What to say next time your waiter asks you: 'Red or white?’
So you love drinking wine, but you could stand to learn a little bit more about what the tasty drink is exactly. Like, you may know may difference between whites and reds, but that’s pretty much the extent of your limited knowledge on the subject.
No worries, consider this a beginner's guide to the many (seriously, many) different types of wine. The basic info is as follows. Wine is made from grapes, and those grapes come in two different colors: black and green. During a process called fermentation, black grapes (sometimes called purple) typically turn into red wine, while green grapes make white wine, explains Samantha Capaldi, a Phoenix-based certified sommelier and wine tasting business-owner.
Another thing that influences a wine’s taste? How much skin is on the grape during the fermentation process. Red wines are made from black grapes that have their skin and seeds intact, releasing a substance called tannins, which gives red wine that dry, gritty taste. White wines, however, are made completely skinless and the seeds are removed, Capaldi says. (AKA, little to no tannins, here.)
And yup, there are other aspects to wine production besides just the skin and the grape color. “There’s a common word in French, terroir, which refers to the region where the wine comes from and what that region does to that wine, specifically,” Capaldi says. From the soil, to the climate, to the growing season, to the mountains — basically what makes up an individual vineyard itself — every aspect of a grape’s growth and fermentation impacts a wine’s taste, Capaldi explains. Got that down?
Now that you’re a little more informed on what makes wine, well, wine, it’s time to get specific. The following is a beginner's guide to legit every type of wine, as well as answers to your other burning wine Qs. Happy sipping.
First things first, is drinking wine healthy?
ICYMI, wine can actually be super beneficial to your health in moderation, says Keri Gans, RDN, author of The Small Change Diet. “Red wine in particular has antioxidants, which are known to help reduce inflammation in the body," she explains. "Those antioxidant properties that red wine has, it may help lower the risk of heart disease."
That said, Gans reiterates that the health benefits of wine are mostly achieved through moderation. “The USDA recommends no more than about five fluid ounces of wine per day,” Gans notes, which can look like having a glass of wine with or after your dinner each night.
It does not mean drinking six glasses of wine all at once on a Saturday night, though. “You shouldn’t say ‘I’m just going to hold off on my wine until the weekend to get all my wine intake in,’” Gans says. “That would be considered binge drinking, and there are no benefits to binge drinking."
Ok, so what should I know about red wines?
Ever heard the saying that red wine is best paired with red meats? Well, for the most part, it’s generally true, Capaldi explains.
The tannins in red wines give it that gritty, drying sensation you feel in your mouth. This makes them best paired with savory dishes, Capaldi explains. “Fatty meats like steak, burgers, and beef are going to cut through the tannins in that red wine,” Capaldi says. That means going for particularly darker, more tannic reds like cabernet sauvignon, syrah, malbec, merlot. (Which should be served just below room temperature.)
Lighter reds, like pinot noir and grenache, contain less drying tannins. “They’re less tannic, so they go with a fatty fish, a barbecued salmon, a halibut, or sea bass,” Capaldi explains. They should also be served on the cooler side, at around 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you need a little help sifting through that shelf of reds at the liquor store, here's more information on specific types of red wine and their flavor profiles, according to expert sommelier Casleah Herwaldt, owner of By The Stem Wine Club.
Pinot Noir: “We call pinot noir 'the princess,' because its grapes have thin skins and it requires a lot of vineyard management,” Herwaldt says. (Which is also why it’s at a higher price point.) With notes of cherries, strawberries, and cranberries, it’s light on tannins, too, making it a good “intro” to red wine, Herwaldt explains. It also pairs well with lighter dishes like salmon and chicken.
Cabernet Sauvignon: This dry wine comes from a thick-skinned grape that needs a super warm climate to fully ripen, Herwaldt says. In it, you’ll find notes of blackberry and cherry. Plus, because it’s aged in a wooden barrel, you might also taste hints of oak, cedar, or even coffee and chocolate, Herwaldt adds.
Sangiovese: “This comes from a region called Chianti,” Herwaldt says. “It’s a bit more of an adventurous wine,” she notes. Why? It actually pairs super well with something like pizza (which is salty and fatty), since it has a bold taste and contains lots of tannins.
Merlot: Merlot has a velvety, chocolatey, blackberry-like flavoring. It’s super silky in the mouth and smooth, light in tannins, and considered a dry wine. Herwaldt likes to call it "the sexy grape," though she feels it doesn't get the love and attention it deserves.
Barbera: This is a lighter, sweet-tasting wine that’s often identified as being juicy. It’s best paired with foods like chicken, duck, or salmon, given that it's super low in tannins and high in acidity, which cuts well through lighter meats, Herwaldt explains.
What should I know about white wines?
White wines are a little less straightforward when it comes to deciding on food pairings, Capaldi notes. A white wine that is lighter, more acidic, and fruity, like a German riesling or sauvignon blanc, will likely pair well with light, zesty dishes like seafood and shellfish. (Hi, oysters.) (A more savory food like lasagna, for example, would overpower a light, delicate white wine.)
One of Capaldi’s other favorite foods to recommend for white wine lovers? French fries, since the simple saltiness complements the light flavor super well. For more fuller-bodied, rich-tasting wines (think chardonnay), you’ll want to partner them with richer flavor profiles like roasted turkey, potatoes, cream-based pastas, and other fatty-textured food, says Capaldi.
As for optimal temps when it comes to white wine, you want to keep lighter or sparkling wines at a pretty ice cold temperature, which helps them stay crisp to taste—anywhere from 38 to 45 degrees, Capaldi says. For a full-bodied wine, you can keep it at what Capaldi calls “fridge cold,” which, yup, means that it’s good at whatever temp you keep it at in your fridge, anywhere from 45 to 55 degrees.
See below for more information on white wine specifics and their various flavor notes, according to Herwaldt.
Muscadet: Coming from the Loire Valley in northern France, Muscadet is a dry, lemony, very refreshing wine. “It’s super acidic, which makes it super mouthwatering and perfect for sitting poolside or paired with a summer supper, Herwaldt says." And yup, it’s also lower in alcohol content, which is great if you’re worried about getting too tipsy while you drink.
Chardonnay: ICYMI, chardonnay is a dry, pretty misunderstood grape, Herwaldt says. It’s of the more neutral-tasting varieties, and it can come in a wide range of flavors. The taste varies from buttery and oaky to crisp, refreshing, and creamy, depending on how it’s made, Herwaldt explains. If you want a classic-tasting chardonnay, try going for one with notes of apple, pear, and pineapple with high acidity.
Sauvignon Blanc: “This wine also can vary quite a bit when it comes to taste,” Herwaldt says. The dry wine has citrus notes, like grapefruit, and an herbaceous taste that Herwaldt compares to freshly cut grass. High in acidity, it pairs super well with goat cheese, which is also acidic-tasting, Herwaldt explains.
Riesling: Your Riesling wines can range from sweet to dry, and they typically come from Germany, the U.S., or France, Herwaldt says. “They have super citrus notes like lemon, and they’re also quite tart, like green apple or peach." This wine pairs particularly well with spicy foods, and it’s lower in alcohol content, if that’s important to you.
Albariño: Coming from Spain in a region near the water (which deems it a “coastal wine"), this wine has tastes of floral and fruitiness, Herwaldt says. It’s also typically made by the ocean, which means that it’s aromatic and, yup, even oftentimes contains notes of sea salt. It’s a highly acidic, dry wine, specifically.
Are there other kinds of wine besides red and white?
So now you know all about red and white wines… But are there other kinds of wines besides red and white? Rosé lovers already know the answer to this.
It turns out that, yes, there are many varieties of wine that don’t fall into the simple red or white categories, Herwaldt says. For more details on various wine types aside from red and white, read below.
Rosé: You’ve probably heard of rosé, which is typically pink-ish in color and light in taste. It’s made from grapes like cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir, and typically gets limited skin-contact during fermentation, making it super light in shade. It usually has notes of strawberry, watermelon, and peaches.
Sparkling: Yup, you’ve also likely encountered sparkling wine at some point, too. “When we ferment grapes, it actually creates carbon dioxide, which is where we get the sparkling wine bubbles, since they are made by trapping the bubbles in the bottle,” Herwaldt explains. The most famous sparkling wines are champagne-type drinks like prosecco or crémant, and they typically pair well with foods like french fries or fried chicken, Hewaldt says. The bubbles act like a refreshing little palate cleanser.
Fortified: Port wine (also called fortified wine), comes from a region in Portugal, Herwaldt says. “They add a neutral grape spirit to stop the fermentation. It keeps some of that sugar in its taste," Herwaldt explains. It also typically has a higher percentage of alcohol. Pro tip: These wines (particularly the Ruby Port variety) pair insanely well with chocolate, Herwaldt says. (So go grab your bag of Ghirardelli squares when you’re sipping this one.)
Dessert: Think Moscato. To make dessert wines, the winemakers wait until the grapes literally freeze on the vines. The concentration of the ice in the grapes creates really concentrated sugar in the wine,” Herwaldt says. It’s best paired with foods like vanilla ice cream, cake, or poured over sweet fruit like berries, Herwaldt adds. Wine and dessert sounds like a superstar combo.
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