Romancing the Reds

Red wines are sexy. They are integrated into our society as a lifestyle; even a health benefit. I think of red wines as vitamins for the soul. A good red wine offfers multilayered pleasures to the senses. They satisfy and soothe. A great red wine should distract you from a conversation, just for a moment, but a distraction just the same. There are many to choose from and often overwhelms even the seasoned wine drinker. Is there a difference? Will you choose wisely? Remember that red wine get its color from the grape skins that are fermented with the juice. Red grape varietals are never actually red -Often bluish-red or purple, but never red. The skins also contain tannins that add structure to the juice – the “body” and mouth feel. For now, here are a few red wine varietals worth a try: Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab-er-nay Saw-vin-yawn). A great go-to red wine. Descriptors are: Cherry, blackberry, tomato leaf, tobacco, leafy (a freshly cut leaf), plum, prune, olive, dusty. Some “out there” descriptors are bramble (really?), cassis (again, really?) how many times have you tasted a cassis? It’s actually one the most popular European fruits. I say, look for dark fruit flavors. Merlot (Mur-low): Much maligned, Merlot’s had a bum rap. It’s all due to a movie where they only drank Pinot Noir and said, “If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f**king Merlot! That quote nearly killed the Merlot wine business! It’s actually a very nice wine. Descriptors are: Raspberry, violets, plum, mint, strawberry, perfume, sage. Pinot Noir (Pee-no No-are). Merlot’s nemesis! It’s got very distinct flavors and a lighter body/mouth feel (less tannins) than many other reds. Descriptors: Raspberry,cherry, mushroom, earthy, rose petal, violet. Syrah (Sir-ah), or as my friends from Down Under call it, Shiraz. Don’t be confused by this Aussie trickery, it’s the same varietal! Syrah is not for the faint of heart. It can be an overload of the senses at times, but oh so worth it! Descriptors: Pepper (black and white) spices, menthol, deli meats, leather, raspberry, licorice…see what I mean? Grenache (Grin-ah-shh): I love Grenache. It offers wonderful red fruit flavors and a mouth feel that no other red wine can. It’s like talking to the shy kid-quiet at first but opens up with a little time. Descriptors: Plum, raspberry, spice, bubblegum, pepper. Zinfandel: I covered the “white” version in my last post. The red version is almost sinful. It often has a “juicy” characteristic, much like biting into a fresh plum. It is known for “jam” flavors. Descriptors include: every berry in the book, earthy, tar, cola, spice, pepper. Urban Myth: The higher the price, the better the wine. So not true -especially now. Get out and give a red a try! So many reds, so little time!