Red Wine Malaysia: The Color

If you’re wondering how red wine gets it color, contrary to popular belief, its not from the juices. Grape juice is a clear liquid, the color comes from the skin of the grapes. During the fermentation process, the color is leeches from the grape skin. The longer the wine is in contact with the skin, the richer or darker the colour will be! However, if the wine is innovated for maturing and its aged for a long time, its color will get lighter. ­

Red Wine Categories

There are three categories to red wine which are light bodied, medium bodied and full bodied, each distinguished by the feel and richness of the wine. A light bodied red wine is fresh and fruity while a medium bodied red wine is fruity with hints of spice and a full-bodied red wine is bold and rich in tannins. Tannins are what makes red wine, well, red wine. They’re a naturally occurring characteristic of the fruit that comes from the skin, seed and stems. The longer the wine is soaked with these components of the fruit, the richer the color and the stronger the tannins. To further understand tannins, it’s that rounded dryness left on your palate and tongue that you’d feel in your mouth after a glass of full-bodied red wine.

Red Wine Varietals

In terms of varietals, there are hundreds of them, but some more common ones are shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir while some less common ones include melbec, Nebbiolo, sangiovese and zinfandel. Most bottles of wine use a blend of these grape varietals to create the perfect bottle. By popularity, many enjoy a good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, especially when paired with a good steak dish.

The different varietals of red wine have each got their own taste portfolio based on its winemaking country, region, vintage and the likes of it. But typically, red wine is often associated with a flavor palate that’s fruity, jammy, earthy and bold. If you’ve decided that you don’t like red wine, chances are you just haven’t found the right one. People new to wine seem to be drawn to most Australian red wines and the classic French red wines. But if you’re just getting started on your red wine journey, we always suggest to try a variety from light bodied wines to full bodied and from new world countries like Australia and New Zealand then expand to old world countries like Argentina, Chille and France.

Food Pairing

As we’ve often heard, everything is better with food, wine included! The general rule of thumb is that white wines are good for white meats and vegetables whereas red wines are good with red meats and red sauces. If you’re cracking open a bottle of red, we suggest hitting it up with a nice roast lamb, a hearty beef stew or a tomato-based pasta dish. Vegan? No problem! Red wine goes perfectly with a juicy portobello burger or grilled vegetables with a tahini dressing too!

There are often many red wine promotions in Malaysia so instead of browsing through a store where you’d be overwhelmed, check out red wines online for more information on its flavours and characters until you learn what suits your palate best.