohol, and tastes of
chocolate, mocha, and dried figs.
Bandol - Bandol is a powerful, dark red wine made in Provence in
southeastern France. It is based on the Mourvdre grape variety but may include
other local grapes as well. It may taste of plums and smell of cinnamon,
vanilla, and violets.
Barbara d'Alba - Barbera d'Alba is an Italian red wine that was
granted the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1970. It is
made only from the Barbera grape. This wine comes from near the city of Alba in
south-central Piedmont; a region of northern Italy.
Barbarad'Asti - Barbera d'Asti is an Italian red wine that was
granted the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1970. It is
based on the Barbera grape, with a maximum of 15% of other local red grapes.
This wine comes from an area in the Piedmont region of northern Italy.
Barbaresco - Barbaresco is an elegant red wine made in the Piedmont
region of northern Italy from the Nebbiolo grape, whose flavors include
chocolate, licorice, figs, leather and tar. Traditionally these wines may be
aged for decades before drinking, but recent vintages can be enjoyed a few
years after bottling.
Bardolino - Bardolino is a light, fruity red or ros wine made in the
Tre Venezie region of northeastern Italy. It may have a bitter final taste that
is not unpleasant. Suggested food pairings include Pasta Puttanesca, a
delicious pasta including Anchovies, Capers, Olives, and Tomatoes.
Barolo - Barolo is a powerful red wine made in the Piedmont region
of northern Italy from the Nebbiolo grape, whose flavors include chocolate,
licorice, figs, leather and tar. Many feel that it is Italy's best wine, but be
careful, not all bottles are top of the line. Traditionally Barolo may be aged
for decades before drinking.
Beaujolais - Beaujolais is a fruity, easy to drink red wine made in the
Beaujolais region, just south of Burgundy in southeastern France, from the
Gamay grape. Generic Beaujolais is associated with a lot of tastes, ranging
from black cherry (some would say black cherry jello) other fruits, and bubble
gum. Unlike most red wines, Beaujolais contains few tannins and is often
appreciated by those who don't like red wine. In an extremely successful
marketing ploy, the harvest's first wine, Beaujolais Nouveau, is released on
the third Thursday in November.
Beaujolais Cru - Beaujolais Cru is a Beaujolais red wine coming from
one of ten selected villages in the Beaujolais region of southeastern France.
Because the word Beaujolais may not appear on the label, you might want to
learn these names: Brouilly, Chnas, Chiroubles, Cte de Brouilly, Fleurie,
Julinas, Morgon, Moulin--Vent, Rgni, and St-Amour. The individual Crus have
their own aromas, tastes, and characteristics.
Bordeaux (Red) - Bordeaux is a world-famous wine producing region in
southwestern France. Bordeaux wines are almost always blends. The most
important grape varieties in red Bordeaux wines are: Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Bordeaux produces well over half a billion bottles
of wine a year, mostly red. While most Bordeaux wines are far from spectacular,
many of the greatest wines in the world come from this corner of what some
would call a winemaker's paradise.
Bourgueil - Bourgueil is a fruity, dry red wine made in Touraine
in the Loire Valley of northwestern France. Flavors include cassis, rasberry,
and violets.
Brunello di Montalcino Wine - Brunello
di Montalcino is a classic, aged red wine made in Tuscany in northern
Italy from the Sangiovese grape variety. Its flavors include black fruits,
chocolate, leather, and violets.
Burgundy (Red) - Burgundy is a world-famous wine producing region in
eastern France. The dominant grape variety of red Burgundy isPinot Noir, which
many would argue reaches its peak of perfection in Burgundy. While most
Burgundy wines are far from spectacular, many of the greatest wines in the
world come from this corner of what some would call a winemaker's paradise.
Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabernet Sauvignon is a very popular red grape
variety (see Cabernet Sauvignon grapes), grown in a lot of countries. This is a
food friendly wine. See (Wine and Food pairing suggestions) and click on
Cabernet Sauvignon for specifics.
Cannonau di Sardegna - Cannonau di Sardegna is a red Italian wine that was
granted the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1972. This
wine may be made anywhere on the island of Sardinia in southern Italy. It must
contain at least 90% Cannonau grapes.
Castel del Monte - Castel del Monte is an Italian wine that was granted
the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1971. This wine comes
from the Apulia region of southern Italy. The red, ros, and white Castel del
Monte wines may each be made from one or more designated grape varieties
Castelli Romani - Castelli Romani is an Italian wine that was granted
the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1996. This wine comes
from an area south of Rome. The red and ros Castelli Romani wines are based on
the Cesanese, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nero Buono, and Sangiovese grapes, all
Italian varieties except for Merlot.
Chateauneuf-du Pape - Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a classic, usually red wine
found in the south of Rhne region in southeastern France. It is a blend of up
to fourteen grape varieties, many of which are hardly memorable on their own,
but together make an unforgettable wine. Flavors include tar, leather, and
stone, perhaps not surprising considering that the distinctive fields in which
Chateauneuf-du-Pape grapes are grown are covered of stones deposited by
glaciers.
Chianti - Italian Classico Chianti is a blend of Italian red and perhaps white grapes,
produced in Tuscany in northeastern Italy. The major component is usually
Sangiovese Over the years there has been a change in the grapes required and it
is no longer produced in straw-covered bottles.
Chianti Classico - Chianti Classico is Chianti made in selected areas of
Tuscany. Very few Chianti Classicos contain white grapes.
Chinon - Chinon is an light, elegant red wine made in Touraine in
the Loire Valley of northwestern France. It is based on theCabernet Franc grape
variety. Flavors include cassis, rasberry, and violets.
Chiroubles - Chiroubles is a light, fragrant red wine coming from the
village of Chiroubles, one of ten selected villages in the Beaujolais region of
southeastern France. Flavors include cherry and strawberry.
Ciro - Cir is an Italian wine that was granted the DOC
(Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1969. This wine comes from the
coast of the Ionian Sea in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The red and
ros Cir wines are based on the local Gaglioppo grape, the whites on the Greco
Bianco grape.
Cotes Rotie - Cte Rtie is a classic red wine made in the northern
part of the Rhne valley of southeastern France from the Syrahgrape variety. It
may include up to 20% Viognier as well. The Syrah supplies earthy, peppery
tastes, which the Viognier softens.
Cotes du Rhone - Ctes de Provence AOC are red, white, and ros wines
made in the sunny Provence, France. The best-known, but not necessarily the
best are the ross, perhaps ideal for sipping on a terrace in Provence.
Crozes-Hermitage - Crozes-Hermitage AOC are red or white wines made in
the northern part of the Rhne valley of southeastern France. The whites are
made from the Roussanne and the Marsanne grape varieties.
The reds are made
mostly from the Syrahgrape variety but may include up to 15% of the two
previously mentioned white varieties. Some of these reds are top of the line;
the whites are not in the same league.
Dolcetto - Dolcetto is a red grape variety found in the
Piedmont region of northwest Italy. Dolcetto wines remind some of Beaujolais.
They are fruity, contain a low level of tannin, and should be consumed young.
Dle - Dle is the signature red wine of Switzerland. It is fruity
and full-bodied.
Fleurie - Fleurie is a red wine coming from the village of
Fleurie, one of ten selected villages in the Beaujolais region of southeastern
France. The name means in bloom. Fleurie is fragrant and floral.
Gattinara - Gattinara is a red wine from the northern Italian region
of Piedmont made mostly from the Nebbiolo grape, considered by many to be
Italy's top red grape variety. Gattinara was awarded the DOC designation in
1967 and the DOCG designation in 1990. It is aged for a minimum of three years
with at least one year in wood.
Grenache - Grenache Grenache originated in Spain, where it is called
Garnacha, and spread throughout the Mediterranean into France and southern
Europe.
Hermitage - Once upon a time, Hermitage was considered the finest red
wine in France. It is still excellent, considered by many the finest red wine
in the Rhne valley region in southeastern France. It is based on the Syrah
grape variety, and may contain white grapes as well.
Lambrusco - Lambrusco is a fizzy red, white, or ros wine from the
Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the best selling Italian wine in
the United States. Don't store it for a newborn's wedding or graduation from
kindergarden, but enjoy it soon after purchase.
Madiran - Madiran AOC is a chewy, tannic red wine from southwestern
France whose major componennt is the Tannat grape variety that may also contain
Cabernet-Franc and Cabernet-Sauvignon as well as Fer, a virtually unknown local
variety. This wine is claimed to be very heart healthy but you should take such
claims with a grain of salt.
Meritage - Meritage is a trademarked name for American red wines made
from blends of Bordeaux grapes. Most Meritage winemakers are located in
California, many of them in the famous Napa Valley. One of the best known
Meritage wines is Opus One.
Merlot - Merlot is a popular red grape variety (see Merlot) that
probably originated in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France. It is also
found in Chile, Italy, Australia, and in the US, especially in California and
Washington. It reaches its pinnacle in Bordeaux's Chateau Petrus which is not
reviewed here.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC is a very widely
exported red wine from the Abruzzi region of central Italy.
Mourvedre - Mourvedre is a highly acidic red grape that grows mostly
in France, Spain (where it is called Monastrell), California, and Australia and
Maremma.
Negroamaro - Negroamaro means black and bitter. This red grape is
widely grown in the Apulia region of southern Italy. Don't go for this wine if
you are the Beaujolais type.
Nero d'Avola - Nerodavola is a red grape grown mostly in Sicily. It
makes big wines. Some people think this variety is related to Syrah.
Nuits St George - Nuits St George is a spicy, fruity red wine from the
Burgundy region of eastern France.
Opus One - Opus One is a top of the line Napa Valley,
California red wine whose major component is the Cabernet Sauvignonvariety.
Opus One is a prime example of a Meritage wine, a Bordeaux blend produced in
California. The winery was a joint venture of Baron Philippe de Rothschild,
proprietor of Chteau Mouton-Rothschild in Bordeaux, and Napa Valley's winemaker
Robert Mondavi at a cost of $29 million
Petit Rouge - Petit Rouge is a red wine grape grown in the tiny,
mountainous Aosta Valley region of northeastern Italy near the French border.
Pinot Nero - Pinot Nero is the Italian version of the famous red
wine grape, Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir - Pinot Noir is a famous red wine grape, grown in
France (especially Burgundy), the United States (especially Oregon), and many
other countries. It's a food friendly wine.
Ribera del Duero - Ribera del Duero is an area of north central Spain
known for classical, refined red wines, tasting of plums and black currants.
Pesquera and Unico are top of the line examples.
Rioja - Rioja is an area of north central Spain considered
to be Spain's finest wine region. It is also group of mouth-filling, fruity red
wines based on the Tempranillo grape variety.
Rosso Piceno - Rosso Di
Montalcino /Rosso Piceno/ Brunello is a DOC red wine produced throughout most of the Marche
region in central Italy. It is based on the Montepulciano and Sangiovese red
grape varieties but some other red grapes may be used to a maximum of 15%.
St. Emilion -
St. Emilion is an area of Bordeaux that has been exporting wine for some eight
centuries. There are more than one thousand wines within 6 miles (10
kilometers) of the village by this name that are entitled to call themselves
St. Emilion wines.
Sangiovese - Sancerre is a fruity, acidic white wine made in the Loire
Valley of northern France from the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety. (For the
record red and ros Sancerres do exist, but when people say Sancerre, they
usually think white.) White Sancerre can be a flavorfest, tasting of citrus
fruits, gooseberries, gunflint, herbs, and smoke.
Sancerre - Italy's signature red grape variety is Sangiovese, a grape
also grown in Argentina, Australia, and the United States, especially
California. This is a food-friendly wine, that goes well with many Italian
dishes.
Shiraz/Syrah - The northern Rhone valley of southern
France has been home to the red Syrah grape, that is also the signature grape
variety of Australia where it is called Shiraz. Whatever its name or location, this
grape tends to make big wines.
Super Tuscans - Super Tuscans are powerful red wines from Tuscany in
northern Italy, made in part from the Sangiovese grape and to a lesser extent
from the Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux grape varieties. Their history
is unique. Starting decades ago, innovative winemakers rejected old-fashioned
Italian wine laws that then stipulated, for example, that Chiantis must contain
both red and white grapes.
Tempranillo - Tempranillo is Spain's signature red grape, but it is also
found in southern France, Argentina, California, and Australia. It is often
blended.
Valpolicella - Valpolicella is a popular, fruity red wine made in the Tre
Venezie region of northeastern Italy. Valpolicella comes in a variety of styles
from a basic dry wine tasting of cherries or stewed cherries to a sweet red
wine, made from specially dried grapes.
Valtellina Superiore - Valtellina Superiore is an Italian red wine that was
granted the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status in 1968, and the
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita) status in 1998. It is
based on the Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) grape, with a maximum of 10% of other
local red grapes.
Vermentino - Vermentino is a white grape variety that grows in the
Liguria and Tuscany regions of central Italy and the southern Italian island of
Sardinia.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano - Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG is a white wine from
high-altitude vineyards near the beautiful, medieval central Tuscany town of
San Gimignano. As its name indicates, it's made from the Vernaccia grape. Be
careful, despite its prestigious classification many of these wines are bland.
Vino Nobile de Montepulciano - Vino Nobile de Montepulciano DOCG s a well-known
Tuscan red produced from the Prugnolo Gentile version of theSangiovese grape.
Vino Novello - Vino Novello is an Italian new wine, similar
to Beaujolais Nouveau.
