Light red wine: the red that doesn't weigh you down
215 light red wines, starting from €12.50A light red is not a diluted red. It's a wine whose tannins remain in the background, where fresh red fruit takes precedence over structure, and which can be served at around 14°C without being overpowered. It pairs well with dishes that powerful reds would overwhelm: poultry, vegetable dishes, pressed cheeses.
Pinot Noir accounts for 93 of our 215, but Gamay, Cinsault, and some mountain varietals offer a similar profile. The most common origins among our selections are France with 54 cuvées, the United States with 35, and New Zealand with 25.
Matetic & Guillaume Letang - El Viejo del Vallee 2023
An elegant and gourmet Pinot Noir with flavors of wild red fruits
Atamisque - Serbal Pinot Noir 2024
A wine far from the powerful reds we know from Argentina: supple, charming, attractive and beautifully lively.
Birichino - Bechthold Cinsault 2023
A red with captivating aromas from old Cinsault vines over 130 years old!
Birichino - Saint Georges Pinot Noir 2022
A superb Californian Pinot noir, made with finesse, freshness and deliciousness
Ferraris - Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato "Sant'Eufemia" 2021
A fine and aromatic wine made from Ruché, an indigenous grape variety from Piedmont
Dorrance - Red Cinsault 2023
A 100% naturally fermented Cinsault, straight and pure with fruit and spices!
Veramonte - Pinot Noir 2021
A typical Chilean Pinot Noir, well structured, delicious and organic!
Dalrymple - Pinot Noir 2022
A complex and elegant Pinot Noir from the island of Tasmania
Tetramythos - Mavro Kalavrytino nature 2024
Mavro Kalavrytino, a rare grape variety from the Peloponnese
Boutinot - El Infernillo Pinot Noir 2021
A Pinot noir from northern Chile, made with finesse and freshness
Bousquet - Pinot Noir Reserve 2021
An altitude Pinot Noir with notes of undergrowth and spices
Hamilton Russell - Pinot noir 2023
A long-lasting Pinot noir with complex and refined notes
Ritual - Pinot Noir 2019
A vintage full of elegance and extreme finesse that we know from Burgundy Pinot Noirs.
Peregrine Estate - Pinot Noir 2015
A Pinot Noir that combines purity and elegance, concentration and length.
Shaw + Smith - Pinot Noir 2022
A fine, elegant and intense Pinot Noir
Crystallum - Cuvée Cinema 2024
A haute couture Pinot Noir, with exceptional aromatic concentration rivaling the great wines of Burgundy.
Crystallum - Peter Max 2023
A wonderfully elegant and fragrant Pinot noir.
Cono Sur - Bicicleta Pinot Noir 2022
Specialist in Pinot Noir, the "Cono Sur" estate offers us a drinkable vintage of their own!
Fuerza Natural - Cinsault 2021
A fresh and vibrant Cinsault, from century-old vines in southern Chile
Dog Point - Pinot Noir 2021
Concentration, silky texture, complex aromas: a high-flying Pinot Noir!
Cruchon - Coteaux de Trumao Pinot Noir 2021
An intense and vibrant Pinot Noir from Chilean Patagonia
NZ WINERIES & Samantha Bailey - Cloud Factory Pinot Noir 2020
A fresh and delicious Pinot Noir, grown near the coastal areas of New Zealand
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 93 vintages | 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.