Finding The Best Red Wine For Beginners

If you want to find the best red wine for beginners you might want to first understand how red wine gets its color. During the fermentation process the skins of the wine grape are left in contact with the extracted juice. The skins contain pigment which dyes the juice red to the wine maker’s specifications and which type of red wine is being made.

Knowing which red wine you want depends entirely on your tastes. Aromas could help you decide which is the right red wine for you. And the best and easiest way to find out is to go to some red wine tastings. Go to as many as you can. Over time you will develop a taste for red wine and know exactly what appeals to you. Some classic descriptors include cherry, leather, chocolate, blackberry, licorice, mocha, cigar box, currant, fig, pepper, plum, raisin, smoke, toast and earth.

A secret to understanding red wine for beginners is knowing the importance of the red wine glass. The purpose of the red wine glass is to help the wine aerate. For this a large bulbous red wine glass is the best choice. Red wines are best enjoyed when the glass holds between ten and twenty ounces. The reason a bulbous glass works best is so you can swirl the wine and open up the aromas and flavors.

The best temperature to serve red wine varies with each varietal but for the most part red wine should be served at room temperature. This does not mean literally the temperature of the room you are in when you open the bottle but enough so that the barest chill is on it. Too cold and you will lose the flavors, too warm and all you will taste is the alcohol in the wine. The best temperature to serve your red wine generally speaking is between 50F-68F. Light-bodied reds are better at the low end of that spectrum while the medium to heavier red wines do well in the mid range and your sweet red wine should be served at the higher temperatures.

Speaking of body, a red wine is largely identified by its body type. When referring to light-bodied red wines it means the red wine has a light mouthfeel and easy tannin structure. Mouthfeel is simply the weight of the wine in your mouth. Liken it to the weight of milk and skim milk where light-bodied would feel watery like skim milk. Light-bodied red wines are less intense in flavor and are better for paring wine and food. They are also best for immediate consumption as they won’t age well.

A medium-bodied red wine will be somewhere in the middle of course. Merlot is a good middle of the road red wine and makes for the best red wine for beginners as it is easiest to drink by itself. A good medium-bodied red wine that goes well with food would be Chianti, an Italian red wine.

Full-bodied red wines have high tannin levels and are often higher in alcohol content. Going back to mouthfeel, full-bodied red wines would stick to your mouth much like the effect of whole milk. Tannins are what give you that chalky mouthfeel when you sip a heavy red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. The heavier the red the more tannins it is likely to have. Heavy reds can be paired with food but are easiest to drink by themselves.

There are several types of red wine available from all over the world. If you take my advice and go to as many free wine tastings as possible, eventually you will be able to determine exactly what your favorite type of red wine is. There is really no such thing as the best red wine for beginners. It’s all in what you like best.

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