top red wine varietals

This list comprises some of the world's top red wine varietals, but there are hundreds of varieties of red wine grapes throughout the globe. Use our Wine Pairing Guide to discover what each tastes like so you can select the perfect red wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon - The most important red grape grown in the world, it yields many of the great wines of Bordeaux and California. Typically has a distinctive black currant flavor with a hint of mint and cedar and makes medium-to big-bodied wines that tend to age very well.

Cabernet Franc - This red grape is most well known as a blending grape in the Bordeaux region of France.

Carménère - This red wine grape variety produces deep colored, full-bodied wines. Today, this varietal is experiencing a revival in Chile.

Dolcetto - Early ripening red wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of Northwestern Italy. It produces a soft, fruity wine that is normally a deep purple color and is intended to be drunk when young.

Garnacha/Grenache - This red grape is grown in Spain and the Rhône Valley region of France.

Malbec - This red grape is used as a blending grape in the Bordeaux region of France, and as a varietal grape in the main wine of Argentina.

Merlot - The red grape grown primarily in the Bordeaux region of France, as well as in California and Chile. It is often used as a blending grape to soften Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux-style blends, but can also stand alone as a single varietal bottling.

Nebbiolo - This red grape is grown in Piedmont, Italy which produces some of the finest Italian wine such as Barolo and Barbaresco.

Pinot Noir - This fragile red grape is difficult to grow. Nearly all red French Burgundy wines are made from 100% Pinot Noir.

Petit Verdot - This red grape is used as a blending grape in the Bordeaux region of France.

Sangiovese - This red grape is grown primarily in Tuscany, Italy and the base for Tuscan wines.

Shiraz/Syrah - This red grape was grown originally in France, but which has also gained prominence in Australia.

Tempranillo - This red grape is grown primarily in Spain.

Zinfandel - This red grape is grown in California and is known for producing big, fruit-forward wines.