Wednesday Wine 101: 9 Noble Red Grapes

Last week, I started my new series for Wednesday Wine 101, a little bit of education on wine! Tips, tricks to finding good wines, general knowledge, and everything in between! Last week, I started by introducing you to the 9 Noble White Grapes. As a quick refresher, there are 18 grapes that are internationally recognized and referred to as the Noble Grapes: 9 white, and 9 red. Today I will delve into the 9 Noble Red grapes! I will list these in order from lightest to darkest.

Enjoying a nice Cabernet Sauvignon in Stockholm!

1. Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir is the lightest red grape and a great introductory wine. Even after years of wine drinking, it is still a go-to for me! If you want to ease your way into red wine, pinot noir is a great (and delicious!) place to start.
2. Grenache: Grenache wines tend to be fairly fruit-forward and light colored, with a medium body. It is a more complex grape and can offer a lot of different flavors in one sip. Similar grapes that you may have heard of would be Zinfandels.
3. Merlot: Merlot tastes very different depending on whether it is grown in cool or warm climates, ranging from a heavier and earthy taste to very fruit-forward. A common characteristic of merlot is that it tends to be very smooth and easy to drink.
4. Sangiovese: Sangiovese is similar to Pinot Noir in that it is a fairly wine, but will have more tannins and a cherry taste to it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with tannins, they are what makes a wine taste more dry. 
5. Nebbiolo: Nebbiolo is a very unique grape because it is very light in color, yet very high in tannins and acidity. Nebbiolo wines tend to have a very distinctive scent. 
6. Tempranillo: Tempranillo wines are more earthy than fruity and high in tannins. Tempranillio grapes ripen early, which is significant for its name, which means "little early one".
7. Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Sauvignon, or Cab Sauv, is arguably the most well-known grape varietal. Cab Sauv is a balanced, full-bodied wine with a distinct and savory taste. 
8. Syrah: Syrah offers big, bold flavors with a full-bodied. Syrah tends to have a smooth finish with light tannins. 
9. Malbec: Malbec is similar to grenache in that it is a candied wine, but will offer darker fruits such as blackberry. Malbecs will be more full-bodied with bold tastes. 

A nice Pinot Noir last Friday for me!

see, even my kitty enjoys a glass of red wine!

That's all I have for you today! Stay tuned for next week's post (preview below!) on how to make any red wine taste better!

Stay tuned next week for a post on decanting wine!

What is something you would like to learn about wine?