+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: GENERAL (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-100.html)
+--- Forum: For the Novice (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-2.html)
+--- Thread: Red Wines (/thread-17628.html)
- rongalas - 04-16-2002
Hi,
I started drinking wines a few months ago and my palate is more suited to red wines than to white wines. However, I noticed there are a number of red wines like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Burgundy, Port, Pinot Noir etc. I would like to know the differences in these different wines. Also, what does full-bodied mean??
Many thanks.
- Innkeeper - 04-16-2002
Hi Rongalas, and welcome to the Wine Board. The primary red wine grapes in the world are cabernet sauvignon (AKA Bordeaux), pinot noir (AKA Burgundy), syrah/shiraz (AKA Rhone), merlot (AKA another Bordeaux), and nebbiolo (AKA Barolo/Barbareco). Other significant red wine grapes are sangiovese (AKA Chianti), barbera, dolcetto, and montepulciano from Italy; cabernet franc, malbec, grenache, gamay, and moruvedre from France; tempranillo from Spain, and zinfandel from America by way of Croatia. Probably 99% of the red wine consumed outside their national boundries are made from these grapes. There are multiple surces online and in paper that give detailed descriptions of wines made from these grapes. This site is a good place to start. The book "Essential Winetasting" by Michael Schuster is also an excellent source.
Body has to do with the "feel" of wine in your mouth. There is a direct but not concluslive connection between alcohol level and body. A red wine that sports 14% or more alcohol is most likely full bodied. Then there is the milk analogy. Skim milk is light bodied, whole milk is medium bodied, and heavy cream is full bodied.