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A Closer Look at Red Wine
Red wine is described with many wonderful terms, such as light red, dark red, ruby, garnet, purple, deep violet, almost black, maroon, and so on. However, what makes red wine red? White wine is made from the same grapes. The secret to adding color to wine lies in the grape skins. During the winemaking process of fermentation, if the skins are in contact with the juice of the grape, color and tannins are added to the wine.
The individual shade of red will depend on what type of grape is being used and how long the skins are in contact with the juice during processing. Amazingly, there are about 50 different red wine varietals on the market at any given time.
Body
So, besides the color, what makes red wine different? Red wines are classified by body type. A wine's body type refers to the tannin content and how the wine feels in your mouth. Light-bodied reds have fewer tannins. They tend to go well with highly-seasoned foods because they do not compete with them. Medium-bodied reds have more tannins than the light-bodied wines do.
Examples of medium-bodied wines include your average Shiraz, Merlot, or Chianti. Full-bodied reds have a lot of tannins and alcohol. Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, and Tuscan wines come to mind. In the mouth, a full-bodied wine feels similar to the texture of milk, while a light-bodied wine will feel similar to the texture of water.
Varietals
A varietal is a fancy way of saying variety when you talk about wine. The most popular red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Syrah, and Malbec. Sometimes, you may hear a wine referred to by its region instead of varietal, such as Bordeaux.
The flavors of varietals may be described in many ways, and usually the last thing they mention is the grape. Funny, is not it, when the wine has been made from grapes. What happens to create these other flavors is that the grapes take in aspects of plants that grow near them. Other flavors appear during the processing of the wine.
So, you may hear a wine being described as tasting of plum, cherry, blackberry, strawberry, currant, gooseberry, raisin, fig, cinnamon, boysenberry, cloves, pepper, tobacco, cocoa, coffee, leather, smoke, or toast. All this means is the wine may offer a hint, an aftertaste, or a touch of the flavors mentioned.
Health Benefits
Red wine is a good source for resveratrol, an antioxidant that has shown much promise for reducing heart disease and fixing cholesterol levels. Resveratrol increases good cholesterol (HDL) and prevents the formation of blood clots, which is important in reducing plaque formation in the arteries.
While this does not mean you should chug a bottle a day, red wine in moderation may be a good thing. Like anything, if you drink to excess, you can cause more damage than you prevent. Wine can be high in calories, resulting in weight gain. It may also increase triglycerides in the blood if you drink too much. Four ounces of wine is considered one serving.
