The 11 Best Red Wines of 2023, According to a Sommelier

There is unlimited variety within the world of red wine. Some bottles can be as dark as ink, and full of spice and jammy fruit flavor. Others can be as light and bright as a summer strawberry. When deciding which type of red wine to drink, you’re really selecting the best wine for your dinner, your mood, and the moment.

This list is focused on wines you’ll want to drink more than once, ranging from classic lovable reds to slightly funkier natural bottles.

Our Top Picks

Best Easy Drinking Pinot Noir:

Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2017 at Wine Chateau

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Best Under $20:

Friend and Farmer Biodynamic Red Wine at FreshDirect

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Best Intro to Lebanese Wine:

Château Musar Hochar at Wine.com

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Best Sparkling Red:

Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara at Wine.com

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Best Splurge Around $100:

Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac 2013 at Wine Chateau

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Best Affordable New World Wine:

A to Z Pinot Noir 2016 at Drizly

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Best to Pair With Red Meat:

Stonestreet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 at Wine.com

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Best to Pair With Pasta:

Castagnoli Chianti Classico 2013 at Shoppersvineyard.com

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Best Beaujolais:

Tavkveri Pheasant's Tears - 2019 at Vivino

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Best Sicilian Red Wine:

COS Frappato - 2020 at Astorwines.com

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In This Article

Our Picks
What to Look for
FAQs
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Courtesy of Wine Chateau

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Louis Jadot makes fun, tasty budget wines. Jadot wines are a classic representation of their grape, which means they’re a great tool for learning about how wine should taste. This French pinot noir is light and fruity with a touch of earthy minerality.

Typically, a wine from Europe will be labeled with the region, and a wine from the U.S. will be labeled with the grape variety. This tends to cause some confusion among novice wine drinkers, who shouldn’t be expected to know that legally, all reds from Burgundy must be 100 percent pinot noir if they carry the Burgundy label. Louis Jadot wines are friendly and approachable and include both the region and grape on the label.

Region: Burgundy, France | ABV: 12.8% | Tasting Notes: Plums, raspberries, cherries

Price at time of publish: $29

Courtesy of Underground Wine Shop

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The Handwork Granacha is certified organic, biodynamic, and made from 100 percent grenache. The vineyard is owned by three brothers in La Mancha, Spain. Their dedication to their land and home country is expressed in their commitment to organic and biodynamic wine production. When it comes to funky, earthy natural wines, this bottle is on the lighter end. It has a profound earthiness, but is still light and fruity.

This bottle is full of tart cherry and strawberry flavors, and packed with mouth-watering acidity. To cap it off, the value is unbeatable. For under $20, you get a quaffable bottle that pairs excellently with paella, a simple roasted chicken, or other light meats, making it a top choice for a budget-friendly Spanish wine.

Region: La Mancha, Spain | ABV: 13.5% | Tasting Notes: Cherry, plum, leather, vanilla

Price at time of publish: $15

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When exploring red wine, don’t be afraid to step outside of Europe. Chateau Musar is a historic vineyard in Lebanon, and its wines are beloved by wine experts the world over. This is a blended wine fermented from cabernet sauvignon, carignan, consult, and grenache. It’s also aged in European oak for six months, so the drinker can expect light spice and pepper flavors.

Chateau Musat is famous for its old vine, low-yield style of production. This treatment yields grapes with richly concentrated flavors. This is an intense and interesting wine, aged in oak and full of dark plummy fruits. For pairing, this wine has the depth to stand up to red meats and flavorful stews. If it’s your first time trying this particular wine, don’t hesitate to enjoy a glass on its own and really take the time to understand the flavors.

Region: Beqaa, Lebanon | ABV: 14% | Tasting Notes: Blackberry, red currant, tobacco, vanilla

Price at time of publish: $37

Courtesy of Wine Chateau

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If you are craving something a little different and love sparkling wines, you should try a Lambrusco. Lambrusco hails from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. This red wine is slightly sparkling. The ripe red fruit flavors and playful nature of Lambrusco have earned it a reputation as the perfect wine to pair with pizza. Why not? Like pizza, it’s fun, boasts simple and accessible flavors, and is perfect for a party. This bottle is a Lambrusco di Sorbara, the lightest and most delicate of Lambruscos.

The wine will be an extremely light red, almost pink, and full of light floral flavors like orange blossom and violet. It is best enjoyed slightly chilled, so try refrigerating the bottle for around 20 minutes before drinking. This particular bottle comes with an unusual closure. The best way to open it is to take a dull butter knife, or the blunt end of a wine key, slide it under the metal bar, and gently wiggle the knife to pry the bar open.

Region: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | ABV: 11% | Tasting Notes: Crème fraîche, tart raspberry, tart strawberry

Price at time of publish: $20

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Celebrating a promotion? An engagement? Just craving a treat? Some nights call for a very special bottle of wine. Part of wine is romance, and at this price point you can afford to get a bottle that’s well made, delicious, and from an important region in the history of winemaking: Bordeaux. Red wines from Bordeaux are made from a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The blend gives them a balance of the strength of cabernet and the softness of merlot, but that’s only a small part of what makes them so special.

The vines that would become part of the Puy Lacoste estate were first planted around the year 1500. These wines are fermented in steel vats, and aged in oak barrels for 18 months. The result is a serious wine with soft fruits, well-integrated tannins, and a softly spiced edge. Make sure you add this wine in the rotation if you are hosting a wine tasting party.

Region: Bordeaux, France | ABV: 13.5% | Tasting Notes: Violet, cherry, orange peel

Price at time of publish: $70

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This pinot noir has a slightly unconventional backstory: It’s made with grapes from 50 different vineyards across the state of Oregon. Rather than a hyper-local expression of one specific vineyard's terroir, this bottle embodies the flavor of Oregon. The big, ripe fruit, the zippy acidity, and the spicy oak are typical of a new world pinot noir.

Expect true red fruits like cranberry and cherry, along with darker notes of blueberry, and hints of coffee and earth. For pairing, this wine will show true versatility and would be delicious with anything from stewed chicken to duck to game meats. Think of light meats or heartier fish dishes.

Region: Oregon, United States | ABV: 13.5% | Tasting Notes: Cherry, earthy mushroom, blueberry

Price at time of publish: $13

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Sometimes you just need a big red wine, there’s simply no way around it. If you’re serving a steak dinner, prime rib, or pot roast, you should look for a tannic and powerful wine to stand up to it. For those nights, the 2016 Stone Street Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Alexander Valley will do the job nicely.

The high tannins make it a great match for rich red meats, such as prime rib, and the dark fruits will complement the carmelized and smoky flavors from a grill or other high heat cooking. Aged for 19 months in oak barrels, this bottle packs the flavors of cooked dark fruits like cassis and plums, paired with warm vanilla and baking spices.

Region: Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California | ABV: 14.5% |Tasting Notes: Blackberry jam, pomegranate, cassis, cocoa

Price at time of publish: $52

Courtesy of Shopper's Vineyard

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Here’s a free wine tip: If you find shopping for wine overwhelming (The grapes! The regions! The vintages!), then focus on finding an importer you like. Wine importers work with a hand-selected portfolio of winemakers, and they test each wine rigorously. If you find an importer whose taste you trust, it’s likely that you’ll enjoy many of the wines in their portfolio.

Kermit Lynch is perhaps the most famous example of this. He’s built his portfolio on clean, classic wines. This Italian Chianti, imported by Kermit Lynch, is no exception. Expect a tart wine with notes of red cherry. The juicy acidity in this bottle makes it extremely food-friendly. It has enough ripe fruit flavor to pair well with saucy pasta, and it will make any tomato dish sing.

Region: Tuscany, Italy | ABV: 13.5% | Tasting Notes: Cherry, red berry, vanilla, tobacco

Price at time of publish: $17

Vivino

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You can’t go wrong with a Cru Beaujolais from esteemed winemaker Julien Sunier. One of Wine Advocate’s favorite wines from 2019, this bottle is full of lively fruit balanced with a bit of earthy funk. Beaujolais wine like this one pair well with a flavorful roasted chicken.

Region: Beaujolais, France | ABV: 12.5 % | Tasting Notes: Blackberry, light baking spices, violets

Price at time of publish: $37

Astor Wines

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Most of the red wines sold in major wine stores are made from just a handful of grape varieties. Shelves are full of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, and syrah, but there are actually thousands of types of wine grapes. This certified organic wine, produced in the Vittoria area of Sicily, is made with Frappato, a native Italian grape. The result is a light red wine with surprising complexity. This bottle can be served slightly chilled and pairs wonderfully with a lamb dish.

Region: Sicily, Italy | ABV: 11.5% | Tasting Notes: Raspberry, orange peel, herbs, delicate spice

Price at time of publish: $28

Vivino

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Ancient Georgian winemaking techniques existed long before natural wine was trendy. For this wine, organically grown grapes are fermented in traditional clay vessels, known as kvevri, following an 8,000 year old tradition. The result is a wine with tart fruit, lots of personality, and no oak influence. This wine pairs well with mature cheeses, such as Gruyere and Gouda.

Region: Kartli, Georgia | ABV: 12.5% | Tasting Notes: Cranberry, tart red currant, clay minerality

Price at time of publish: $20

What to Look for in a Red Wine

Style

While there are many different factors that determine the taste of a red wine, the grapes it is made from give you a basic indication of whether it is a light-bodied, a medium-bodied, or a full-bodied wine. Light-bodied wine has the least amount of tannins, and full-bodied wine has highest tannin (and often the highest alcohol) content. Varietal wines—wines made from a single grape variety—indicate the variety right on the wine label. Cabernet sauvignon is a high-acidity, high-tannin red wine with medium to full body, whereas malbec has moderate tannins. The grapes also determine how dry or sweet a red wine is. Bordeaux and chianti are very dry, whereas a merlot is medium dry.

Occasion

How you serve the red wine is also an important consideration. A light-bodied, low-tannin red such as a cabernet franc is good for sipping on its own without food in a beautiful wine glass, while full-bodied, bolder wines are generally best paired with food.

Pairing

Because red wine has a strong taste, it should be served with foods that have equally assertive and strong tastes. For example, cabernet sauvignon is a favorite for red meat dishes, whereas pinot noir goes well with a Thanksgiving turkey but also with vegetarian and vegan dishes.

FAQs

Do you chill red wine?

It depends on the wine and the room temperature. Generally, red wine should be in the range of 55 F to 65 F. If the wine is warmer, it needs chilling. Lighter-bodied wines are better on the cooler end, so keep them in the fridge for about 90 minutes. Fuller-bodied, high-tannin wines such as Bordeaux can reach the target temperature range in 45 minutes. To get an accurate temperature, use an instant-read thermometer.

How long does red wine last once opened?

Tightly closed with a cork or a wine stopper, a bottle of wine can last three to five days when stored in a cool, dark place. Wines with higher tannin content and acidity can last longer after opening.

What are the five most popular red wines?

The most popular red wines are cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, zinfandel, and malbec.

Is red wine always dry?

All red wines qualify as dry, although there is a wide range of how dry a red wine is. Compared to white wine, red wine is always drier. The only red wines that are sweet are port wine and dessert wine.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Madeline Muzzi is a food writer and wine expert. In 2015, she completed an advanced course in wine at the International Culinary Center in New York City and passed the test to become a certified sommelier.

Updated by

Nadia Hassani

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