What kind of grapes make all the red wine types? What are their differences? Is there a best red wine?

1. Cabernet Sauvignon Typically makes a full-bodied, dry wine and is widely known as one of the top varieties in the world.

Regions: Planted nearly anywhere that red wine grapes are grown: California, France (Bordeaux region), Australia, Chile, and more.

2. Merlot One of the more popular red wine types due to its smoothness and low-level acidity that make it a very drinkable wine.

Regions: Merlot has long been a key ingredient in Bordeaux blends, but due to its increasing popularity it is also now grown in Washington State, California, Chile, Italy, Australia, and Romania.

This grape makes a beautiful stand-alone wine, but it is often used in blends, particular with the Cabernet grape.

3. Pinot Noir Known to be a difficult one to grow, but when conditions are right, it produces an exceptional light- to mid-body wine with a wonderful complexity.

Regions: Grown in Burgundy, New Zealand, Austria, Oregon, and California. Several California wineries use Pinot Noir grapes to make delicious rose-style champagnes.

The characteristics and flavor of Pinot Noir varies greatly by the area in which it’s grown, making it difficult to pin a “typical” description on wine made from it.

4. Syrah (called Shiraz in South Africa and Australia) Known to produce spicy, fruity red wine types that have low to mid-range acidity, which, like the Merlot, make it a very drinkable wine.

Note: The Petit Syrah grape that grows abundantly in California isn’t related to the Syrah grape.

Regions: The best growing regions for the Syrah grape are found in the Rhone Valley of France, California, South Africa, and Australia.

5. Zinfandel This grape produces a low- to mid-range acidity, medium to full-body with fruity, peppery flavors. While it is easily a great stand-alone wine, it is also considered the most versatile grape.

Regions: The Zinfandel grape is mostly grown only in California.

While the Zinfandel grape is often used in blends with other grapes, it is not always mentioned on the wine label.

6. Sangiovese Used to produce the famous Chiantis and is Tuscany’s signature grape. This grape produces a beautiful, complex, mid-body, red wine with varying aromas and flavors.

Regions: Sangiovese is grown in the Tuscany region of Italy, and while there has not been much success in growing this grape outside of the region, recently California has been able to bottle some good wines from this grape.

7. Malbec Produces a wine whose acidic characteristics vary quite a bit by the region growing the grape, but it typically has an easy drinking taste of berries and spice.

Regions: The most widely-grown and popular grape of Argentina, where it thrives on the hot sun. It is also grown in Chile, Australia, and California, and to a lesser extent in Bordeaux (where it was once very popular).

8. Nebbiolo A red wine grape that is responsible for the many fine red wines of Italy. This grape tends to produce a light and very dry wine with high acidity, but does well with extensive aging.

Region: Piedmont, Italy

9. Grenache Increasing in popularity for creating a good stand-alone wine that is mid- to full-bodied with fruity flavors, like strawberry. It is also often blended with other grapes.

Regions: Grown in Rhone Valley (France), Spain, and in California, where it was once commonly used in rose and red jug wines.

10. Gamay Used in the wines from the Beaujolais region of France. Gamay wines are light-bodied, fresh, and fruity and are meant to be drunk soon after they are bottled.

Region: Largely grown in Beaujolais, France. Two wineries produce Gamay in California, but some wine connoisseurs don’t regard them as being “real” Gamay wines as the quality is not on par with France’s Gamay.

Selecting the right type of wine is decided by your personal taste, by the type of food you plan to serve with it, and even by the glasses you plan to serve it in.

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