Rank: | Photo: | Model: | Rating: | More Info: |
#1 |  | BEST OVERALL Chateau Canon 2016 | ||
#2 |  | Mazzei Chianti Classico Riserva | ||
#3 |  | GD Vajra Barolo Albe 2016 | ||
#4 |  | La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza | ||
#5 |  | Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 |
Opening a bottle of red wine at dinner is always a good move. Red wine is healthy, thanks to its antioxidants which are good for the body and preventing disease.
What’s the best way to drink red wine? Whether you drink it in the evenings or during the day, make sure your wine is between 60 and 65 degrees as this is the best way to serve it.
If you want to buy a bottle of red, you should consider our guide to the best red wine to enjoy in 2021. Here are five wines from which to choose, depending on your preferences.
Best Red Wine – Reviews & Buying guide for 2021
Best Overall: Chateau Canon 2016
This medium- to full-bodied wine is often recommended by wine experts. It won’t disappoint you – here’s why you should add it to your wine collection.
Specs
- Country: France
- Blend: Bordeaux red
- Age: Aged for 18 months
Pros
- If you love fruity wine, this best red wine is a must for your collection. It’s got depth and aging potential, and the ripe fruit in it is said to have sophisticated maturity.
- This wine is made of 74 percent Merlot and 26 percent Cabernet Franc. It’s been aged for 18 months.
- It’s got a gorgeous purple color that unleashes surprising and beautiful aromas: violets and red roses, being two that are worth mentioning.
- This is the best red wine to drink if you’re looking for a full-bodied wine that has silky tannins and builds up to a refreshing and energetic taste at the end.
- It’s got complex flavors that work well together to create a balanced, intriguing blend: notes of blackcurrant, blueberry, and raspberry give it a rich fruity taste, and there’s also sweet tobacco and a slightly savory freshness at the end with a bit of salinity.
- Some people have said there is also the presence of sweet spices in this delicious red wine, contributing to its depth.
Cons
- It’s said that you should wait until 2025 to open this bottle.
- When compared to the 2015 bottle offered by the same brand, this one doesn’t match its fruity richness.
Runner Up: Mazzei Chianti Classico Riserva
If you’re serving a meal of red meat, pasta, or mild-aged cheese, you’ll want to pair it with this delicious wine. Here’s what you should know about it.
Specs
- Country: Italy
- Blend: Sangiovese and Merlot
- Age: Aged for 12 months
Pros
- This wine has a gorgeous red color. Take a sniff and you’ll enjoy bright, pleasing aromas of cherries, thyme, and smoke.
- It’s a dry, medium-bodied wine that combines 90 percent Sangiovese with 10 percent Merlot. Sangiovese is Italy’s most popular grape that is the main varietal used in Chianti.
- The Sangiovese and Merlot work well together because of how the Merlot softens the wine’s texture and adds fruitiness to it, which works well with the Sangiovese’s herb-infused and savory features.
- When drinking this wine, you can expect a fruity flavor to dominate, with red cherry, raspberry, and cranberry coming to the fore.
- But then, the wine opens up to deeper layers, bringing cedar, cocoa, and leather notes. The finish is a bit earthy. This layered effect makes it one of the best red wine blends on the market.
- It’s a delicious wine that doesn’t cost a lot of money.
Cons
- Some people have said that it can be a bit acidic, so it’s recommended to decant the wine to bring out its more appealing flavors.
Alternative: GD Vajra Barolo Albe 2016
This medium-bodied wine is elegant and can be said to be the best red wine in the world. It will intrigue you with its aromas of leather, rose, and berry. Let’s see why it’s so popular.
Specs
- Country: Italy
- Blend: Nebbiolo
- Age: Aged for 32 months
Pros
- This wine is said to be delicious and juicy, thanks to its Marasca cherry and raspberry.
- Its tannins are polished and the wine is bright and fresh.
- The wine is beautifully balanced, with a lingering aftertaste of tobacco and fruit.
- It contains a Nebbiolo blend. Nebbiolo refers to two red wine grapes that are found in northwest Italy. These are blended together to produce a wine that’s both modern and suits an international palate, making it versatile.
- The flavor profile of this wine does offer some interesting surprises, such as in the form of mint, spices, and almonds.
- It’s said that you can drink this wine right away or keep it in the cellar. If you opt for the latter, you’ll have a treasure waiting for you within the next 10 or 15 years.
Cons
- Some people who have purchased this wine have reported that it tastes a bit too dry and acidic.
- Others have complained that the wine is quite expensive.
Alternative: La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza
If you’re eating a meal of spicy fish or smoked cheese, you’ll want to have La Rioja Alta wine at the table. Here’s what to know about it and if it’s the best choice for you.
Specs
- Country: Spain
- Blend: Tempranillo
- Age: Aged for 36 months
Pros
- This wine has a lovely spicy flavor and is of medium to high intensity.
- When you pour it, delicious whiffs of spice, sweet cherries, strawberries, and coffee will instantly make you want to drink it.
- This wine is very well balanced and has a gentle freshness that’s not too crisp. You’ll love its silky finish.
- This wine is good for you to buy if you like traditional red wines and it’s the best red wine for beginners for this reason. It has lovely flavors of orange peel, leather, and plum, with a bit of a balsamic aftertaste.
- This wine has been made from the red grape variety known as Tempranillo, which makes some of the best wines from Portugal and Spain. It produces a deep, richly-colored wine that contains a high anthocyanin quantity.
- Anthocyanins are flavonoids that are good for you because they fight free radicals in the body, which makes this the best red wine for health.
Cons
- This might not appeal to people who want a more modern wine.
- Some people who have purchased this wine have reported that it has a strong oak flavor.
Alternative: Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
This red wine is elegant and said to produce a uniqueness that you can only find in great wines. As a bonus, it’s quite a lot more affordable than other wines on the market. Let’s see what it has to offer.
Specs
- Country: Chile
- Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon
- Age: Aged for 15 months
Pros
- This wine has a range of aromas, such as peaches, flowers, and berries.
- It’s a full-bodied wine that’s polished with excellent textures and has been called balanced and harmonious.
- What makes it special is that it makes use of four Bordeaux varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. This is what helps to give the wine it’s glorious balance.
- You’ll enjoy the way wine unfolds as you drink it. It provides a burst of blackcurrant to start with, as well as cherry, then it becomes minty, with cedar and pepper notes.
- It pairs well with meat dishes, such as poultry and beef, so be sure to open this bottle for the most satisfying dining experience.
Cons
- Some people who have purchased this red wine have reported that it has to be left for a few years in order for its flavors to round up better. If you’re impatient, this won’t be the best bottle of red for you.
Red Wine FAQ
You enjoy drinking red wine, but perhaps you have some questions about it. For example, is it really healthy for you or is it bad for your waistline?
Here are some important things you should know about red wine before you buy your next bottle.
How many varieties of wine are there?
It might surprise you to learn that there are more than 10,000 wine grape varieties in the world. However, only a few have become popular.
The most popular and common wine grapes include Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. What further helps to make these popular is that they’re versatile and easy to grow in a range of different climates.
They can also be used in different ways so that the wine that’s produced will cater to a range of tastes. Here’s more information about the different types of grapes that are used in red wine:
Pinot Noir
This is the only grape that’s allowed to be used in the production of red wines in Burgundy, France. It provides gentle cherry and pomegranate flavors. Pinot Noir is not just made in France but also appears in Germany and New Zealand.
Pinot Noir grapes get their name from the French word “pinot” meaning “pine,” because the grapes grow in a pine-shaped cluster and “Noir” for “black,” which refers to the dark hue of the grapes.
Cabernet Sauvignon
This is the leading grape used in Bordeaux wine and it’s usually blended with Merlot or Cabernet Franc. If you love full-bodied wine with mint, cocoa, spice, or blackcurrant flavors, you’ll love Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are known for being some of the most distinct grape varieties in the world.
Cabernet Franc
This is popular in Bordeaux and Loire Valley in France. When used to make red wine, Cabernet Franc creates a medium body with moderate-to-high acidity.
These wines often have cherry and bell pepper flavors. Cabernet Franc is said to be lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon.
It usually has a peppery fragrance that works well with more robust grapes, but extra aromas can be produced depending on where the grapes are grown, such as raspberry and violet.
Merlot
This grape became popular in Bordeaux wines, but it’s also been used to make wines in the regions of Tuscany, Australia, and other countries.
It’s been increasing in popularity over the last few decades: in 1990, it was the seventh most popular grape to make wine, and then in 2010 it became the second most popular one.
Merlot is renowned for having a velvet texture and it offers flavors such as blueberry and plum.
Malbec
This red wine grape hails from France but it’s popular in Argentina. It’s full of fruity flavors, such as black cherry, prune, and blueberry, but has other notes, such as chocolate and coffee.
It’s a smooth wine that offers notes of black cherry and plum in Argentina, as well as a tobacco finish. On the other hand, in France, it’s focused on leather, tart currant, black plum, and a bit of savory green flavors.
Carménère
This grape used to be primarily used in Bordeaux blends made in France but now it’s become a popular grape in wines that are made in Chile.
This grape is spicy, herbal, and fruity, and has mocha tones when the wine has been aged in oak. This grape is named after carmin, or crimson, which is the color leaves get before they fall in the autumn.
Petit Verdot
This grape is a blending grape in Bordeaux and what makes it popular is because the wine that is produced from it is full of flavors, such as those of pepper, dark chocolate, licorice, and blackberry. It’s a very bold grape, so it’s only added to wine blends in really small quantities.
Sangiovese
This is a grape found in central Italy’s best wines, such as Chianti. It produces medium- to full-bodied wines that are rich in the delicious flavors of herb, leather, red cherry, and black cherry.
You won’t find Sangiovese in many places outside of Italy. There are many mutations of Sangiovese all across the nation, which results in a range of wines that will appeal to everyone.
You can find gentle strawberry aromas in some, or darker, more tannic wines in other bottles.
Grenache
This grape is common in the Southern Rhône wine region in France, and it’s ideal for wine that has a high alcohol content. Grenache offers delectable aromas of violet and is filled with flavors of red fruit.
Not just limited to France, Grenache is found in regions such as Spain, California, and South Australia. Depending on where it’s grown, Grenache can have different aromas.
Tempranillo
This grape is found in Spain’s popular La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva 2012 wine that we featured in our reviews. Wines made with this grape are medium-bodied in nature and have low acidity levels. Expect flavors of tobacco leaf, red plum, cherry, and earth.
When aged in American oak barrels, this grape creates a herbal aroma. Tempranillo is a common blending grape that’s used in Port wines.
Shiraz
This is called Syrah in France, but Shiraz in Australia (via MasterClass). The Syrah has moderate or high acidity and tannin, while the Shiraz has riper fruit and higher alcohol content.
If you’re looking for a full-bodied and bold wine, Shiraz is your best bet. However, both types of grape are filled with notes of violet, olive, smoked meat, and boysenberry.
Primitivo
This is a dark-skinned grape that produces tannic, inky wines. Interestingly, it’s known as Primitivo in the south of Italy but Zinfandel in the U.S. Primitivo has denser tannins than Zinfandel and is rustic and high in alcohol content.
By comparison, Zinfandel is used to make juicy, hearty wines. However, Zinfandel isn’t grown with as much interest as it used to be.
Is it OK to drink red wine everyday?
Generally, it is safe to drink wine every day and it can be part of a healthy diet. The key, as with all alcohol consumption, is to limit how much you drink to one or two glasses. Otherwise, you can end up reaping the negative consequences of it.
Small amounts of red wine on a daily basis can be good for you because red wine has so many health benefits. These include improving your gut, brain, and heart health.
The reason why red wine is healthy is that it contains antioxidants that fight free radicals in the body. It’s also anti-inflammatory.
Since red wine is made from crushing dark grapes, it’s a rich source of resveratrol, which is an antioxidant found in grape skins.
Antioxidants are useful for decreasing the amount of oxidative stress in the body. This is important because oxidative stress has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and other health conditions.
How red wine is good for skin?
If you love to drink red wine, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s good for your skin. Red wine contains polyphenols, of which resveratrol are an example.
These antioxidants fight free radicals which are responsible for fine lines and wrinkles. So, by consuming red wine, you can help to prevent and decrease signs of aging.
While you might think you can get the same skin benefits from white wine, you can’t because polyphenols are only found in red wine.
Even though both red and white wines are made from red grapes, white wine only contains the juice from the grapes, while red wine has the juice, seeds, and skin of grapes, so it has more health benefits.
Red wine also contains other antioxidants, like flavonoids and tannins. These fight signs of aging by restoring the collagen in your skin. This is why red wine can help to reduce sagging skin.
Although red wine is good for your skin, you should ensure that you follow some important tips otherwise it can become unhealthy.
- Drink your red wine in moderation – limiting it to one or two glasses a day, as mentioned earlier – because alcohol is not good for your complexion. In large amounts, it can cause dryness. Plus, its sugar content can result in inflammation.
- You don’t have to apply red wine to your skin. You’ve probably heard that red wine applied topically to the skin can help to nourish it, but there’s no evidence to prove this. In addition, the alcohol in red wine will dry out your skin. That said, it is a good idea to shop for skincare products that contain resveratrol as an active ingredient as these can be beneficial.
Does red wine make you gain weight?
Although safe in moderation, if you drink a lot of red wine this can make you put on weight. The reason for this is because calories that are found in alcohol are said to be empty calories. Most alcohol doesn’t contain any substantial vitamins, nutrients, or minerals.
There are other ways in which alcohol can contribute to weight gain. When you drink too much alcohol, your body uses it before fats or carbs for energy, which results in those nutrients getting stored as fat.
In addition to that, drinking a lot of alcohol can lead to reduced quality of your diet. This could be a result of how you might make unhealthy food choices when you’re intoxicated. Why does this happen?
When you drink alcohol, you might reach for unhealthy food because alcohol makes your blood sugar spike and fall. This stimulates your brain to feel hungry, which can make you want processed or sugar-rich foods.
Conclusion
If you love drinking red wine, you’ll want to experience some of the best red wines to make the experience so much more satisfying.
In this article, we’ve featured five of the best red wines and what they have to offer.
We’ve also looked at some of the most important things to know about red wine, such as if it’s really good for your skin and bad for your waistline, so you can ensure that your wine consumption is healthy.
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