Red Wine Types: 4 That Are The Most Popular

What are the red wine types that are the most popular? Find out more about Cabernet Sauvignon wine, Merlot wine and other popular types of red wine.

There are thousands of different red wine varietals, but there are four that are the most popular. They are the most grown and most purchased dry red wine types around the world. Learn more about each of these types of wine below.

Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

Let's start with the king of the red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon wine. This is the most popular type of red wine in the world.

This red wine made its mark in popularity in the 18th century when it became one of the favorites in the Bordeaux wine region in France. This wine was created when Cabernet Franc wine and Sauvignon Blanc wine crossed paths in a vineyard in France.

Cabernet Sauvignon wine is a medium to full-bodied type of red wine. Young Cabernet wines can be highly tannic, so you'll want to age your Cabernet wines to soften the tannins and get the most enjoyment out of this wine. Decanting wine that is young will also open it up and tame down the tannins for you before you drink it.

You can still find great Cabs from the Bordeaux wine region in France. In addition, you can find great ones from Alexander Valley Wineries and Wineries in Napa Valley in the northern California.

Merlot Wine

Merlot wine is just slightly second in popularity behind Cabernet Sauvignon. Throughout the last few years, these two red wine types have stolen the spotlight for red wine discussions.

Merlot wine is one of the most planted types of red wine since it is really easy to grow. It's less fickle than many other red wines, which makes it a great choice for wine makers.

This wine was not always this popular. Its popularity surged in the 1990s in California. At the time, wine makers had a really hard time planting enough Merlot grapes to keep up with demand.

This created some quality issues for this wine in California. As the wine makers were trying to spread out their crops to meet demand, the quality suffered for a number of years. However, now that the plantings have caught up with demand, you will find amazing Merlot wines in many of the northern California wineries.

Merlot wine is a medium to full-bodied wine. You'll find fruity hints such as cherries, blackberries and plums. You'll also taste hints of vanilla, oak, coconut and some lighter spices.

Pinot Noir Wine

Pinot Noir Wine is another one of the popular red wine types. This wine is more challenging to grow than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. It is impacted more by its climate and some other factors.

Wineries take a little risk when they grow this wine, since they are not able to turn this into wine every year. On average, it is not high enough quality to turn into wine about two or three years in every decade.

Pinot Noir wines are light to medium bodied wines. It has a little more of a fruity flavor with hints of cherry, raspberry and strawberry flavors. You'll also find hints of cinnamon, rosemary and some earthy flavors such as green tea and oregano.

Syrah Wine

Syrah wine is another one of the popular red wine types. It is grown in a number of wine regions throughout the world. Shiraz wine is another name for wines that are grown from the Syrah grape. It gained its popularity in the Rhone wine region in France.

This is a wine that grows well in warmer climates. You will find great Syrah wine in Northern California. It is also still popular in France. Recently, both Switzerland and Italy have had increase interest in this wine, so you'll find some great Syrah wines from those wine regions. You can find great Shiraz wine from Australia and South Africa.

Syrah is a medium to full-bodied wine that is fairly dark and dense. You will taste hints of pepper, spice and some fruit flavors. I recommend that you age them before drinking. This will allow you to get the most enjoyment out of these wines.