Red Wine

[Holly Robinson]

I love red wine, I need some names of some really good ones. I don't like my wine to sweet. Thanks

Holly

[Bucko]

"Good" is very subjective. You need to be more specific in what you are looking for. Give us a style or flavor profile that you are seeking.

Bucko

[Innkeeper]

To help you along with Bucko's suggestion, let's say that dry red wine can be described many ways. You can do it by variety of grape: Cabernet Savignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, etc. It is bottled by these names just about everywhere except France. There they name wines after regions. Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape. Red wine can also we described as light (Nouveau Beaujolais), medium (Dolcetto de Alba), and full (Crozes Hermitage). These terms in red wine refer both to body (the heft of it in your mouth) and degree of tannin. Tannin is the bitter component that comes from exposure to skins, stems, and seeds during fermantation. The bitterness can be neutralized over time by exposure to acid in the wine. This is why some full red wines improve over time. Along these same lines red wines can be discribed as big (Stags' Leap Petite Sirah) or round (Ironstone Cabernet Franc). The big reds can be harshly tannic. Some people like them this way (moi), and others wait for them to "smooth out." The round reds are in balance, and ready to drink right away. All the wines mentioned here have been discussed recently here at the Wine Board, and a perusal of the various threads under various categories can be quite educational.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 04-06-2000).]