The 5 Best Red Wines For Beginners
These five red wines not only taste amazing, but they teach us something useful about wine and our sense of taste. After watching this, you’ll learn the fundamentals of what red wines you like. Bonus: all of these beginner wines are between $10 and $45 - with insightful clues throughout the video to help figure out what traits to look for in future bottles.
What's In This Video?
Let’s start with Syrah, or Shiraz as it's often labeled in Australia, with loads of anthocyanins (color-producing pigments), adding depth with its dark color and tannins. Plus, this bottle highlights the interesting differences between cool and hot climates. For this video, we chose a hot-climate Australian Shiraz that’s richly fruity, which is often more approachable for newer wine enthusiasts.
Then there’s Zinfandel, one of the few Croatian grapes to go mainstream, particularly in the U.S. or Italy, where it goes by the name Primitivo. It's known worldwide for its high alcohol content and sweet, brambly fruit notes. It's great for discovering the effects of warmer climates on grape varieties.
The next wine is a juicy, bold wine packed with red fruit flavors: Spanish Garnacha. Although Garnacha is often blended in famous wines like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it’s a superstar on its own, showcasing a powerful terroir that introduces you to complex flavor layers.
Next, Chilean Carménère brings something different. Often loved or disliked because of its greenish aromas — think bell pepper and cocoa powder — Carménère offers an insight into the Bordeaux grape family.
Finally, we present Pinot Noir, a light, aromatic wine that’s all about the nose, often described as “the sniffer’s wine.” Due to its delicate nature, the quality of Pinot Noir can vary, which is why it’s worth investing in a higher-quality bottle for the full experience.
After watching, you’ll know not only what red wines you like, but also what qualities to seek in future bottles!
Wines Mentioned
Husch Vineyards
2022 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Anderson Valley | California
In 1971, when Husch planted the first Pinot vines in the Anderson Valley, many naysayers thought red grapes were a losing proposition for the region. History has since proven that the warm days and cool, foggy nights are near perfect for ripening world-class Pinot Noir, and other vineyards soon followed the Husch lead.
The palate matches the bouquet, with accentuated notes of red fruit and baking spices.
Brown Estate Vineyards
2022 Napa Valley Zinfandel
Napa Valley | California
Traditionally, from 1996 through 2017, our Napa Zin was comprised entirely of Brown Estate fruit. Commencing with the 2018 vintage we began integrating select lots of non-estate fruit to give this wine a wider range in terms of its nominal footprint — i.e., to expand its representation of Napa Valley Zinfandel beyond the confines of our property, bringing David’s 20+ years working with this singular varietal to bear on a broader iteration of our flagship Brown Zin.
Medium body with silky texture, vibrant acidity, and well - integrated medium tannins.
Yalumba
2021 South Australia Shiraz
Australia
The flavors are continued on the palate, joined by a hint of allspice and mulberry. A medium bodied wine with plush soft tannins and a bright, juicy persistent finish.
Evodia
2020 Altovinum Garnacha
Calatayud | Spain
Evodia means perfume. This is the perfect representation of the Grenache from Aragon with its own clones and flavours. The landscape where Evodia is grown is very special for its altitude and slopes, resulting in a very pure and fresh wine.
Mineral-laced, elegant, finesse-styled effort displaying plenty of raspberry, sweet and sour cherry notes intermixed with a distinctive minerality.
Calcu
2022 Gran Reserva Carménère
Valle de Colchagua | Chile
We aim to produce fresh wines with pure and natural aromatic expression, enhancing the characteristics of each variety with moderate alcohol levels and natural acidity. The wines are aged in oak barrels, adding complexity while maintaining the unique character and terroir expression in the fruit.
Velvety, bright tannins. This is a silky Carménère, with flavors of blackberry, cinnamon and rosemary.
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