{"id":3867,"date":"2020-09-24T16:08:33","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T20:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/?p=3867"},"modified":"2022-11-22T16:53:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T21:53:49","slug":"5-of-the-most-popular-red-wine-grape-varieties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/5-of-the-most-popular-red-wine-grape-varieties\/","title":{"rendered":"5 of The Most Popular Red Wine Grape Varieties"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you\u2019ve learned, there are many different styles of wine, and within each type, there are hundreds of wine varieties. There\u2019s Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Merlot\u2014the list goes on. Some of these wines are made with only one grape, while others have a mixture of several. That said, if you want to understand more<\/a> about the scrumptious red wines you\u2019re drinking, you\u2019ll want to look at what makes up the wine. Below you\u2019ll find some of the most popular red wine grape varieties.<\/p>\n

Cabernet Sauvignon<\/h2>\n

Probably the most popular red wine grape on this list, Cabernet Sauvignon\u2019s home is found in the Bordeaux wine region. You\u2019ll also find an abundance of this grape in Napa Valley and Australia\u2019s Coonawarra wine region. Both are fierce competitors of France\u2019s grape production.<\/p>\n

These grapes grow well in humid regions and are typically deep red in color with moderate acidity.<\/p>\n

Our wine recommendation:<\/a>\u00a0Meander Oakville Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016<\/p>\n

Pinot Noir<\/h2>\n

Mmm, we love a nice Pinot Noir in the fall. The grape itself is included in the general Pinot family, which includes Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Meunier. You\u2019ll find this grape in abundance in the Burgundy wine region of France, but what\u2019s interesting is that Pinot Noir was first created in two different villages in the region, which led to two grapes that differ widely. Therefore, you may notice some Pinot Noirs are quite different from one another.<\/p>\n

The complexity and versatility of Pinot Noir are what so many countries love. It\u2019s so universally loved that it\u2019s grown in northern Italy, Germany, South Africa, Sonoma, Oregon, and so many other locations.<\/p>\n

Our wine recommendation:<\/a>\u00a0Pine and Brown Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021<\/p>\n

Merlot<\/h2>\n

Though slightly less popular than the two above, Merlot is another grape variety that began in Bordeaux. In particular, Saint-Emilion and Pomerol are two stand-out locations for this grape. It\u2019s the most planted grape in this region and presents itself as a dark blue grape that\u2019s used heavily for its own wine, but also for blending.<\/p>\n

Though they\u2019re a bit more sensitive to the environment, Merlot grapes do have one benefit over a Cabernet grape\u2014they ripen about two weeks faster. This is why so many locales try their best to plant this versatile grape.<\/p>\n

Our wine recommendation:<\/a>\u00a096 Pt. Saint-E\u0301milion Grand Cru 2018 Les Hauts de Granget<\/p>\n

Zinfandel<\/h2>\n

This popular grape is among the oldest grapes grown in California, which is why Zinfandel is held in such high regard in this west coast state. Interestingly enough, for a long time, wine authorities couldn\u2019t find the origins of this particular grape. In recent years, however, they were able to pinpoint that Zinfandel is actually a Croatian grape!<\/p>\n

Zinfandel has a blackberry or raspberry flavor, depending on how ripe the grape is when harvested. It\u2019s bold, fruit-forward, and thin-skinned, making for an easier harvest and a delicious wine.<\/p>\n

Our wine recommendation:<\/a>\u00a0Respite Rockpile Zinfandel Sonoma County 2019<\/p>\n

Malbec<\/h2>\n

Though Malbec originated in the southwest of France, it\u2019s actually considered the national grape variety of Argentina. These grapes tend to be a bit softer and not as tannin-heavy as those found in France. Because of its success in Argentina, Chile has also increased its creation of high-quality Malbec wines.<\/p>\n

Malbec has an inky dark color and robust tannins, which is why the singular variety of wine is so dry, yet so complex.<\/p>\n

Our wine recommendation:<\/a>\u00a094 Pt. Bodegas Bianchi Gran Malbec IV Generacio\u0301n 2018<\/p>\n

This is just a brief look at some of the different red wine grape varieties. There are over 20 different red wine grapes in Spain and Italy as well. As you get more comfortable in your red wine grape knowledge, turn to Wines \u2018Til Sold Out<\/a> to see if you can recognize each grape in the wines themselves. In addition, gift your family, friends, and coworkers a gift of wine and our corporate wine gifts<\/a>. You\u2019ll always find what you need with us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As you\u2019ve learned, there are many different styles of wine, and within each type, there are hundreds of wine varieties. There\u2019s Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Merlot\u2014the list goes on. Some of these wines are made with only one grape, while others have a mixture of several. That said, if you want to understand more about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[339,336],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wine-101","category-wine-learning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3867"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6243,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3867\/revisions\/6243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}