Red Wine

Red wine is made from dark-coloured grape varieties, taking its colour from compounds in the skin of the grape called anthocyanins. Winemakers use various techniques in order to extract the desired amount of colour and tannin from the skin, with the time that the grape juice spends in contact with the skins dictating how much colour and tannin the wine takes on. Much of the character of red wine, though, comes as much from the grape variety as it does the winemaking. Pinot Noir, for example, is a thin-skinned variety that naturally produces lighter, more delicate wines, often at the red-fruit end of the spectrum. Cabernet Sauvignon, meanwhile, is more durable and yields darker-fruits and bolder structure. And as with all wine, the place the grape is grown in – be it Shiraz, Malbec or Merlot – will lend further nuance to the final style, according to the climate, soils and viticultural techniques.