Sweet Red Wine Categories
The most famous sweet red wines fall into the dessert wine category. Youâll want to look in that section while shopping. You can look for wine labels that fall into a few categories:
- Germanyâs Dornfelder grape is often made into a lighter-styled, slightly sweet version. While it is not overly exported, it can certainly be found in U.S. markets. It is worth a try if you are searching for a sweeter style of red wine.
- Italyâs Lambrusco is a slightly sweet, slightly sparkling, and inexpensive red wine that has wooed wine lovers the world over for years. It is intended to be consumed young and is readily available in most markets.
- In Australia, sweet red wines are appropriately dubbed âstickies.â These can use a range of grapes and many producers have built them into their success stories.
- The fortified wine known as port will also do its best to fill a sweet toothâs expectations.
Pinot Grigio By Giretto
Imported by Broadland Wineries, this Pino Grigio by Giretto comes from Delle Venezie, Italy. This wine starts off with a delectable aroma of melon, citrus, pear, and a bit of nuttiness.
Tasting this delicious wine will surprise you with its depth. One sip is full of lots of green apple, tropical fruit, and lime. In short, this is a very tasty Pinot Grigio. This is a fairly dry offering, despite its abundance of sweet-tasting fruits. You typically wont find this type of Pinot Grigio available at this price point.
Youll notice a hint of mineral which goes well with a dry, crisp finish. This Pinot Grigio is great for when you want to spend some time on the front porch and people watch. However, its also great when you need a wine for your salad or seafood.
Some of the biggest criticisms about less-expensive Pinot Grigios are that they are watered down or too sweet. This wine does a great job of avoiding both of these problems, which makes it a steal at its low Aldi price point.
Excellent Sweet Fruity Inexpensive Wines
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The Best Red Wine To Buy
We’ve done all the hard work for you, so you can spend more time drinking your wine, rather than deciding which one to buy.
Looking for the perfect red wines to stock up on this summer? Our wine experts Stacey Smith and Alex Hale, pick their favourite bottles to enjoy, starting from just £4.99.
So whether you’re a fan of big, full-bodied rioja, or prefer delicate pinot noir, read on for the best buys…
Domaine des Tourelles is Lebanon’s oldest commercial winery, with a focus on old vines and minimal intervention techniques. This one is a blend of cabernet, syrah, cinsault and carignan, with earthy black fruit at its heart and well-balanced tannins. Savoury and full-bodied, we’d reckon this spicy number is a top wine for entertaining.
A top-notch malbec from one of Argentina’s best wine producers. Clean, refreshing and full-bodied, you can expect red fruit, spice and floral notes, well a touch of well-integrated oak.
Designed to be served lightly chilled , this is a summer-ready red from Spain’s Ribera del Duero region.
A little fruit bomb in the mouth, with dark cherry, fennel and eucalyptus, this would work equally well at a picnic or a BBQ.
A single variety reserve malbec from Mendoza, that’s intense and impressively complex .
Rich and chocolatey with plenty of black fruit, we’d suggest trying this with a good piece of sirloin.
Rich, ripe and vibrant, you can expect notes of black fruit, violets, spice and oak.
Three Italian Red Wines To Buy For Next Year
4. Gattinara
Gattinara is a delicious and often over-looked Nebbiolo-based wine from Piedmont. Perfect with stews and braises, these are the wines to drink while waiting for Barolo and Barbaresco to mature.
5. Rosso di Montalcino
Rosso di Montalcino is often referred to as baby Brunello. Made with Sangiovese grown in the same area, this wine is released to market the year after harvest, while Brunello continues to slumber in the cellars of winemakers.
6. Chianti Classico
Chianti Classico refers to the classic, historic growing area of this iconic Italian red wine. Produced with slightly stricter regulations than regular Chianti, these wines pair easily with a multitude of meals.
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Best German: Gerd Anselmann Pfalz Dornfelder
Courtesy of Drizly.com
The dark-skinned dornfelder variety is known for being a distinctively German grape that can reach its full potential in the advantageously mild climate of the countrys south-western Pfalz region . The Anselmann estate that operates in this region happens to be one of the best around and this bottle is only one of the reasons why.
Deep red in color, the floral aromas are bolstered by dollops of cherry, raspberry, dark fruit, vanilla and spice. This is a medium-bodied wine with a rich texture, mildly acidic, and truth be told, on the drier side of sweet.
Do Not Depend On Uniformity Or Consistency
Even the best wineries out there cannot generate reliable quality from one vintage to another. It is possible for wines to falter from one year to the other therefore, take time to taste the new before you mistakenly place an order based on the previous enthusiasm you have experienced for an old vintage.
Moreover, do not make the mistake of assuming that all the varietals produced from a particular winery are as good as a specific varietal due to the fact that the winery has a track record of maintaining consistency within a varietal.
Some of the most prominent wineries around the world produce a wide array of varietals. Many brands still have good scores across their lineup, but many others have varying qualities.
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What Makes A Sweet Wine Sweet
Wines can be freely categorized as:
- Sweet
- Dry
- Off-dry
More often than not, the amount of residual sugar in a particular wine will significantly determine the level of sweetness of the wine.
Keep in mind that the entire fermentation process works on the sugars that occur naturally in the grape and converts them into alcohol. This process is facilitated with yeast. To make the wine sweeter while at the same time reducing its alcohol content, all that needs to be done is to stop the fermentation process before all the sugars are wholly converted.
Consequently, the amount of alcohol in a particular red wine can give you a clue as to the amount of residual sugar it has. So, all you have to do is take a look at the ABV that is printed on the wine label. Wines generally fall somewhere between 5.5% and 23% ABV.
In table wines, low alcohol content indicates that the wine will be sweet, thus signifying that the residual sugar content in the wine will be significantly high. There are a few exceptions to this, but it is an excellent general rule that one can follow.
This is the primary reason why you will often see German Rieslings come with alcohol levels in the range of 8% to 12% ABV, indicating that the wine has a considerably high level of residual sugar.
Joel Gott Blend No 815 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
This intriguing bottle contains a blend of one variety, Cabernet Sauvignon, grown across six distinct appellations. The skillfully composed blend has ripe blue- and black-fruit aromas mixed with vanilla oak and black pepper spice. The wines velvety mouthfeel gives way to a long, fruity finish. Price: $17
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Why We Love Dry And Sweet Red Wine
While we definitely have our favorites for different occasions, when it comes to red wine, we love them all. Sweet red wines are the perfect addition to sweeter dishes, and often boast some of the fruitiest flavors in the wine world. Those on the other end of the scale pair beautifully with a range of fatty dishes, balance dark fruit flavors with savory notes, and offer the drinker a mouth-puckering experience like none other.
Whether theyre decadently sweet, straddling the dry-to-sweet border, or bone dry, each of these wines have a special place at our table.
For a taste of the dry side, try our Usual Red, a red blend with notes of cherry, raspberry, and savory flavors like fennel.
Cupcake Red Velvet Wine
This grocery store favorite is another excellent choice if you are looking for a sweet red wine. The winemakers took care to create an easy-drinking red that will appeal to beginning wine drinkers.
Expect a mouthful of bright red fruit and a nice silky feel to the wine. Think red cherries and maybe a hint of raspberry. The wine finishes with some vanilla from the oak it is aged in. The wine does have a good amount of sugar, but the acidity does balance it a bit. As you would expect, there isn’t a ton of complexity, but the wine does have an OK finish and the price is definitely right.
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Bodega Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard
Selecting our overall best wine was no easy task but this 2016 Malbec is sure to be a winner no matter whos pouring it. Its an incredibly nuanced and detailed wine, promising depth and character from every sip. One of the highest rated wines, its a critics favourite and a rich, aromatic bottle to delight family and friends over dinner.
Thought to be perhaps the best ever wine produced by Catena, its dense and fresh, full-bodied and layered, flavourful and elegant all at once. Its a wine to please the masses but a bottle that youd be forgiven for saving for yourself. Featuring aromas of roses and pine needles with hints of spice and tobacco, its a wine that just keeps on giving. Enjoy it for its bold and structured notes.
Variety: MalbecVintage: 2016Appellation: Uco Valley, ArgentinaABV: 14.6%
What Are The Other Taste Attributes That You May Have To Consider
Acidity and bitterness gotten from grape tannins are part of the qualities of flavor which describes the overall effect of the experience of red wine, and this could significantly influence your preference.
Wine experts usually speak of structure, and this connotes a mixture of sweetness, alcohol, tannins, and acid which are, of course, the basic taste components of wine and potent enough to create a three-dimensional sensation in your mouth. Good wines, as a rule, have more pleasing and palatable structures.
Finish relates to how long the wines texture and taste remain or linger after swallowing, and although all wines red, white, etc. have a measure of alcohol content, a few create disagreeable sensations of hotness in the mouth. This is usually experienced in wines with high levels of alcohol content.
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Cusumano Nero Davola 2017
If you arent familiar with Sicilian red Nero dAvola, youre missing out on a region and grape that offer consistent quality at affordable prices. Cusumanos 2017 vintage is a dark, full-bodied red, with firm tannins, refreshing acidity, and a lasting finish. And, at $12, it offers unparalleled value for money. Price: $12
Watch How To Make Sangria
Want to throw a Spanish-style get-together? Serve this sangria with olives, cheese, and vegetable paella. You might also like my gazpacho and Mediterranean-style tomato dips, including Sonja and Alexs baked goat cheese with tomato sauce and my Mediterranean tomato and feta dip.
Craving a fun spin on classic red sangria? Dont miss my strawberry rosé sangria , watermelon white sangria, or blood orange pomegranate sangria . I have many more fresh cocktail recipes here!
Please let me know how this sangria recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going, and Im so eager to hear what you serve with this sangria. Better yet, can I come to your party?
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Red Wine Vs White Wine
In the winemaking process, red wine is fermented from darker grapes and their skins, while white wine is made from white grapes separated from their skins. Whats more, red wine is typically aged in oak barrels, while whites are not. Barrel aging creates the numerous aromas and flavors that you taste in red wine.
Barefoot Wineries Red Blend
If you like the idea of a chilled sweet red wine, but you would prefer something lighter than a port, then the Barefoot Wineries sweet red blend could be ideal.
This sweet red is created using a grape combination of grenache, pinot noir, zinfandel, barbera and petite sirah, which combined create a wine that really packs a fruity punch.
Perfect on a warm summers eve when chilled, this wine has distinctive fruity notes of plum, cherry and raspberry. This smooth flavour makes it a great starter red wine for those who normally prefer white or rose.
Also delicious at room temperature, the jam-like sweetness of this wine makes it a wonderful accompaniment to desserts like berry cheesecakes and fruit sponges.
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Is High Price On A Par With High Quality
It is relatively true that many expensive wines are remarkably superb, and some of the worlds best and classy wines are not low-priced. However, research has shown that high price does not necessarily imply the quality is as high as some of the best wines in the world today, most of which are pretty economical. The same research also proved that many expensive wines had unexceptional scores.
Best Sweet Red Wine Recommendations
Now that you have a better idea of what a sweet red wine is, its time to discover what is a good sweet red wine for your special occasion. Especially if you want to impress your guests!
Even better, all of the popular sweet red wine brands recommended below are less than $30 a bottle. Which means you can splash out on the food instead!
Here are our four favourite sweet red wines:
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Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice Wine
This Canadian wine is one of relatively few made in the traditional ice wine style. Picking a bit later, after a freeze, locks in higher sugar levels prior to fermentation and the result here is an incredibly pretty wine with notes of cherry, wild raspberry, and strawberry taffy.
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The Best Sweet Red Wines Under $30
Introduce your taste buds to these delicious sweet red wines, each of which are under $30 dollars a bottle!
Whether you have sweeter taste buds or youre simply looking for a bargain red that will match your dinner party dessert, a sweet red wine can be a popular choice for wine-lovers.
Even better, sweet red wines are also a wonderful way to introduce non-wine drinkers to this wonderful wine.
While regular red wine can often be an acquired case, a sweeter red can help new wine drinkers get used to the flavours of a red wine without the bitterness.
Plus, red wine has a lot of health benefits, so if youd like to utilize these benefits, but you dislike red wine, a sweet wine can be a happy medium for your tastes.
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Cline Cellars Cashmere Red Blend
Average Price:$13
The Wine:
Most of the grapes in this blend of grenache, mourvèdre and syrah come from vineyards across Contra Costa County in California. Dry-farmed sandy soils, thinned grape clusters and moderate Sonoma temperatures help winemakers produce a ruby red wine that is concentrated with syrupy red fruit flavors, a little spice, and the body to stand up to any big meal.
Tasting Notes:
Dont be put off by the aromas of spicy cured meat on this wine theres no soppressata or salami involved, even though it smells like it. On the palate, the wine is a bath of cherries and blueberries, which get an interesting boost from a hint of chocolate and black pepper in the end. The finish is medium length and silky, expressing good acidity and nice, firm tannins.
Bottom Line:
Take your time with this wine. Serve it at a dinner party and let it breathe a bit while you converse with your guests. Youll notice how it starts to evolve in the glass and display those fruity, spicy notes more vibrantly throughout the night.
How Much Id Pay For This Bottle: $25
