Red Wine Guide: Popular Types You Should Know

Red wine is one of those things that seems complicated until you actually start paying attention to it, and then it gets a lot more interesting. There are dozens of grape varieties, hundreds of regions, and a thousand opinions about what makes a good bottle, but in practice, most of what people drink and enjoy comes down to a handful of types. 

If you know those, you can navigate a wine list or a wine shop without feeling lost, and more importantly, you can figure out what you actually like (or decide that you like them all). This guide covers the most popular types of red wine worth knowing, what they taste like, and where to start if you want to try them.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red wine grape in the world, and there is a good reason it has stayed that way. The grape is naturally high in tannins, which gives it structure, and it tends to produce full-bodied wines with deep, dark fruit flavors such as blackcurrant, black cherry, and plum. It is often layered with cedar, tobacco, and a bit of green pepper, depending on where it was grown.

It also ages exceptionally well, which is part of the reason it earned its reputation in Bordeaux and later in Napa Valley. The California versions tend to be richer and fruit-forward compared to the more restrained, earthy style you get from France. Either way, it is a reliable choice with red meat, lamb, and aged cheeses.

• Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the more well-known and consistently acclaimed California examples, offering the rich dark fruit and smooth tannin structure the region is known for.

• Decoy California Cabernet Sauvignon is a solid option at a more accessible price point.

• DAOU Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles brings a slightly different regional expression with full-bodied depth and an elegant finish.

• Prisoner Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is worth knowing too, particularly if you enjoy the bold, layered style that Napa does well.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of body and tannin, and that contrast is exactly what makes it interesting. It is lighter, more delicate, and much harder to grow well, which is why the best examples tend to cost more. 

The flavors lean toward red fruits such as cherry, raspberry, and strawberry, typically exhibiting earthy undertones of mushroom, forest floor, and sometimes a distinct silky quality that is genuinely difficult to describe until you have tasted a good one.

Burgundy in France is the traditional home of Pinot Noir, but Oregon's Willamette Valley has established itself as the most exciting New World source, with cooler climate conditions that produce wines with real finesse. 

California's coastal regions (Sonoma, Santa Barbara) also produce excellent bottles, often with a bit more fruit weight than Oregon, but still with the elegance the grape is known for.

• For an approachable and consistent California expression, Meiomi California Pinot Noir is a well-made, fruit-forward bottle that works for both casual drinking and food pairing.

• Erath Pinot Noir, Oregon, is a reliable Oregon option that shows the cooler climate character the region does well, with brighter acidity and more restrained fruit than the California style.

In the end, you should simply take this as a hint to try out a bottle of Pinot Noir, at least once.

Merlot

Merlot had a rough decade after a certain 2004 film made it the butt of every wine joke in America (you know the one, and if you don’t, then you are welcome to do a little Google search). It has been quietly rehabilitating its reputation ever since, and rightly so, because a well-made Merlot is one of the more pleasurable red wines you can drink. 

It is medium to full-bodied, generally softer in tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, and built around plum, black cherry, chocolate, and mocha flavors that make it genuinely easy to enjoy without a lot of ceremony.

Merlot is also one of the most food-friendly red varieties available, as it pairs well with roasted meats, pasta dishes, pizza, mushroom-based recipes, and soft cheeses in a way that more tannic reds sometimes struggle to do. 

It is also the dominant grape in some of the most expensive wines in the world, including Petrus from Bordeaux's Pomerol region, so the reputation problem is really just a perception issue rather than a quality one.

Ferrari-Carano Sonoma County Merlot is a well-made California example that demonstrates the grape's strengths well: silky texture, ripe red fruit, and enough structure to hold up with food without getting in the way of it.

Browse our Merlot collection for more options across price points.

Malbec

Malbec originated in France, where it was used primarily as a blending grape in Bordeaux and had a difficult time producing consistent results in the region's climate. Then it was planted in Argentina's Mendoza province in the mid-1800s, and something unexpected happened: the grape thrived. High altitude, intense sun, dry conditions, and well-drained soils gave it everything it needed, and Argentine Malbec became one of the great success stories in modern wine.

Argentine Malbec is typically rich and deeply colored, with flavors of dark plum, blackberry, and cocoa, and a velvety texture that makes it one of the most approachable full-bodied reds for people who are just getting into wine. It also pairs exceptionally well with red meat, which is fortunate given Argentina's reputation for beef. 

The French Malbec style, particularly from Cahors in Southwest France, is quite different – it’s darker, more tannic, and more rustic, sometimes called the "black wine" of the region.

Red Schooner Malbec is worth trying if you want to explore what a California-influenced take on Malbec can do, offering a smooth, fruit-forward expression of the variety.

Our full red wine collection also includes additional Malbec options from South America and beyond.

Red Blends

Red blends deserve their own category because they represent some of the most interesting and widely enjoyed wines on the market right now. 

A red blend is simply a wine made from two or more grape varieties, and the range of what that can mean is enormous: a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc; a Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre; or a winemaker's proprietary blend with no regional precedent at all.

The appeal of a well-crafted red blend is that you get the best attributes of multiple varieties working together, resulting in a wine with complexity, balance, and a character that no single grape could produce on its own.

• The Prisoner Red Blend is one of the most recognized names in the American red blend category, consistently delivering a rich, layered, and crowd-pleasing bottle.

• The Leviathan California Red Wine Blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon-led blend with Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, is another excellent example of what California red blending can achieve when done thoughtfully.

Browse our full red wine collection for bottles across every type, style, and price point, with delivery right to your door.