Our red wines: a beginner’s guide

Choosing a wine is not easy at all. If you are also not a good connoisseur of grapes and brands making a sensible choice can be impossible.

That’s why we have come up with a guide for lovers and curious about this age-old beverage who, without having much tasting experience, want to enjoy the right bottle for their tastes or the dishes they intend to serve it alongside. A beginner’s guide.

In the Italian culinary tradition, wines occupy an important place. From north to south, our country boasts areas suitable for the cultivation of black and white grape varieties in each region. The choice of us consumers is very wide and almost always of high quality. But having so much choice is not always an advantage, and in the case of wine seekers it certainly isn’t. Each grape variety is different, and each winery or estate has its own production methods that determine the characteristics of the finished product. The organoleptic properties of this drink can be complex to interpret, tastes, aromas and colors are not easy to grasp if you are not an expert with a refined palate.

In this guide we have categorized some of our best red wines according to 3 of the easiest characteristics to recognize: first, body, distinguishing between robust, medium and light wines, then sweetness and finally alcohol content.

The guide also contains some suggestions on food and wine pairing.

 

Robust

They need to “breathe” a few minutes in more glass, or even better in a decanter. They go well with juicy meats and pastas with full-bodied sauces, or first courses such as lasagna or parmigiane. These wines come mainly from the south where the climate is warmer: this results in a particular sweetness of the grapes and consequently a higher alcohol content than wines from harsher areas.

Prominent among our robusts are Primitivo, Nero d’Avola and Aglianico, three of the most full-bodied southern reds.

The name Primitivo comes from the characteristic of this grape variety to ripen earlier than others. The grape is sweet, resulting in a wine full of flavor. Tenute Albano Carrisi’s Primitivo undergoes aging in wooden barrels, which gives it spicy hints, including cocoa and licorice. It also has a remarkable persistence that leaves a very pleasant floral fragrance in the mouth for a few seconds after each sip.

13.5% vol.

Nero d’Avola Terre Forti presents itself to the eye with a pleasant ruby red color, less full-bodied and less sweet than Primitivo, hints of wild berry, blueberry and cinnamon prevail, in fact.

12% vol.

A great deal could be said about the Aglianico grape variety. It is among the oldest grape varieties in the world and finds its origins in Greece, from where it was exported to our country. Fine qualities of it have been cultivated in Basilicata and Campania. Aglianico Vigne Sannite is a slightly tannic PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) wine. With fragrances of red fruits and a good alcohol content, it is the least sweet among our robusts.

13% vol.

They are recommended to be served at a temperature between 15 and 18 °C.

Medium

Pairs very well with grilled meats and vegetables, game, cured meats, aged cheeses and pizza. One can distinguish between medium bodied and medium slightly bodied. Let’s start with the fuller-bodied ones, among which we find Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon is an originally French grape variety, characterized by aromatic substances and a good alcohol presence. However, Cabernet Sauvignon Pengue is a wine with moderate alcohol content. Grown in the Benevento area and subject to short passages in wooden barrels, which gives it a particular aroma and spicy notes, this red has abundant tannic elements and is therefore a bit therefore drier.

12% vol.

For less full-bodied mediums, we need to move to Central Italy where we encounter the two most widely grown grape varieties in our country, Chianti and Montepulciano, respectively.

Chianti Classico Clemente VII is a wine with a deep red color. On the palate it is soft and velvety, that is, it has little acidity and few tannic elements, and toasty hints of vanilla and tobacco prevail.

14% vol.

Equally soft is the Montepulciano Terre Forti. Although less full-bodied and therefore particularly suitable for pairing with cheeses, it is characterized by fruit fragrances and a lower alcohol content.

12% vol.

It is recommended to serve them at a temperature between 15 and 18 °C.

Lightweight

They go well with risotto and white meats, including grilled, as well as lighter dishes such as pizza. Among them we chose a Merlot and a rosé.

Like Cabernet Sauvignon, the Merlot grape variety is a native of France that has adapted and spread to many areas of the world. In Italy it is grown mainly in Friuli Venezia Giulia and in the Benevento area, an area subject to pleasant winds. Merlot Pengue is a dry and balanced wine, so neither a sweet taste nor an acidic sensation prevails in the mouth. It is recommended to be served chilled around 15 °C.

12% vol.

Among light red wines, rosés deserve a mention. Rosé, or rosé, wines are made from black grapes, but unlike reds the maceration in contact with the grape skins, what gives this drink its dark color, is very short. The result is a light product with a versatile pairing, somewhere between red and white.

Tavernello Rosato is a fresh, crisp and slightly fruity wine with hints of apple. It is recommended to be served chilled around 10 °C.

11% vol.

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