Types of Red Wine: From Light Pinot to Bold Cabernet

The main types of red wine line up by body, from light Pinot Noir and Gamay, through medium Merlot and Sangiovese, to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Malbec. Body tracks closely with tannin and alcohol: the fuller the wine, the more grip and warmth it usually has. Light reds suit chicken, salmon and mushrooms; full reds want steak and barbecue. Below is a chart of the common red grapes, then a short guide to each.

Red wine chart: body, tannin and acidity

Tannin is the drying, grippy feel a red leaves on your gums, a bit like strong black tea. Acidity is the mouth-watering freshness. Both are listed here as Wine Folly rates them in its grape profiles, ordered roughly from lightest to fullest.

Grape	Body	Tannin	Acidity	Typical alcohol	Flavors
Gamay	Medium-light	None	Medium-high	10–11.5%	Pomegranate, bramble, violet, potting soil
Pinot Noir	Light to medium	Low	Medium-high	12–14%	Raspberry, cherry, mushroom, hibiscus
Grenache	Medium to medium-full	Medium	Medium	15%+	Stewed strawberry, grilled plum, leather, dried herbs
Merlot	Medium-full	Medium-high	Medium	13.5–15%	Cherry, plum, chocolate, bay leaf
Sangiovese	Medium-full	Medium-high	Medium-high	13.5–15%	Cherry, roasted tomato, oregano, espresso
Tempranillo	Medium-full	Medium-high	Medium-high	13.5–15%	Cherry, dried fig, cedar, tobacco, dill
Zinfandel	Medium-full	Medium-high	Medium-low	15%+	Blackberry, strawberry, cinnamon, sweet tobacco
Malbec	Full	Medium	Medium-low	13.5–15%	Red plum, blackberry, vanilla, cocoa
Syrah / Shiraz	Full	Medium-high	Medium	13.5–15%	Blueberry, black plum, tobacco, green peppercorn
Cabernet Sauvignon	Full	Medium-high	Medium-high	13.5–15%	Black cherry, black currant, cedar, graphite

A few notes on reading it. Wine Folly’s Pinot Noir profile rates the grape medium-bodied, while its style guides use Pinot Noir as the benchmark light red; we show both. Grenache appears among Wine Folly’s light, medium and medium-full reds depending on the page, which tells you how much it varies by region and winemaking. And Wine Folly’s full-bodied guide adds that alcohol of 14% or more makes a wine feel richer, and that 12 months or more in oak can add weight.

Light-bodied reds

Wine Folly describes light reds as delicate and perfumed, with lighter tannin, bright acidity, slightly lower alcohol and red-fruit flavors. They are the reds we’d hand to someone who usually drinks white.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is Wine Folly’s benchmark light red: highly aromatic, low in tannin and high in acidity. The classic home is Burgundy in France, especially the villages of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. In the US, California makes riper, fruit-forward versions, and Wine Folly says Oregon’s lighter, tarter style often comes closest to Burgundy. New Zealand’s Central Otago and Germany also make good examples. Wine Folly calls it a catch-all food wine and names duck as a classic match.

Gamay

Gamay is the grape of Beaujolais in France and one of the lightest reds you can buy. Wine Folly’s profile lists it at 10% to 11.5% alcohol with no tannin to speak of, and its light-red guide notes that some versions show a banana note from a winemaking method called carbonic maceration. Wine Folly calls it one of the few reds that suits a wide range of dishes.

Other light reds

Wine Folly’s light-red list also includes Lambrusco (often bubbly and one of the lightest-feeling reds), Schiava from Italy’s Alto Adige, Zweigelt from Austria and Cinsault from southern France. Nebbiolo, the grape of Barolo, is pale in color but far from light in feel: Wine Folly notes its tannin is bold in Barolo and Barbaresco.

Medium-bodied reds

Wine Folly defines medium-bodied reds by dominant red-fruit flavors, medium to high acidity and medium tannin, and calls them “the quintessential food wine”. If you only keep one kind of red in the house, we’d make it one of these.

Merlot

Merlot is softer than Cabernet Sauvignon but still medium-full, with cherry, plum and chocolate flavors. Its classic homes are Pomerol and Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux, and it is widely grown in Napa Valley, Washington’s Columbia Valley, Tuscany and Chile. Wine Folly matches everyday Merlot with pizza and barbecue chicken, and richer, warm-climate bottles with rack of lamb or filet mignon. See our Merlot wine guide.

Sangiovese

Sangiovese is Italy’s most planted wine grape and the grape of Chianti in Tuscany. Its high acidity and savory notes of roasted tomato and oregano make it a natural with tomato sauces and anything grilled, according to Wine Folly.

Grenache

Grenache (Garnacha in northeastern Spain, where it originated) is a key grape of France’s southern Rhône Valley and goes into GSM blends (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) such as Côtes du Rhône. Wine Folly lists its alcohol at over 15%, with only medium tannin. Wine Folly suggests roasted meats and vegetables with bold spices such as cumin or five-spice.

Full-bodied reds

Wine Folly describes full-bodied reds as the boldest group, with higher tannin and alcohol and dark-fruit flavors such as black currant.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the classic full-bodied red. It comes from Bordeaux, where it is mostly blended, and is now grown widely in California’s North Coast (Napa Valley and Sonoma County), South Australia and Chile. Wine Folly rates it full-bodied with medium-high tannin and acidity, and recommends it with grilled meats, peppery sauces and boldly flavored dishes.

Syrah (Shiraz)

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape. The French name comes from the Rhône Valley, where it originated; Australia, where it is widely planted, calls it Shiraz. Wine Folly lists blueberry, black plum, milk chocolate and green peppercorn flavors, with medium-high tannin. It pairs with rich meats and boldly spiced dishes such as lamb shawarma. Our Syrah vs Shiraz guide explains the style differences.

Malbec

Malbec originated in Cahors in southwest France but is now best known from Mendoza, Argentina, where Wine Folly singles out the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo. Wine Folly rates its tannin as medium, lower than Cabernet’s, and recommends a burger with melted blue cheese. More in our Malbec wine guide.

Tempranillo

Tempranillo is Spain’s great red grape, best known from Rioja, where it is famous for oak aging, and from Ribera del Duero and Toro, which Wine Folly describes as richer and more grippy. Aged versions suit steak, burgers and lamb; younger ones go with baked pasta and tomato dishes.

Zinfandel and other big reds

Zinfandel (Primitivo in Italy’s Puglia) is a California specialty from Lodi, Paso Robles and the Sierra Foothills, usually high in alcohol; Wine Folly pairs it with barbecue, ribs and burgers. Petite Sirah, a cross of Syrah and Peloursin, has high tannin and blackberry flavors. Wine Folly’s full-bodied list also includes Tannat, Mourvèdre and Nero d’Avola from Sicily.

Dry or sweet: how sweet are red wines?

Almost all the reds above are dry, meaning the yeast fermented nearly all the grape sugar into alcohol. Wine Folly’s dry-to-sweet guide notes that quality red table wine sold in the US is dry, though some high-volume reds keep a little sugar, under about 10 grams per liter.

Sweetness	Red wines to look for
Dry	Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Sangiovese, Tempranillo
Dry, but very ripe and fruity	Zinfandel, Grenache
Sweet and often lightly sparkling	Brachetto d’Acqui
Sweet and fortified	Port, at 19% to 22% alcohol

In our view, very ripe, fruity reds can come across as sweeter than they are.

Food pairing by body

Wine Folly’s style guide gives these pairing groups. The idea is to match the weight of the wine to the weight of the dish.

Body	Pair with	Why it works
Light (Pinot Noir, Gamay)	Mushroom risotto, coq au vin, chicken in cream sauce, salmon	Low tannin won’t clash with delicate food
Medium (Merlot, Sangiovese, Grenache)	Lasagna, red-sauce pizza, burgers, roasted vegetables	Acidity stands up to tomato; tannin is moderate
Full (Cabernet, Syrah, Malbec)	Steak, barbecue, smoked meats, Mexican food	Fat and protein soften firm tannin

In our view, the single most useful rule is that tannin needs fat or protein. A big Cabernet suits a ribeye far better than a delicate fish.

How to serve red wine

Wine Folly suggests serving light reds at a cool room temperature of 53–63°F and medium and full reds at 63–69°F. In its grape profiles, Pinot Noir and Gamay get 55–60°F and the bigger reds 60–68°F. Most homes are warmer than that, so we’d give a full red 15 minutes in the fridge before opening and a light red closer to 30. Wine Folly also suggests a large-bowled glass for full reds and a wide, “fishbowl” glass for light reds to gather their aromas.