Barello

Grape guide

Types of red wine

12 red grapes, lightest to boldest, with what each tastes like and when it's ready to drink. Barello is a home cellar and bar app that tells you what to open tonight, what to keep, and what you can mix from what you have.

Lightest to boldest

  1. Lighter reds
  2. Gamay
  3. Pinot Noir
  4. Medium reds
  5. Barbera
  6. Grenache
  7. Zinfandel
  8. Merlot
  9. Sangiovese
  10. Tempranillo
  11. Nebbiolo
  12. Bolder reds
  13. Malbec
  14. Shiraz
  15. Cabernet Sauvignon

Each scored out of 5. Tap a grape to read about it.

These describe each grape in general. A particular bottle can be lighter or bolder, depending on where its grapes were grown, that year's weather and how it was made. A Pinot Noir from a cool place like Tasmania won't taste like one from somewhere warmer.

Body

How heavy the wine feels in your mouth, like the difference between skim milk and cream. More alcohol and riper fruit make a fuller body.

Tannin

The drying grip on your gums and tongue, like strong black tea. It comes from grape skins and seeds, and softens as a wine ages.

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Lighter reds

Pale enough to see through, with soft tannin and bright acidity. These are the reds to drink young and slightly cool.

Serve at 13°C (55°F), lightly chilledGood with charcuterie, roast chicken and duck

Gamay

Also sold as Gamay Noir and Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc

Pomegranate, blackberry bramble, violet, potting soil and peony.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 1, at its best around year 2, until about year 4, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
charcuterie, roast chicken, duck, pork, cured meats, salmon and mushroom or risotto

Pinot Noir

Also sold as Blauburgunder, Blauer Spätburgunder, Pinot Nero and Spätburgunder

Raspberry, cherry, mushroom, vanilla and hibiscus.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 2, at its best around year 4, until about year 8, counting from the year on the label. Burgundy: from year 2, at its best around year 5, until about year 10. Burgundy Côte de Beaune: from year 3, at its best around year 7, until about year 15. Check a bottle
Goes with
duck, salmon, truffle dishes, roast chicken, charcuterie, hard cheese, mushroom or risotto, cured meats and pork
In Australia
Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Orange, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Macedon Ranges and Tumbarumba

Medium reds

More colour, more fruit and more grip. The widest group, from juicy Barbera to firm, long-lived Nebbiolo.

Serve at 15 to 18°C (59 to 64°F)Good with hard cheese, braised meat and red meat

Barbera

Tart cherry, licorice, blackberry, dried herbs and black pepper.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 2, at its best around year 4, until about year 9, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
tomato-based pasta, charcuterie, cured meats, creamy pasta, roast chicken, hard cheese and mushroom or risotto
In Australia
King Valley

Grenache

Also sold as Cannonau, Garnacha, Garnacha Tinta, Garnatxa and Garnatxa Negre

Stewed strawberry, grilled plum, leather, dried herbs and blood orange.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 2, at its best around year 5, until about year 10, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
BBQ or grilled meat, braised meat, tacos or Mexican, red meat, roast lamb, duck, charcuterie, spicy food and mushroom or risotto
In Australia
Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale

Zinfandel

Also sold as Crljenak Kaštelanski, Tribidrag and Zin

Blackberry, strawberry, peach preserves, cinnamon and sweet tobacco.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 2, at its best around year 4, until about year 8, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
BBQ or grilled meat, red meat, braised meat, steak, tacos or Mexican, spicy food and hard cheese

Merlot

Also sold as Merlot Noir

Cherry, chocolate, plum, bay leaf and vanilla.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 3, at its best around year 6, until about year 12, counting from the year on the label. Bordeaux Saint-Émilion: from year 4, at its best around year 10, until about year 20. Check a bottle
Goes with
roast lamb, red meat, braised meat, duck, roast chicken, pork and hard cheese
In Australia
Coonawarra and Wrattonbully

Sangiovese

Also sold as Brunello, Morellino, Nielluccio, Prugnolo Gentile and Sangiovese Grosso

Cherry, roasted tomato, sweet balsamic, oregano and espresso.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 3, at its best around year 6, until about year 12, counting from the year on the label. Chianti: from year 2, at its best around year 5, until about year 10. Chianti Classico: from year 3, at its best around year 8, until about year 15. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: from year 3, at its best around year 8, until about year 15. Check a bottle
Goes with
tomato-based pasta, braised meat, truffle dishes, steak, red meat, cured meats, charcuterie, hard cheese, roast chicken and mushroom or risotto
In Australia
King Valley

Tempranillo

Also sold as Aragonês, Aragonez, Cencibel, Tinta de Toro and Tinta del País

Cherry, dried fig, cedar, tobacco and dill.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 3, at its best around year 6, until about year 12, counting from the year on the label. Ribera del Duero: from year 4, at its best around year 10, until about year 20. Rioja: from year 4, at its best around year 10, until about year 20. Check a bottle
Goes with
cured meats, steak, braised meat, roast lamb, red meat, BBQ or grilled meat, pork, hard cheese and mushroom or risotto

Nebbiolo

Also sold as Chiavennasca and Spanna

Cherry, rose, leather, anise and clay pot.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 5, at its best around year 10, until about year 25, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
truffle dishes, braised meat, steak, red meat, roast lamb, duck, hard cheese and mushroom or risotto
In Australia
King Valley and Beechworth

Bolder reds

Dark, dense and full in the mouth. These are the reds that want food, and the ones most worth keeping.

Serve at 15 to 18°C (59 to 64°F)Good with steak, red meat and BBQ or grilled meat

Malbec

Also sold as Côt, Malbeck and Pressac

Red plum, blackberry, vanilla, sweet tobacco and cocoa.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 2, at its best around year 5, until about year 10, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
steak, red meat, BBQ or grilled meat, braised meat, roast lamb, duck and hard cheese
In Australia
Langhorne Creek

Shiraz

Also sold as Syrah

Blueberry, black plum, milk chocolate, tobacco and green peppercorn.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 3, at its best around year 7, until about year 15, counting from the year on the label. Check a bottle
Goes with
red meat, BBQ or grilled meat, steak, braised meat, roast lamb, duck, charcuterie, hard cheese and spicy food
In Australia
Riverland, Riverina, Murray Darling, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Coonawarra, Clare Valley and 20 more

Cabernet Sauvignon

Also sold as Cab Sauv and Vidure

Black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices and graphite.

Body
Tannin
Acidity
When to drink
From year 4, at its best around year 8, until about year 18, counting from the year on the label. Bordeaux Médoc: from year 5, at its best around year 12, until about year 25. Check a bottle
Goes with
steak, hard cheese, red meat, roast lamb, BBQ or grilled meat and braised meat
In Australia
Riverland, Murray Darling, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Margaret River, Coonawarra, Clare Valley and 9 more

Questions people ask

What are the main types of red wine?

Lighter reds: Gamay and Pinot Noir. Medium reds: Barbera, Grenache, Zinfandel, Merlot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo. Bolder reds: Malbec, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

What's the lightest red wine?

Of these 12, Gamay is the lightest in body, then Pinot Noir.

Which red wines should be chilled?

The lighter ones, lightly. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust suggests 13°C (55°F) for a light red like Gamay and Pinot Noir, and 15 to 18°C (59 to 64°F) for a fuller one.

Which red wines keep longest?

Of these 12, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz keep longest. How long a bottle lasts also depends on where you keep it: the check above works it out.

How cold to serve each: red wine serving temperature. How a drinking window works: when to drink wine. Where to keep the bottles: how to store wine.

Body, tannin and acidity scores are Wine Folly's.