Red Wine

Ever notice how French women are skinny?  The red wine of choice is Bordeaux in France.  It is typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  Bordeaux is known for its tannic, full bodied, dark fruity flavors, and can also be referred to as 'clarets'.  You can sip on a bottle of Bordeaux wine all night and feel great in the morning.   

The Italians have it going on with their red wine.  Following my visit to Tuscany, wherein we stayed in a castle overlooking the quaint town of Greve, I learned that the key to happy red wine drinking is Chianti.  In Italy, particularly Greve, Chianti flows like water.  The purity is unmatchable and waking up feeling great was a given regardless of the wine consumption.   

Cab Franc is an acquired taste.  It is a very dry cab with a peppery after taste.  The best place in the world to find a cab franc for an excellent price (range $12 to $30) is Niagara on the Lake.  In the past, they have been known for their ice wine, but the cab franc has taken over.  

The world’s most popular light-bodied red wine.  People love this dry wine for its red fruit and spice aromas.  Pinot Noir is, without a doubt, the most romanticized red wine in the world. No other grape brings out such emotion and devout worship among its enthusiasts.  There are festivals thrown every year in the grape’s honor and an entire movie, Sideways, was devoted to the passion the wine stirs in people. Pinot Noir grape is really hard to grow, which results in a great bottle of Pinot Noir being a rare find. 

Backwoods Winery produces a dry red wine with no added sugar that is unbeatable at $14.00 a bottle.  This is a Michigan based winery that sells only at farmer's markets in the summer.  Made from Michigan cherries, it is a wine to enjoy at the sunset on lake Michigan.  No hangovers from a bottle of dry cherry wine from Backwoods Winery.

There is nothing like a good bottle of California Cab.  However, I have had long discussions with many wine drinkers who tend to suffer from headaches following a cheaper bottle of California cab.   The consensus has ruled that if you choose a California cab, the price point should be above $19 in hopes of purchasing a higher quality wine.