Team C&J
For wine connoisseurs in the making, getting acquainted with the many styles of red wine can be pretty confusing, if not a little intimidating, when you start walking the aisles of your local BevMo, Total Wine, or browsing online retailers. Where do you even begin? Before you start purchasing bottles on a whim, check out this easy-to-follow guide for new red wine drinkers.
We’ve structured this list by different styles of red wine and by grape varieties to simplify your search. Done this way, you can feel confident walking into your local wine shop and asking for a light-bodied, acidic red wine or a low-tannin, fruit-forward red wine, and the person assisting you will know exactly where to steer you.
Let’s get started!
Easy-drinking red wines, all share a few things in common. They are:
Light-bodied
A light-bodied wine has a lower alcohol content and a lower tannin structure compared to full-bodied red wines, which make them more approachable, or quaffable, if we want to use one of our handy wine terms.
Fruit-forward
If you’re new to red wine, ask yourself a question, would you rather drink something that tastes like cherries, strawberries, or cranberries or something that tastes like leather, dirt, and unwashed vegetables? The most approachable red wines will have straightforward, uncomplicated fruit notes; these wines are called fruit-forward wines.
Low Tannins
Your gateway to red wine should always include wines that are low-tannin wines. While tannins are a natural part of the winemaking process, some grapes are far more tannic than others. And, let’s be honest, even seasoned red wine drinkers don’t always like the sensation of chewing sawdust (AKA that super dry feeling that tannic wines leave in your mouth), while they are enjoying their glass of vino.
Acidic
Acidic wines are wonderful for new wine drinkers thanks to their crisp, slightly tart qualities. You see, acid naturally causes your mouth to water or pucker, and that sensation invites continuous sipping. Don’t believe us? Do a side-by-side tasting of a chilled Gamay and a Barolo.
Affordable & Accessible
As a newer wine drinker, it’s important to experience a range of styles so that you can start to understand the nuances of different grapes and wine regions. When you’re starting to acquire your bottles of red wine, don’t feel like you need to spend more than $20 to $25 a bottle.
Malbec
Fruit-forward and velvety Malbec is a great wine for a newbie wine drinker to try. The appealing palate of creamy chocolate, sweet tobacco, oaky vanilla, and dark fruits like black cherry, plum, and blueberry is an intoxicating combination.
Food-friendly Malbec is primarily produced in Argentina and France, and each region has its own take on this French grape. Malbec wines from Argentina tend to lean into the big fruit flavors and the vanilla-chocolatey notes. French Malbecs, on the other hand, are known for their leathery tartness, lingering pepper spice, and abrupt tannins.
If you’re newer to this grape, go with a producer from Argentina, and then begin experimenting with the French bottles.
Gamay
Each and every list of the top red wines for beginner wine drinkers will include Gamay wines. These wines are smooth, light-bodied wines with pronounced strawberry, currant, and cherry fruit flavors. Gamay tastes pretty similar to Pinot Noir, with Gamay being the more acidic of the two.
When you’re shopping for Gamay wines, keep an eye out for bottles from Beaujolais, which is France’s top Gamay-growing region. Don’t let the fact that Beaujolais is a premiere growing region prevent you from seeking these bottles out. You can find great producers in the $20-$30 range.
Barbera
Barbera is a red wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Piedmont region of Italy, but it can also be found in other regions such as California and, increasingly, Argentina and Australia.
Barbera wines are known for their crisp and refreshing qualities, dark fruit notes (black cherry, plum, and blackberry), and high acidity. We’re bending the rules a bit here by including Barbera because these wines inch closer to a medium-bodied wine, but they’re so easy-drinking that they deserve a spot on the top five list.
Trousseau
Trousseau has been an “It” grape for sommeliers for a few years now, but it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. This grape, which hails from the Alpine region of Jura in France, is delicate, light-bodied, and elegant. The fruit notes in this wine are front-loaded with ripe strawberry, watermelon, and dark sour cherry; the mouth-watering acidity will captivate your palate.
Trousseau pops up a lot in wines that are marketed as ‘Chillable Red Wines,’ which are red wines that can be served closer to the temperature of white wine, 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the standard 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. These light-bodied wines hover around 11% alcohol to 12.5% alcohol and are so refreshing when served cold.
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