2015

34 red wine varietals

A guest article by Estelle Platini from Cellarer.com.

Here is a list of vine varieties with a description of the red wines made from them.

Variety	Origin	Description
Aglianico	Greek	Tannic, tarry wines of great breed and lasting power from southern Italy.
Alicante	French	Hybrid. Undistinguished grape with highly coloured juice, teinturier.
Baco Noir	French	Hybrid. Full-bodied, deep colour, smoky blackberry flavour.
Barbera	Italian	Medium colour, high acid, dry quaffing wine.
Cabernet Franc	French	(Bouchet) Usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Medium-weight, herbaceous wines suggestive of violets and raspberries.
Cabernet Sauvignon	French	Deep ruby colour, black currant and cedar nose, full-bodied, tannic when young. Capable of long ageing. Softened with Merlot, Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux and in California and Australia.
Carignan	Spain	Widely planted, high yielding. Astringent table wine with good colour, used for blending.
Cinsault	French	Hot weather grape, deep colour and meaty flavour, low tannins. Good for blending.
de Chaunac	French	Hybrid. Acid, tough red, slightly smoky in flavour.
Dolcetto	Italian	Deep-coloured, soft, fruity wine, not for ageing.
Freisa	Italian	Garnet colour, light, dry wine tasting of raspberries.
Gamay	French	Grape of Beaujolais. Fresh, fruity, light-bodied wines tasting of cherry and plums with peppery finish. Fast maturing.
Gamay Beaujolais	California	Hybrid; a crossing between Valdiguié and Pinot Noir. Not very distinguished. Fruity flavour, high acid.
Grenache	Spain	(Garnacha/Cannonau) Fruity, high alcohol, low tannins, soft. Good for rosé. Fast maturing.
Grignolino	Italian	Light colour, fragrant strawberry aroma, very dry.
Kadarka	Hungary	(Gamza) Powerful, deep, full-bodied wines.
Lambrusco	Italy	Light, grapey, fruity, off-dry wines.
Malbec	French	(Côt) Early maturing, low acid, blackberry flavour. A lesser blending grape in Bordeaux.
Maréchal Foch	French	Hybrid. Deep-coloured, peppery, plummy, acidic wine.
Merlot	French	Purple, full-bodied wines, blackberry flavour. Less tannic and earlier maturing than Cabernet Sauvignon. Ages very well.
Mourvèdre	Spanish	(Mataro) Deep-coloured, powerful wines with a spicy blackberry taste.
Nebbiolo	Italian	(Spanna/Chiavennasca) The noble grape of Piedmont producing long-lasting wines that take time to soften. Brick red, truffles and violets on the nose with an austere dry finish.
Petite Sirah	French	Californian name for the French Duriff. Full-bodied, deep-coloured wines with peppery flavour.
Pinot Noir	French	(Pinot Nero, Spätburgunder) One of the grapes of Champagne and the grape of red Burgundy. Difficult to cultivate. Garnet colour, barnyard bouquet, raspberry flavour, medium weight. Ages very well.
Pinot Meunier	French	Secondary grape of Champagne. Fruity, acidic, low alcohol.
Pinotage	S.Africa	(Hermitage) a crossing between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Robust, powerful red, inky nose. Fast maturing, ageing potential.
Primitivo	Italy	Massive black wines of high alcohol and intense fruit. Thought to be progenitor of the Californian Zinfandel.
Ruby Cabernet	California	A Carignan-Cabernet Sauvignon crossing. Deep-coloured, fruity wines but lacking the finesse and breeding of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sangiovese	Italian	A Chianti grape usually blended with Canaiolo. Earthy, truffle-scented wines with fine acidity and ample tannins. Capable of long ageing.
Syrah	Middle East	(Shiraz) Powerful black, aromatic wines tasting of blackberries and white pepper. Capable of long ageing.
Tempranillo	Spanish	(Ull de Llebre) Pinot Noir-like character. Pale ruby colour, coconut and sandalwood bouquet. Dry strawberry flavour. Ages elegantly.
Touriga Naçional	Portugal	The best port grape. Intense dark wine with high tannin and a lovely berry nose. Other port grapes include Mourisco, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarella, Tinta Cao and Touriga Francesa.
Xynomavro	Greek	Black wines of high acidity and tannin that age well.
Zinfandel	California	Versatile grape that can produce powerhouse to medium-weight reds, rosés and blush wines. Characterized by a blackberry flavour and intense fruit. Also late harvest with port-like sweetness.

On this website here is a list of white wine varietals and depending on which type of food, how to choose a right red wine.