Red Grapes - Red Wine Grapes
The emergence of wine as a cultural phenomenon, cultural reference, consumer experience and relatively snobbish occupational hobby must trace its “roots” to the agricultural beginnings of the grapes themselves. Grapes mature as fruit with a sugar content but the natural maceration and vigneron processing yield an acidic product.
But while many wine enthusiasts may trade terms and wine names, few may be able to identify the most basic elements of the wines themselves. Even within a certain vine or grape type, the variance between the soils in which these vines are planted will yield differentiating nuances and flavors.
The grapes and their inclusion, combination, blended pre-eminence and placement inside wine define it forever. The definition on the palate of each grape’s product yield determines both the value of a wine and its effect on the nose, mouth feel, and finish of each wine taster, diner, gourmet or simple imbiber.
The competition between wine growers, vintners, blenders, scientists and agriculture vinologists tells the complex story of wine growing and manufacture itself. Wine makers are relentlessly pushing the envelope between finesse and impact, palatal virtuosity and classical structure, and potential profiles and signature statements of a given wine.
The grapes most people might be familiar with associate very directly with widely known wine names. The premier of these must be the Cabernet Sauvignon, grown in France, California, Australia, Chile and Argentina. Blended wines using this grape can costs hundreds or thousands of dollars in select vintages.
Sangiovese is the red grape product best known to classical oenophiles and vintners, gourmets and European drinkers. The Italian Sangiovese grape is combined with several clearly distinctive wines led in celebrity tenor by the Montepulciano Nobile and Chianti. The Sangiovese grape lends rich tannic berry color and balances more earthy or acidic finishes with smoothness.
Pinot Noir must be the next most famous red grape, if only for its pre-eminence and blended inclusion in many wines of incredibly distinctive impact and importance. The Pinot Noir is a predictably black fruit mineral rich taste backbone that plays under many more lively grape blendings. Pinot Noir will need a very slight “punching up” with other grape products to render a challenging, entertaining wine.
The Pinot Noir is a challenge to grow carefully but rounds out blends and other purer bottlings with some real lasting finish as well as an ephemeral play on the palate. The presence of the Pinot Noir red grape within a wine will tell in its aromatic intensity. Agricultural development and cloning have led to California, Oregonian and New Zealand variances on this symphony.
The Gamay red grape is a classic component to many austere and limited appellation wines coming from the most august vineyards in Europe. The Gamay fruit is the primary vine grape of the Beaujolais region in France. Gamay contributes a stablizing berry yet sharp palate finish while Gamay grapes go into many “smaller” regional French wines which nevertheless make up the lexicon of French wine vintners acknowledge a debt to.
The Mourvedre red grape is a serious palate player which influences many of its blended wine product with a final stamp of identity. The Mourvedre is in the old world and in the new. Working both sides of the Atlantic with its influence. The Mourvedre adds depth, impact, and aging virtue for wines whose alcohol content and explosive finish need a few years down cellar to cool off.
Cabernet Franc is a red Bordelais grape which sets off many wines with aroma and ability to provide body. The Cabernet Franc is one of the defining gems of vinophilic France set in the Loire Valley. Mixed with regional grapes and blended with other distinctive wine sources to derive impact palate dynamics, the Cabernet Franc is a key player in any wine vintage it belong to.
The Syrah grape is grown within the borders of the Rhone Valley in France where the composition of the world’s most flavorful and robust wines are born. Syrah as a red grape is French, but is known in Australia as Shiraz, where the geography and soil of the Barbossa Valley render a concentrated red fruit that yields a significantly different and richer palatal thrill. The complexity of Australian Shiraz wines have challenged competitors worldwide.
Viticulturalists have populated the world with enough Merlot to bottle a blend for every grape in existence, but demand has dropped due to over exposure and broad release of uninspiring Merlot. The red fruit wine can be the gourmet’s delight when merlot assists making a wine of incredible power. The red fruit blends can bring out the wine’s complexity and dark fruit notes on the palate, as well as the darker chocolate, smoke, wood, mineral and floral leanings at the finish.
Grenache is a red grape type that many wine drinkers may confuse with the alcohol product of the same name. Grown in France and Italy, the Grenache fruit introduces a range of flavor, depth and intensity to the blend, “du Pape”, or “Villages” wine it goes into. Grenache addition wines bear labels such as “red fruit”, vanillic, intensely aromatic with rich herbaceous and wood notes on top of fruity concentrations. Grenache can add finesse and balance to superior but over sprightly base note blending wines.
Barbera red grapes may be Piedmontese from Italy, but their signature silky and depth laden finish is no stranger to wine lovers. Barbera grapes instill complexity and lushness, bringing herbal notes to the fore and aromatic red fruit panache to blendings. The Barbera can be very deep and austere or zingy and flirtatious, depending on its pairings, ground aromatics, mineral mouth feel and floral undertones.
The world wine derby has created interest in agriculturers around the world, and Argentina’s rich soil and sunny slopes does not mean to be left out. The Malbec red grape calls France and Argentina its home. This red grape has a strong swimming stroke and does not play second fiddle to light and airy varietals. Malbec pairs well with meat and yields ambitious cellaring results.
But modern viticulture developments have strung Malbec grapes and their result products from the original harsh tannic backbone and muscular texture to excellent dynamics in sweet wines needing punch and flair. Malbec wines still make a mouth finish to remember, despite softening with dark fruit notes, chocolate, and wood and earth bouquet accents.
The Nebbiolo red grape minds its manners and keeps its head down, wintering and summering in Sunny Italy. But it resists full attempts at control, and its varyingly nonpredictive growing results can confound vintners. When grown and harvested effectively, the Nebbiolo brings life to the palate party of any wine it inhabits.
The Nebbiolo forms some complex and well aging elements in prominent wines like the Barolo, Piedmontese, and Barbaresco blends. The Nebbiolo grape product likes to hibernate, curled up in casks for a long aging sleep. But after a long rest or even a short one, it brings out the best in every other flavor.
Italian Dolcetto wines are sharply concentrated, tasty and mouth snapping with deep ruby fruit and aromatic wood and smoke flavors. The Dolcetto red grape will render a wine that has been infused with dark leather, chocolate, and fruit tastes. Dolcetto makes an intense, chewy wine that entertains the mouth without stampeding the taste buds.
The Tempranillo red grape from Spain is not as celebrated as its Italian and French brothers and sisters. Tempranillo is also produced in Portugal, for red fruit color, deep spicy body, and a fragrant but complex backbone. The lighter Portuguese region Duero compositions can delight wine lovers looking for authentic depth but sweet fruit concoctions. Reserve wines of Tempranillo can astound critics with their berry fantasia flavor, oak and wood nuances, and taut but forceful finish.
The Zinfandel is the California Cinderella story, a red wine grape that has launched a thousand vineyards. But its European “roots” date back to the Austrian empire and accidents of the gardens of Croatia before plagues of rot destroyed heritage slopes. Zinfandel comes in red and white blended varieties.
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