3 Types of Red Wine
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Red wines are full bodied and flavorful. They are the perfect match for savory cheese, a great steak, or a robust pasta dish. Red wines are usually drunk more in cooler weather than the lighter white wines.
Red wines are more flavorful due to a number of reasons, the foremost being tannin - a natural occuring substance found in the skins, seeds, and stems of red grapes. It gives red wines their character. The skin of the grape is what always gives it its color. A red wine is called firm if it's high in tannin , or soft if it's low.
3 Types of Red Wine |
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| Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Pinot Noir |
Cabernet Sauvignon is the strong, flavorful, and plentiful grape that has been cultivated in the Bordeaux region of France. It can also be found in many other regions of the world, including South America, Australia, South Africa, and California. A Cabernet Sauvignon can be 100% Cabernet Sauvignon or blended with other grapes to create a slightly different flavor. Whether it is blended or not a "Cab" is almost always complex (lots of interesting layers of taste to it) and full-bodied (rich in texture and weight - the opposite of thin).
Cabernet Sauvignon is described as having the flavor of black currants or cassis (a liqueur mad from black currants). Cab has substantial fruitiness, with berry and plum aromas in additon to the black currant. It often also has a degree of spiciness and occasionally herbaceous (herb-like, almost minty) aromas, and when aged in oak can have hints of vanilla, smoke, clove, cedar and oak. A good Cab is full-bodied, rich, complex, and intensley flavorful.
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The Merlot is much softer and less tannic than the Cabernet Savignon. The Merlot grape is grown extensively in Bordeaux, where it is used for Bordeaux blends; but it is also found in Italy, South Africa, Australia, Chile, California, Washington State, and on Long Island in New York State.
A Merlot has softer tannins than a Cabernet and is more velvety on the palate. It comes in several styles and flavors. In Italy and California, it can be very fruity and easy to enjoy, which is most popular. It also comes in a richer style, with flavors of black cherry, red cherry, and oak flavors. Because a Merlot is much softer than a Cabernet, it can be more pleasant to drink on its own, without food. Since there is so much more Merlot being produced, it is now usually less expensive than Cabernets.
Pinot Noir is admired for its complex flavors. The French are supreme in their cultivation of Pinot Noir. Although it can be very difficult to grow, under optimal soil and weather conditions the resulting wine can be velvety in texture, majestic in flavor, and exotraordinary in bouquet.
In the United States, Pinot Noir grows best in cooler regions, such as the Williamette Valley in Oregon and the Pacific Coastal districts of Sonoma. Pinot Noir is a bit temperamental. Many growers consider it to be the most fickle of all grapes to grow because of its sensitvity to environment and soil. But at its best, Pinot Noir is a wine with tremendous finesse and charm.
The best examples of Pinot Noir offer rich fruit flavor, especially raspberry. The aroma can resemble dried roses, earth, tar, herbs, bark, mushrooms, cola, and spices. It can also be light, with simple herb flavors. It is ideal when served with meats, poultry, wild game and all styles of cheese.