A Guide to the Different Types of Red Wine and Red Wine Glasses

First of all, red wine is really red, but why? Its color can be obtained from a wide variety of grape varieties, from red grapes, deep purple grapes, and even beautiful blue grapes. These grapes produce wines that are classified as garnet red, almost black, deep red, light red, ruby red, opaque purple, deep purple, maroon, and so on.

It is the skin that gives red wine its unique color spectrum. The skin comes into contact with the grape juice during fermentation, allowing the color and tannins to disperse. The specific red color of each wine depends on the type of grape used in the process and how long the skin pigment has been in contact with the juice. In today's global wine market, there are about 50 major red wine varieties.

Red Wine Styles

As with all wines, a particular winemaker has enough "say" in the style of the wine he produces. That said, red wines are usually categorized by "body type." For example, one might describe a particular red wine as "light bodied" -- referring to its texture and tannic structure.

Light bodied wines have fewer tannins and less of a presence on the palate. These wines tend to be less of a companion to flavorful foods. An example of a light-bodied red wine would be a wine from the Gamey grape variety, such as the young red of France's famous Beaujolais Nouveau.

A medium-bodied red wine will have more tannins than the aforementioned Beaujolais Nouveau, but won't have the intensity of a California Cabernet Sauvignon or Italy's Super Tuscany. Typical medium-bodied red wines include merlot, Shiraz or Chianti.

Full-bodied red wines have the highest tannin (usually alcohol) content. Strong red wines include the famous Bordeaux from France, the top Cabs from California and the Super Tuscans from Italy. In general, light-bodied wines "feel" more like water in the mouth. In contrast, "full-bodied" wines feel heavier and more like milk. This effect is largely due to the higher tannin (as well as alcohol) content. Red wine is also often described as dry or sweet.

Key Red Wine Varietals

Some of the top red varieties you might encounter are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Syrah, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Malbec and Grenache.

Sometimes, you'll hear red wines called popular regional names. For example, "Bordeaux" is a French red wine made primarily from three varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, or ordering a wine from Italy, you'll often hear about Chianti - made from the Sangiovese grape variety, or see a Barolo or Barbaresco wine from Piedmont (both of which are from the Nebiolo grape variety). Malbec, Argentina's superstar red wine grape, is a rising star in the red wine world.

Red Wine Glass Choice

Red wine is at its best when poured and drunk from a glass with plenty of room. A distinct oval or egg-shaped bowl with a slightly narrowed top, rather than a slender flute-shaped glass, is necessary to enjoy red wine to its fullest. The ideal red wine glass should hold 10 to 22 ounces of liquid, which allows for more room to rotate your wine and a better surface area for the wine to breathe.

For drinking, keep in mind that most red wines are at their best when served between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is too high, the taste of the wine will be too obvious; If the temperature is too low, the wine will quickly become bitter.

Red Wine Glasses

Red wine is a delicacy made from dark grapes and consumed all over the world. Many people drink popular red wines such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and merlot for health, food pairing and special occasion reasons. Many people who drink fruity drinks don't think about the cup, but the shape of the cup helps a lot in terms of aroma and taste. Red wine glasses range in size from 8 to 22 ounces. However, the standard red wine pour is 5 ounces, regardless of the size of the glass. By comparison, a standard white wine glass holds between 8 and 12 ounces, but a standard white wine glass only contains 5 ounces. The remaining space at the top of the glass is designed to maximize air contact with the wine.

When choosing wine glasses, you will quickly discover that there are many options. For example, there are glasses designed specifically for red or white wine. While they look similar, and you can certainly pour white wine into red, there are important reasons behind each design.

The bowl of a wine glass tends to be more spherical. They're also bigger and taller than white wine glasses. This is because red wines are often rough and their rounded shapes can trap aromas and flavors in the glass. For example, the extra space in a 22-ounce wine glass allows you to enjoy the full wine experience, even if it is customary to reserve a 5-ounce pour.

White wines are usually more delicate, so glassware is often open-framed and smaller.

While it may seem odd to have a different type of glass for each wine, fine wines require a specific shape in order to fully consume their aromas and flavors. You need to consider all parts from top to bottom, including edges, bowls, handles and feet.

Luckily, there are glasses specifically designed for top wines. While each glass looks similar to a standard red wine glass, subtle differences can enhance the taste of some wines. For example, if you like to explore Pinot noir, you'll find that round and almost global-shaped glasses work best. On the other hand, a taller, thinner bowl of Bordeaux wine is the best experience.