Blog: Steven Spurrier

Last time we looked at the principal white grape varieties - grapes that were once identified with specific regions in the traditional vineyards of Europe, but are now seen in wine-producing regions all around the world.

This time, it's the turn of the reds. It's worth noting that, with very rare exceptions, the pulp of a vitis vinifera grape is colourless. If you squeeze the grape, the juice is clear, because it is the skin of the grape that contains the pigmentation. By macerating the skins with the pressed juice before, during and after fermentation (the process which transforms the grape's sugar into alcohol), that gives the colour.  All red grapes can be used to make a rosé wine, the pink colour coming from a very short maceration period.  The skin of the grape also contains the tannins, which, along with the fruit, allow red wines to age.

Cabernet Sauvignon

The principal grape of the Médoc in Bordeaux and one of the most planted red grapes around the world, this is a late-ripening varietal with small, very dark berries. The grapes produce a wine of deep colour, striking blackcurrant, bell-pepper aromas and a deep, tannin-backed flavour with great ageing potential.  It is excellent blended with other grapes as it adds firmness and structure to the finished wine.

Cabernet Franc

The more fragrant of the two Cabernets, producing a wine with a fine, deep carmine colour, a delightful aroma of raspberries and a firm but not austere finish. Originating in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley, it is now planted across Europe and the New World.

Gamay

The single grape of the Beaujolais region, the Gamay gives a vibrant violet-red colour, flavours bursting with fruit and generally low in tannin.  These wines are best drunk young.

Grenache

Known as Garnacha in Spain, Grenache flourishes in warm climates like the Southern Rhône Valley to produce full-bodied, fruity quite robust wine often high (over 14 degrees) in alcohol.  Very often blended with Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes that add spiciness and tannin for longer ageing.

Malbec

Famous in Cahors (Southwest France) for centuries, Malbec has achieved world-wide recognition thanks to its success in Argentina's Mendoza region.  Often blended with other grapes for its colour and richness, can be drunk young, yet ages well.

Merlot

Now the most-planted variety in Bordeaux, Merlot's a dark-coloured grape that ripens early to give a wine that is rich in colour with a plummy smoothness. Merlot is the perfect foil with the firmness of Cabernet Sauvignon, but is very impressive on its own.

Mourvèdre

A late-ripening varietal that needs a warm climate to produce very dark-coloured, firmly structured wines with a welcome acidity for long ageing.

Pinot Noir

The traditional red grape of the Burgundy and Champagne regions, Pinot Noir is a fragile grape that prefers a cool climate.  The wine has a medium deep colour, a rich strawberry-cherry-blackcurrant aroma with ripe fruit and a firm but not overly tannic finish.

Syrah

The sole red grape for the Northern Rhône, Syrah is suited to warm climates to make rich, powerful wines with aromas of blackcurrant and spices and deeply concentrated fruit flavours. It is very successful in the New World (where it's often known as Shiraz) both as a single and a blended varietal.