Light red wine: the red that doesn't weigh you down
221 light red wines, from €12.50A light red is not a diluted red. It is a wine whose tannins stay in the background, where fresh red fruit comes before structure, and which can be served at around 14 °C without falling flat. It goes with what powerful reds overwhelm: poultry, a vegetable dish, a pressed cheese.
Pinot Noir provides the largest share, but Gamay, Cinsault and a few mountain grape varieties give the same profile. The origins that appear most often in our range are France, the United States and New Zealand.
Calera - Ryan Pinot Noir 2018
Flowers, spice and a mineral touch, a lively Pinot that the barrique dresses in vanilla.
Nicolas Jay - Pinot Noir l'ensemble 2019
Nicolas Jay's top cuvée: an Oregon Pinot built for long ageing.
Creation - The Art Of Pinot Noir 2022
The estate's flagship Pinot Noir cuvée, ripe cherry, violet and a discreet smokiness.
Erath - Pinot Noir Estate Selection Willamette Valley 2019
Erath's single-plot selection, a silky, fragrant Oregon Pinot.
Domaine Dubois - Côtes de Nuits Villages Rouge 2022
Cherry and violet with a touch of liquorice: Côtes de Nuits Villages in its classic attire.
Rémi Jeanniard - Morey-Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2023
Blackcurrant and truffle: old vines from Morey with a velvety palate.
Trapet-Rochelandet - Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2023
Old vines from Gevrey-Chambertin, blackberry and leather carried by a silky tannin.
Domaine Dubois - Bourgogne Côte d’Or Issu de Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2023
Old vines in the Côte d'Or: cherry and forest floor carried by fine tannins.
Domaine Dubois - Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2020
A Clos de Vougeot grand cru: truffle and forest floor over powerful tannins.
Domaine Dubois - Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Rouge Les Narbantons 2023
Morello cherry and truffle, a dense premier cru where roasted coffee shows through on the finish.
Rémi Jeanniard - Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Blanchards Rouge 2023
Blackcurrant, leather and tobacco: an old-vine premier cru made for the cellar.
Domaine Dubois - Savigny Les Beaune Rouge 2021
Violet and pepper over vibrant red fruit: Savigny in its usual finesse.
Rémi Jeanniard - Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots Rouge 2023
Les Ruchots, a Morey-Saint-Denis premier cru: violet and truffle on silky tannins.
Domaine Cachat-Ocquidant - Ladoix Rouge 2024
Ladoix in red, violet and pepper on a firmly present tannic structure.
Domaine Dubois - Vosne-Romanée Chalandins 2022
Vosne-Romanée Aux Chalandins: black cherry and violet on a silky frame.
Domaine Dubois - Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Rouge Les Porets St Georges 2022
Ripe cherry and liquorice: the power of Nuits-Saint-Georges with fine tannins.
Sylvain Langoureau - Chassagne-Montrachet Voillenots Dessous Rouge 2022
A red Chassagne, cherry and raspberry on fine tannins, going against the grain.
Domaine Cachat-Ocquidant - Corton-Vergennes Grand Cru Clos des Vergennes Rouge 2023
The estate's crowning glory: a Corton grand cru built to age in the cellar.
Domaine Edmond Monnot - Maranges 1er Cru Clos de la Boutière Rouge 2023
A Maranges premier cru where cherry and violet dominate the oak.
Domaine Jean-François Bouthenet - Maranges Rouge 2023
Maranges in a silky style, cherry and violet on a background of blond tobacco.
Domaine Jean-François Bouthenet - Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Au Paradis Rouge 2022
Red fruit from the Hautes-Côtes, lifted by a hint of gentle spice.
Cave Saint-Pierre - Cornalin Réserve Des Administrateurs 2022
The king grape of Valais in its densest form: blackcurrant, black pepper and granite tannins.
Elena Walch - Pinot Nero Aton 2018
Raspberry, cherry and violet, an Alpine Pinot Noir of fine finesse.
Domaine Vincent Prunier - Volnay 1er Cru Robardelle Rouge 2017
Robardelle as a premier cru: violet and pepper on a velvety tannin typical of Volnay.
Grape varieties that produce a light red wine
The single word “light” covers very different wines. This table separates what comes from the grape variety from what comes from the climate.
| Grape variety | What he gives | Where can it be found in our country | The dish that goes with it | In our country, starting from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinot Noir The most represented in the range | Cherry, raspberry, undergrowth. Silky tannins, lively acidity. | Burgundy, Oregon, New Zealand, Patagonia | Roast poultry, grilled salmon, mushrooms | €13.80Santa Rita Secret Reserve |
| Gamay | Banana, crushed strawberry, almost no tannin. | Beaujolais, Loire, Switzerland | Charcuterie, raclette, picnic | €16.50 |
| Cinsault | Redcurrant, peony, a very fine weave. | South Africa, Languedoc, Chile | Grilled vegetables, tagine, mildly spicy cuisine | €12.50Matetic The Old Man of the Valley |
| Schiava, trousseau, poulsard | Alpine reds: pale, saline, almost translucent. | South Tyrol, Jura, Savoy | Mountain cheeses, deli meats |
A red wine can also be lighter due to the climate rather than the grape variety: a high-altitude Syrah remains finer than a Syrah from the plains. See full-bodied reds for the opposite.
Three bottles to enter the profile
The charts give the theory. Here are three bottles available today, at three price points.
The admission fee
A Chilean Cinsault crafted by a French winemaker. Redcurrant, white pepper, no gripping tannins.
Matetic El Viejo del Valle · €12.50Pinot Noir on a budget
Santa Rita Secret Reserve, Leyda Valley. Black cherry, a hint of smoke.
Santa Rita Secret Reserve Pinot Noir · €13.80Step up a notch
Patagonia, high-altitude vineyards, winemaking without artifice. The Argentinian Pinot Noir that put Chacra on the map.
Malma Chacra la Papay · €16.50
Light doesn't mean small
Lightness is often confused with a lack of substance. A great Burgundy Pinot Noir costs more than a powerful Cabernet and weighs half as much on the palate: finesse is the hardest thing to achieve. What a light red seeks is fruit precision and length without the weight.
It's also the most versatile profile at the table. Where a tannic red demands red meat, a light red goes from fatty fish to cheese without ever dominating.
How do you choose
We automatically discard light red wines, those that are pale because the harvest was poor. The key indicator is the finish: if it is short and dry, it's a thin wine. If it remains fresh and mouth-watering, it's a fine wine.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we're being asked about light red
A light red, do you serve it chilled?
Between 13 and 15°C, yes. Twenty minutes in the refrigerator before serving is enough. Served at 20°C, the alcohol takes over and the fruit disappears.
What's the difference between this and a fruity red?
Lightness refers to the structure, fruitiness to the aroma. A wine can be fruity and full-bodied, like a Primitivo. A light red wine has few tannins, regardless of its fruit. See fruity red wines.
Does it keep?
Great Pinot Noirs age very well, for ten years or more. Entry-level Gamays and Cinsaults should be drunk within three years, that's when they're at their best.
What to serve with a vegetarian dish?
This is the best profile for this: low tannins, no conflict with vegetables. Our vegetarian pairing guide details difficult cases, such as artichoke and asparagus.
Why so little Gamay in the selection?
We source from independent winemakers around the world, and Gamay is still predominantly French. Cinsault and Pinot Noir meet the same need with greater diversity of origins.