WineGuessr
Play →

Wine style

What is red wine?

Red wine is wine made from dark-skinned grapes fermented together with their skins. The juice of most red grapes is greenish-white, so the colour comes from anthocyanin pigments in the skins, extracted during fermentation and maceration along with the tannins that give red wine its structure.

Serving temperature13–18 °C
Wines on WineGuessr308, from 26 countries

How it is made

Red winemaking is mostly about extracting colour, flavour and tannin from the skins, as described in our guide to how wine is made. The grapes are destemmed and crushed, and some winemakers first give the must a cold soak at around 10 °C for one to four days. Yeast then turns the sugar into alcohol while the skins float in the juice; the juice is pumped over the cap of skins to keep extracting colour. Most red wines then go through malolactic fermentation, which converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid. The wine is aged in stainless steel, concrete or oak, then racked, fined, filtered and bottled. Colour shifts with age from intense violet in young wines to brick red and finally brown.

Main styles and grapes

More than 50 red grapes are commercially important, but a handful lead: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. Light-bodied reds include Beaujolais made from Gamay, such as Fleurie and Morgon. Medium to full-bodied reds include red Burgundy, Rioja and Bordeaux, and the fullest reds include Cabernet Sauvignon blends from Bordeaux and Napa Valley, Nebbiolo from Piedmont, Shiraz from the Barossa Valley and Malbec from Mendoza. Many classic reds are blends, such as the Cabernet and Merlot wines of Bordeaux or the Grenache-led wines of the southern Rhône.

Famous examples

Bordeaux has the first growths of the 1855 classification, including Château Margaux, Château Latour and Château Haut-Brion, and Pomerol has Pétrus. Burgundy's Pinot Noir peaks in Grand Crus such as Romanée-Conti and Chambertin. In the Rhône, try Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage or Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Italy offers Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino and Amarone della Valpolicella; Spain, Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Priorat. New World benchmarks include Napa Valley Cabernet, Penfolds Grange from Australia and Malbec from Luján de Cuyo.

Serving and food

Temperature changes how a red wine tastes: cooler serving emphasises acidity and tannin and mutes aroma, while warmer serving softens acidity and tannin and lifts aroma. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) suggests about 13 °C for light reds and 15–18 °C for medium and full-bodied reds such as Rioja, Bordeaux and Burgundy, the same range it gives for Vintage Port. Other serving tables put very light reds like Beaujolais a little cooler, at 10–12 °C, medium-bodied reds at 14–17 °C, and full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or Nebbiolo at 15–18 °C. Serving a tannic young red too cold makes it taste harsher, while a light, fruity red such as a Beaujolais cru gains freshness from a slight chill.

Test yourself: red, white or both?

Red wine on the map (308)

The 45 best-known of 308. The rest are on the country pages below.

Know where these wines are made? Play WineGuessr →

Red wine: questions and answers

Why is red wine red?

Red wine gets its colour from anthocyanin pigments in the skins of dark grapes. The juice of most red grapes is almost colourless, so the skins are left in contact with the juice during fermentation to extract colour.

How is red wine made?

Dark grapes are destemmed, crushed and fermented with their skins, which give colour and tannin. Most red wines then undergo malolactic fermentation and are aged in tank, concrete or oak before bottling.

What temperature should red wine be served at?

Serve red wine at about 13 °C for light reds and 15–18 °C for medium and full-bodied reds, following WSET guidance. Light reds such as Beaujolais are often served at 10–12 °C.

What is malolactic fermentation?

Malolactic fermentation is a conversion of the grape's sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid. Most red wines go through it after the alcoholic fermentation.

What are the most common red wine grapes?

The leading red grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. More than 50 red varieties are commercially significant.

Other wine styles

All wine styles →

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org

Last reviewed October 2026.