Red
From light ruby-red and fruity to deep purple and full-bodied, a huge assortment of grape varietals can be used to produce different styles of red wine. While most red wines are usually served at room temperature, lighter reds can be served slightly chilled which help to intensify the aromas and flavours. Lighter styles such as Beaujolais Nouveau will suitably accompany many different types of food, while heavier styles such as Bordeaux wines are more powerful, and therefore are particularly suited to certain types of food which can stand up to and complement the weightiness of these wines. Of course, another factor to consider is whether the red wine is dry or sweet. Generally speaking, the higher the tannin levels, the drier the wine will feel on the palate. Tannin levels present in red wine come from grape skins, and therefore this largely depends on the grape variety used to produce the wine – the thicker-skinned grapes produce more tannins. In addition, drier red wines are generally higher in alcohol than sweeter red wines, usually between 13%-15% compared to sweeter wines which contain between 6%-12% alcohol. Having said this, the majority of sweet red wines tend to be fortified and therefore naturally fall in to the category of dessert wine, such as Port.