Dry Red Wine

Most red wines are dry, and are made from dark-coloured grape varieties, taking their 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 (the more tannin, the drier a wine can taste). 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. Such thicker-skinned varieties – Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz would also fall into this category – often produce more tannic wines.