Red wine - always a pleasure

A rich dark red wine is attractive
 
What makes red wine so unique? First and foremost, what makes it attractive is its rich, dark red color. You thought the color comes from the grape juice? Yes and no. In most grapes, the red pigment is found exclusively in the grape skin. Only in the case of so-called dyer grapes is the grape juice also dark. This is an effect that winemakers take advantage of when they want to give a pale red wine a stately dark red; even the smallest amounts of dyer grape juice are sufficient.

Colorants and tannins for the good taste in red wine

The production process of red wine is fundamentally different from the production process of white wine. Since the red pigment is found only in the berry skin, the grapes for red wine are not pressed, but are destemmed in whole or in part, i.e. separated from the stems, and then crushed. During fermentation, the skins, seeds and retained stems remain in the must. This has the effect of releasing phenols and tannins from the skins and coloring the must.

In order for sufficient colorants and tannins to pass into the wine, the grape marc must be regularly remixed with the must. This is necessary because the solid components of the mash are pressed back to the surface during fermentation by the carbonic acid that has formed. Using a pump, rods or long spoons, the winemaker immerses the solid components back into the must. The manual immersion is called pigeage in French.
In Portugal, this manual method is still very common and people tamp the wine with their feet in large concrete basins called Lagares. This is very gentle and soft for the grapes because the seeds are not split.

Fine red wine with fruit aroma

Simple red wines ferment only 2 to 3 days, first-class red wines up to 4 weeks. Whereby the temperature can also influence the duration of fermentation. With the help of a cool fermentation the winegrowers work out the fruit aroma and the fineness of a red wine, with higher temperatures the depth of the color and the taste intensity are favored. Only after fermentation is the red wine pressed and then aged and stored. High quality red wine is also aged in wooden barrels, called barriques.

Cuvée - the best of many red wines

Traditionally, red wine is not only made from a single variety or site, but the grapes for its production can also come from different red wine varieties and vineyard sites. Today, modern winemakers first press a base wine for the cuvée, usually separately according to site and variety, and then blend it into a cuvée. This requires a great deal of tact and experience. After that, the blend is still matured before it is bottled. The art of blending is also called "blending". A successful cuvée should always have a higher quality and complexity than the individual base wines from which it was composed.

Modern red wines from Portugal
 
Viticulture in Portugal is characterized by contrasts. Grapes for heavy, tannin-rich red wines grow in the interior of the country, while light wines such as Vinho Verde come from the cool Atlantic climate in Portugal's north. The red Vinho Verde is very tannic and is mainly drunk regionally. The Portuguese vineyard area covers about 239,000 hectares and is divided into five wine-growing zones with over 40 quality wine-growing areas.
From the Douro region east of Porto come classic, somewhat lower-tannin and more acidic red wines. The Bairrada wine region around the town of Águeda is known for its heavy red wines made from the Baga grape. The traditional wine-growing region of the Dão is located in the mountainous Beira region, north of Portugal's highest mountain range, the Serra da Estrela. Since the region is also crossed by the Buçaco and Caramulo mountains, the vineyards are typically terraced. The hot climate in the Alentejo region favors the production of modern, impressive red wines.
Portugal has a large number of indigenous, native grape varieties. The most important for red wine are Baga, Castelao, Aragonez/Tinta Roriz Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira/Tinta Amarela. Verdes are young wines to be consumed quickly, Maduro are mature wines and Garrafeira are top wines aged for a long time.

350 years of South African wine tradition
 
The history of South African viticulture goes back more than 350 years. It began in 1652 with the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck near Cape Town. He was commissioned by the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie to build a provision station for ships on the route from Europe to India. Enthused by the Mediterranean climate, he decided to import grape varieties from Europe and cultivate them in South Africa.In 1655, he planted the first vines, and on February 2, 1659, the first wine was pressed in South Africa.

A dozen wine-growing regions in the Cape Country

Today, there are more than a dozen wine-growing regions in the Cape Country at the southern tip of the African continent. Where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, Cape Town is one of the largest wine capitals in the world and the gateway to South Africa's wine regions. Central wine regions are Constantia, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, where the density of wineries is particularly high. Other wine-growing areas are Robertson in the east and, to the north, the Breedekloof wine region. Wine is also produced in the Swartland region near the Atlantic Ocean.  

Spicy Shiraz from the West Coast
 
Grapes for heavy red wines thrive north of Cape Town in the West Coast region. The spicy Shiraz variety, for example, is grown there. Another important growing area is located on the Whale Coast in the Overberg region. Route 62, the "Longest Wine Route in the World," runs from Montagu to Oudtshoorn. On the way there is Calitzdorp, one of the easternmost wine villages in the Cape region and famous for its fortified wines. "Wineland" is the general term for the area from Paarl to the Franschhoek Pass.

Red wine diversity with classic elegance

South Africa is a diverse wine-growing region. But South African red wines have one thing in common: they combine classic elegance with fruity notes. There are a large number of permitted red grape varieties. They include such well-known ones as Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Shiraz/Syrah or Pinot Noir. And of course South Africa's famous Pinotage , which was developed in 1925 as an indigenous grape variety.

Red wines with complex aromas
 
Whether red wine from Portugal or South Africa. They all have complex aromas and usually in combinations such as vanilla, mocha, tobacco, cocoa in barrique wines or berry aromas (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, currant, blueberry), wood notes (oak, chestnut, cedar), chocolate aromas, spicy notes (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg) or bell pepper tones in the case of immature Cabernet Sauvignon.

Red wines "solo" or with good food.

Light red wines are light in color and usually have moderate acidity. Their fragrant aromas are best enjoyed in large balloon glasses and in convivial gatherings. Light reds also taste great with poultry dishes. Medium-bodied wines feature dominant red fruit notes and pair well with a wide range of dishes, but especially with cured meats. Velvety soft red wines with berry aromas harmonize well with seafood. Lots of tannin, a dense red color and full fruit notes make a full-bodied red wine. You can enjoy it "solo" or serve it with strong red meat dishes. Red dessert wines go well with sweets and cheeses.