Ever since 60 Minutes aired its report on the “French paradox” in 1991, which suggested that red wine is healthful, red wines have gained in popularity at a faster pace than white wines in the United States. The skins of grapes, which are necessary for making red wine (but not white wine), contain substances that have proven to have beneficial health effects. But healthfulness aside, many wine drinkers prefer red wines because they are generally more substantial than white wines, and often more flavorful. The red wines that fall into the soft and fruity style are the easiest red wines to drink. They have delicious fruity flavors—such as cherries, berries, or plums—and they are fairly soft in texture, without a lot of the mouth-drying tannin that you can find in some other styles of red wine. (See the chapter “Tasting Wine for Quality and Style” for information on tannin.) Soft, fruity reds are the best red wines for those who are just getting into wine or those who usually drink white wine. But even serious red wine drinkers who prefer wines of power and character can enjoy the wines in this easier style as a change of pace for casual occasions, or when hot weather makes a richer red taste too heavy.
Soft and Fruity Reds
Uncomplicated, youthful reds, such as most Beaujolais wines, many Southern Rhône wines, some Southern Italian reds, some Pinot Noirs from the New World, some U.S. Merlots, and inexpensive American and Australian reds
AS EASY AS RED CAN GET
Most red wines have fruity aromas and flavors when they are young. But in many wines, that fruitiness mingles with earthy notes, a spicy quality, vegetal aromas and flavors, or—especially in the case of powerful reds (see the chapter on that style)—the charry, smoky character of oak. What distinguishes the wines in this category is that their fruitiness is their salient flavor characteristic. Unlike wines in the other three styles, these wines are fruity for fruitiness’ sake. The most typical examples of soft, fruity reds can have aromas and flavors of red berries, dark berries, cherries, plums, currants, and other fruits.
Some soft, fruity reds can have a slight hint of oak in their aroma and flavor—a gentle vanilla note, for example—that doesn’t overpower their fruitiness. These wines don’t have mouth-drying oak tannins, however. When the exposure between wine and oak is brief, such as when oak chips are used for flavor, a wine can be oaked and yet turn out soft and fruity. Wines in this style are fairly low in tannin, which makes them soft and smooth for red wines. Some wines in this category can have a backbone of acidity that renders them less soft and fleshy than others—Bardolino, a red wine from Italy, comes to mind—but they are nevertheless not very tannic. Other wines can be slightly sweet, within the range of sweetness that today qualifies as dry wine, but many of them are bone dry. However, they are not dry in texture, thanks to their low tannin.
In terms of weight, most wines in the soft, fruity style range from light-bodied to medium-bodied. Some wines from warm climates are made from such ripe grapes that they have fairly high alcohol, up to about 13.5 percent, and this alcohol gives them weight and fullness. But they are still low in tannin, and of course they’re fruity.
Even wine drinkers who prefer wines of power and character can enjoy soft, fruity reds as a change of pace.
When you taste a soft, fruity red, you could fault it for not tasting important enough, like a serious, age-worthy red wine. But you’d have to admit that it’s tasty and easy to drink. And that’s what these wines aim to be.
Many more soft, fruity reds exist today than twenty years ago. This is an inherently modern style of wine that many wine drinkers have found extremely appealing, and winemakers all over the world are scrambling to make more and more red wines in this style. Some wines like this have been around seemingly forever, such as Beaujolais and Valpolicella. But the style has exploded thanks to New World winemakers who believe that a fruit-driven, approachable taste profile is exactly what most red wines should have— apart from elite, super-premium wines that are naturally more powerful. Most inexpensive New World wines today sport this style, and many inexpensive European wines emulate it, showing more fruitiness today than they traditionally have.
Here’s how the other three red wine styles compare to soft, fruity reds:
Mild-mannered reds are simply less fruity than wines of this style, and their aromas and flavors are less intense. They can be similar structurally—in their light to medium weight, and in their low tannin profile—but aromatically, they are quite different.
Spicy reds are less smooth and soft, more angular in your mouth rather than round; they grip your tongue in a way that soft, fruity reds don’t. Their aromas and flavors are as intense as those of fruity reds, but they are more focused and vibrant, and their fruity aromatics are strictly those of fresh fruits, not baked or candied fruits.
Powerful reds are fuller-bodied and far more tannic. Those that are fruity can be similar to soft, fruity reds in their aromatics, but they are also oaky in aroma and flavor, and their fruity character is often compact, tightly knit, and less obvious.
The primary requirement for soft, fruity reds is nicely ripe grapes, so that their flavors are fruity and their tannins are fairly soft. This gives an edge to wine regions that are warm enough to get good ripeness in their grapes year after year, such as California, Washington, and Australia.
Another requirement is that winemaking minimize tannin, or maximize fruitiness so that it outweighs the wine’s tannin. Just about all dark grapes have tannin in their skins and seeds (and stems). Red wines need those skins to get color—therefore red wine has tannin. But winemakers can limit the amount of tannin in a wine. For example, controlling the length of time when the skins intermingle with the juice during fermentation can reduce the amount of tannin that actually finds its way into the wine. And using little or no oak prevents the leaching of strong wood tannins into the wine. To make low-tannin reds, winemakers can also choose a grape variety that’s relatively low in tannin, such as Pinot Noir.
Most wines that fall into the soft and fruity category are made using techniques such as these so that the wines are not particularly tannic or dry-textured. This gives an edge to large wineries with state-of-the-art technology. These wineries churn out large quantities of popularly priced wines under best-selling brands. Many wines in this style come not from grapes grown in small, specific wine districts but large viticultural areas. For example, you’re much more likely to see “California” or “Southeastern Australia” on the labels of these wines than “Dry Creek” or “Yarra Valley.” That’s probably because when the producer’s aim is to express the fruitiness of the grapes, nuances of terroir that come from specific districts are irrelevant. Also, declaring a larger territory as the wine’s origin enables producers more leeway in purchasing grapes, which keeps the taste consistent and prices down. In our experience, most European wines that qualify as soft and fruity fall into the somewhat less fruity and less aromatically intense end of this style’s spectrum—with the obvious exception of Beaujolais Nouveau. And the few South American wines that fall into this style are less overtly fruity, slightly more tannic, and less fresh and bright in personality than North American and Australian wines of this style.
THE GRAPES OF SOFT AND FRUITY REDS
Some white grape varieties seem destined from birth to become fresh, unoaked white wines or aromatic whites, but the destiny of red grape varieties is more dependant on upbringing than genes. Red grape varieties that are naturally tannic can make wines that are not particularly tannic if the winemaker carefully controls the skin contact—the process of soaking the dark skins in the grapes’ juice. Conversely, red grape varieties that are fairly low in tannin can become tannic, fairly powerful red wines if the wine ages in oak barrels that contribute wood tannin. Some red grape varieties, particularly Pinot Noir, have very fruity aromas and flavors that predispose them to the soft, fruity style of wine. But in general the intensity of fruitiness in red wines depends less on the specific grape variety and more on how the grapes grew. Take Grenache, for instance. This variety has fabulous raspberry character, but in many large vineyards in the Southern Rhône Valley, the crop levels are so high that the wines lack sufficient concentration and are not very fruity at all. Another example is Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be more vegetal than fruity when grown in the typical Bordeaux vineyard but usually expresses a real fruitiness when grown in California.
All of this means that choosing a wine according to its grape variety is not a reliable method for finding soft and fruity reds: This style cuts too easily across grape variety lines. But if you have a favorite red grape variety, chances are that you can find it in a soft, fruity style wine. Here are some examples.
Merlot. As a grape, Merlot is not very tannic, and it can have fruity plum flavors when the grapes are ripe enough. But “important” Merlot wines—the expensive wines—are aged in oak barrels, and all that oak tannin makes them more powerful than soft. Inexpensive Merlots, especially from New World areas such as California and Washington, are more likely to be soft and fruity. Look for Merlots that cost about $12 or less a bottle.
Cabernet Sauvignon. Just what we said for Merlot, except that this variety is innately tannic. Nevertheless, inexpensive versions are often soft and fruity. Value-priced Californian and Australian Cabs are particularly good bets.
Syrah. Forget the pricey Syrahs and Shirazes that win wine competitions and score high with the critics, because they are usually powerful reds. Focus on $15-and-under wines, especially Shiraz wines from Australia.
Pinot Noir. You’ll find lots of good pickings with this variety, as long as you steer clear of the most expensive wines—say, $35 and up. Again, New World versions, from the United States and Australia, are more likely to be in the soft, fruity style. Some Bourgogne Rouge wines—the basic red wine from France’s Burgundy region, made entirely of Pinot Noir—are fruity and others are less so, but most of them are fairly low in tannin; higher-pedigree reds from Burgundy tend to fall into the spicy or powerful styles. Likewise, some New World Pinots are unpredictable, because they could have been made with a relatively high amount of oak.
Zinfandel. Many a red Zin falls into this style. Just avoid the single-vineyard Zinfandels and those produced in small lots from old vines. Your basic $8 to $20 Zin will give you all the fruitiness and softness that your mouth desires—although some can lie on the stylistic cusp between fruity and spicy reds, because of Zin’s herbal notes.
Sangiovese. Many Italian wineries make an inexpensive, varietal Sangiovese in the soft, fruity style, although some Sangioveses can be mild-mannered instead; producers with a more modern bent tend to make the fruitier wines. Californian Sangiovese wines, on the other hand, tend to be either spicy or powerful in style. In every case, price is a better indicator of a soft and fruity style wine than grape variety is. You might not consider yourself a typical wine drinker, but if you like soft and fruity reds, you should seek out inexpensive, mass-market brands made for the typical consumer.
AROUND THE WORLD OF SOFT, FRUITY REDS
Some red wines that are classic examples of the soft, fruity style do not carry grape variety names but are named instead for the European wine regions where they come from.
Rouge à la Française
Beaujolais is one of them. Not only that, but Beaujolais is the quintessential soft and fruity red. If you like this style, you owe it to yourself to explore Beaujolais wines. Beaujolais is made entirely from the Gamay grape. It’s often said that Gamay is not a tannic variety. Actually, Gamay is tannic—but most of the time, Beaujolais is not a tannic wine because of how it is made. Winemakers often use a particular method called carbonic maceration to ferment Gamay (see “Fermenting Inside-out” in this chapter); this method accentuates fruitiness and diminishes tannin, to make flavorful, fruity wines that are enjoyable when they’re young. Beaujolais Nouveau, the young wine released in late November every year, is always in this style. Many wines labeled “Beaujolais” or “Beaujolais-Villages” are also soft and fruity, although not to the extreme of the Nouveau wines. The top wines of the Beaujolais region—which are named for specific vineyard areas, such as Brouilly or Juliénas—can fall into the spicy red style instead. But the largest producer, Georges Duboeuf, makes almost all of his Beaujolais wines in the soft, fruity style.
Price is a better indicator of a soft and fruity style wine than grape variety is.
Another region that produces soft, fruity reds is the Southern SHORTCUTS TO FINDING SOFT, FRUI T Y REDS W hen you don’t have the benefit of a good wine merchant or sommelier to guide you, you can better your odds of finding a soft, fruity red by remembering these general guidelines: Look for inexpensive wines, as they are less likely to be oaked— and even those that are made using some sort of barrel alternative, such as oak chips, aren’t particularly tannic because the chips contribute the aroma and flavor of oak more than its tannin.
Look for New World wines, especially those from California and Australia, which pride themselves on being “fruit-forward.”
Look for young wines, not more than three years old.
Among European wines, look for wines from warm climates, such as Southern Italy, Central Spain, and Southern France.
Look for the word bright (as in “bright cherry flavors,” for example) on the back label of a wine; it’s a descriptor commonly used by those who market wines in this style.
Rhône Valley of France. The basic red wines here are called Côtes du Rhône and are blends of several grape varieties, primarily Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. They can be more or less fruity, depending on their specific grape blend, how the grapes grew (see our comment on Grenache in the section “The Grapes of Soft and Fruity Reds,” earlier in this chapter), and how the wine was made. Some winemakers use carbonic maceration, the Beaujolais technique, to reduce the tannin of the Syrah component, for example. Generally, Côtes du Rhône reds won’t ever be as fruity as a typical, inexpensive Californian or Australian red. They occupy the somewhat more restrained end of the fruity, soft style, and are fairly reliably low in tannin.
Many of the simplest red Burgundies are soft, fruity reds. These are labeled “Bourgogne Rouge” and sometimes also have the grape variety name, Pinot Noir, on their labels. As a group they tend to be less intense in aroma and flavor and less fruity than FERMENTING I NSIDE-OUT The technique that many winemakers in Beaujolais use to reduce tannin and accentuate fruitiness in their wines—carbonic maceration— is now practiced in many wine regions of the world, using many different grape varieties. In this process, the grapes are not crushed to make a “soup” of grape solids and juice that ferment together in a big vat, as would be the normal procedure. Instead, whole bunches of red grapes are left to ferment, with their juice still intact within the grape berries. Fermentation occurs from the inside out, triggered not by yeasts on the outside of the skins but by chemical processes inside the grapes. This process draws lots of fruity aromas and flavors from the grapes, but not the tannins that result from normal fermentations. Sometimes wines made in this method have a characteristic youthful, grapey aroma.
Pinot Noir wines from California, Oregon, or Australia. They occupy the dryest, most restrained end of this style’s spectrum.
Rosso and Tinto
Southern Italy has its share of fruit-driven, low-tannin reds. These wines are generally made from native Italian grape varieties that are fairly obscure to most wine drinkers, such as Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Nero d’Avola. They often have regional names, such as Salice Salentino, rather than grape variety names. What makes these wines fruity is not so much a concerted effort on the part of winemakers to produce a fruity, clean, modern style of wine as much as the high level of ripeness that naturally occurs in the grapes under the warm southern sun. For inexpensive wines, winemakers generally do not use much oak, if any, and the wines are therefore not very tannic. Sometimes their high alcohol can put them on the cusp of the powerful red style, however. Later in this chapter we mention several Southern Italian reds to try. Northern Italian reds tend to be leaner and less soft than Southern Italian wines, but some of them do fall into the soft and fruity category. Bardolino and Valpolicella are prime examples. Both are made from native Italian varieties, in neighboring vineyard areas around the city of Verona; of the two types, Bardolino is the lighter-bodied. Each can have a good backbone of acidity, which makes them less soft than some wines in this style, but they are not very tannic, and they have aromas and flavors of fresh, tart red fruits. Valpolicella wines that are made using a process called ripasso— a second fermentation of sorts—can be quite fruity, but they are often rich enough that they are barrel-aged and oaky; as a general guideline, look for Valpolicellas that cost less than $18 a bottle if you’re going for the fruity style.
The youngest, freshest wines from Spain’s Rioja region are usually soft and fruity. These wines, made mainly from Tempranillo grapes, might be labeled “Crianza,” which means that they’ve had some wood aging at the winery, but not much compared to the Reserva and Gran Reserva wines of the region. You can also find wines of this style from other Spanish regions such as Navarra or Toro. But beware of Spain’s tendency to make wines that are firm from oak and high in acidity, for a combined effect that’s not soft; when in doubt, ask your retailer.
Oz and Apple Pie
A real treasure trove of soft fruity reds comes from Australia. The Australians are geniuses in knowing what kind of wine people like to drink, and determining how to make it. They pioneered a technique of very short skin contact for red wines that prevents harsh tannins from entering the wine but still gives the wines plenty of color. (The secret is a rotating fermentation tank that mixes the juice and skins well enough to get color quickly, before the tannins can dissolve into the juice.) And the fruitiness of the wines is a given, considering Australia’s many warm climate zones and the shared belief of most of the winemakers that wines ought to express the fruity characteristics of their grapes. If you are a fan of soft, fruity reds, by all means try just about any inexpensive Australian red. The more expensive wines are still fruity, but they can have so much oak tannin that they fall squarely into the powerful red style. And some mid-priced Shirazes are spicy reds. California’s less expensive red wines are made in the same spirit of fruitiness, freshness, and drinkability as Australia’s are. Wines costing less than $12 are probably in this style, almost regardless of grape variety, while wines costing between $12 and $15 might be or not, depending on their oak treatment and tannin content. The same is true of Washington’s wines and many other U.S. wines. Oregon makes plenty of soft and fruity reds because its Willamette Valley region is such a gifted area for growing Pinot Noir grapes. Even Oregon’s top Pinots can appeal to lovers of this wine style—but the less expensive the wine, the better the odds that it will not be very oaky.
CAN A SOFT, FRUITY RED BE SERIOUSLY GOOD?
Because red wines in the soft and fruity style are usually inexpensive, always easy to enjoy, and often targeted to the mass-market wine consumer, they generally don’t get high scores from wine critics. These are the kinds of wines that critics will say are “good quality for the price” or will describe as “well made,” rather than wax poetic about their attributes. But remember: it’s a wine’s taste characteristics that determine whether you enjoy a wine, not its quality rating from a critic. Wines in this style can be delicious, even if they are not serious enough to be in the ranks of the world’s greatest wines.
In fact, the best wines in this style have all the positive characteristics of quality wine: length, depth, balance, concentration, and so forth, as discussed in the chapter “Tasting Wine for Quality and Style.” All they lack is age-worthiness—the ability to improve over several years—and the sophistication that subtlety can bring. Soft, fruity reds are best when they are young, while they still express their fresh, primary-fruit character. (After all, isn’t that the reason you like them in the first place?)
Overt sweetness is an occasional flaw in wines of this style. What do we mean by “overt”? Sweetness that you notice, sweetness that prevents the wine from tasting good with the kinds of foods you expect a so-called dry wine to taste good with. The perception of sweetness depends on your own tongue and on the particular balance of the wine, so you have to be the judge of what’s too sweet and what isn’t.
Another issue can be excessive fruitiness—so much fruitiness that you suspect you’re drinking fruit juice instead of wine. And some tasters who detect the flavor of candied fruit (as opposed to fresh fruits, dried fruits, or cooked fruits) in a wine could consider that a sign of lower class, if not necessarily lower quality. Soft, fruity reds are best when they are young, while they still express their fresh, primary-fruit character.
Many soft, fruity reds—especially inexpensive, mass-market wines—might taste contrived to expert tasters, meaning that the taster can perceive the winemaking in the wine. (The wine doesn’t taste as if it could naturally have the flavors and characteristics that it does.) To a regular wine drinker, such a wine can be delicious, because the winemaker did his or her job very well. If you like the wine, don’t worry about what another person thought of it; just enjoy. And certainly many wines in this style are truly enjoyable even to connoisseurs.
AT THE TABLE
As the lightest and fruitiest of red wines, wines in this style occupy the middle ground of food compatibility—where you find yourself when you’re not sure whether to choose red or white. Meaty fish such as swordfish and salmon, pastas and risottos that are not strong in flavor, vegetarian dishes with delicate or subtle flavors: all these foods are candidates for soft, fruity red wines (or white wine). A soft, fruity red could also be good with fairly mild meat dishes, such as a simple veal roast or a pork roast. Their fruitiness will bring another dimension to the meal, like another food on the table. They also can contrast nicely with spicy dishes, giving your mouth a welcome, fruity break between tastes of fire. Unlike red wines in the subtle, mild-mannered style that we discussed in the previous chapter, fruity reds have enough flavor intensity to stand up to flavorful foods, even if the wines are not full-bodied. We almost always reach for a soft, fruity red on Thanksgiving, because any red wine with a lot of tannin seems to make the white-meat turkey taste dry and metallic. For the same reason, wines in this style are our choice for an easy weeknight meal of roast chicken. They’re particularly good with the very flavorful rotisserie chicken that you can buy ready-made.
Wine drinkers who enjoy wine only occasionally can end up accumulating bottles of wine that go unopened for a couple of years. That’s a particular pity for soft, fruity reds, because these wines are best young. As they get older, they can lose their exuberant fruitiness and their fresh personality. Aim to drink soft, fruity reds within two to three years of the vintage date.
Sometimes the choice of a soft, fruity red hinges on the season or occasion more than the food. If you love red wine and it’s a hot, muggy day, anything heavier will seem more like work than pleasure. Likewise, if you want a red wine to sip at a party, where you’ll mostly be drinking it without food, this style is ideal. And if you’re serving red wine to guests who aren’t really into red wine, these wines give you the best odds of pleasing them. Because these wines are low in tannin, they can take a chill better than other styles of red wine. And because they are so intense in fruity aromas and flavors, they can benefit from a wine glass that’s no less than 12 ounces in capacity, so that it shows off the aromas when it’s filled just halfway. But for informal occasions, you could even drink these wines out of tumblers.
One of the only ways you can go wrong in serving a light, fruity red is to pair it with heavy foods that overwhelm it in terms of weight. A generously sauced spaghetti with meatballs or a rich lasagna, for example, would wipe out all but the richest wines in this style.
If you want a red wine to sip at a party, where you’ll mostly be drinking it without food, a soft and fruity red is ideal.
Salted nuts Hard salami Turkey burgers Fried chicken Steak with mild barbecue sauce Mild beef and veggie stir-fry Ham Crab cakes Ratatouille Monterey Jack cheese
The most typical examples of the soft, fruity red style today come from Australia, especially Australian Shiraz wines. Most Australian Shiraz reds in this style retail for less than $12. (In the chapter on powerful reds,we name some complex, powerful Shiraz wines from down under.) Because Australians are big on naming their wines for two or even three varieties, you’ll frequently spot a Shiraz-Cabernet or Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot (the variety that’s named first being the dominant grape in the blend). These can be soft, fruity reds, too, especially if they are inexpensive.
California—and Oregon to a lesser extent—also make many wines in the soft, fruity style. The best clue is price: look for inexpensive Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon. The same holds true for other reds from California: even though California produces more than its share of powerful Cabernets, Merlots, and Zinfandels, practically all of those that retail for $15 or less are soft, fruity reds.
Blends “Old Vine Red” (CA) Soft and fruity French reds come from the Burgundy region—home to Beaujolais, made from Gamay grapes, as well as Burgundy proper, based on Pinot Noir grapes—and from Southern France. Perhaps no European wine is a better example of the soft, fruity red style than Beaujolais Nouveau; other Beaujolais wines can fall into this style, too, depending on the producer. Burgundian Pinot Noir, in its simplest expression, technically named “Bourgogne Rouge,” represents a restrained, European rendition of the soft, fruity style. The soft, fruity reds from France’s Southern Rhône Valley, such as certain Côtes du Rhône wines, and from the Languedoc region are usually great values.
You can find soft, fruity reds throughout the Italian peninsula and islands. The simplest, most inexpensive Bardolinos and Valpolicellas from the Veneto region in the north are slightly less soft than some other wines in this style. The simplest Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines, from Central Italy, are great values in this style—as are some inexpensive Sangiovese reds from Tuscany, particularly those from the most modern producers. From southern Italy, Puglia’s popular Salice Salentino wine, made primarily from the indigenous Negroamaro variety, represents this style, along with some inexpensive varietal Primitivo wines—an Italian version of Zinfandel. Likewise, wines in the $10 to $15 price range from Sicily’s native variety, Nero d’Avola, can be soft and fruity.
WINES ON THE MOVE: THE TEMPTATION TO OAK
Soft and fruity wines give tens of thousands of wine drinkers exactly what they want—fruity, delicious wines that are easy to enjoy. So why would this style ever change? In a word: oak. The wine trade generally considers oaky-tasting wines to be important and serious, and some producers might oak their wines in order to earn them respect. Also, the flavor of oak is so easy and so inexpensive for winemakers to add today (see “How Wines Get Their Oaky Character” in the chapter on oaky whites) and so popular that many wines in this style might inevitably gain more than a little smokiness in future vintages, and possibly some oak tannin. Such future wines might still be delicious—or the oak flavor might compete with their fruitiness in an unpleasant way. Time will tell.
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