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.
Domaine Dubois - Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Red Les Narbantons 2022
Griotte et truffe, un premier cru dense où le café torréfié pointe en finale.
Rémi Jeanniard - Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Blanchards Red 2023
Cassis, cuir et tabac, un premier cru de vieilles vignes taillé pour la cave.
Domaine Dubois - Savigny Les Beaune Red 2021
Violette et poivre sur un fruit rouge éclatant, Savigny dans sa finesse habituelle.
Rémi Jeanniard - Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots Red 2023
Les Ruchots, premier cru de Morey-Saint-Denis, violette et truffe sur un tanin soyeux.
Domaine Cachat-Ocquidant - Ladoix Red 2024
Ladoix en rouge, violette et poivre sur une structure tannique bien présente.
Domaine Dubois - Vosne-Romanée Chalandins 2022
Vosne-Romanée aux Chalandins, cerise noire et violette dans une trame soyeuse.
Domaine Dubois - Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Red Les Porets St Georges 2020
Cerise mûre et réglisse, la puissance de Nuits-Saint-Georges avec des tanins fins.
Sylvain Langoureau - Chassagne-Montrachet Voillenots Dessous Red 2022
Un Chassagne en rouge, cerise et framboise sur des tanins fins, à contre-courant.
Domaine Vincent Prunier - Volnay 1er Cru Robardelle Red 2017
Robardelle en premier cru, violette et poivre sur un tanin velouté typique de Volnay.
Domaine Cachat-Ocquidant - Corton-Vergennes Grand Cru Clos des Vergennes Red 2023
Le sommet du domaine, un grand cru de Corton bâti pour vieillir en cave.
Domaine Edmond Monnot - Maranges 1er Cru Clos de la Boutière Red 2022
Un premier cru de Maranges où cerise et violette dominent le boisé.
Domaine Jean-François Bouthenet - Maranges Red 2022
Maranges en version soyeuse, cerise et violette sur un fond de tabac blond.
Domaine Jean-François Bouthenet - Burgundy Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Au Paradis Rouge 2022
Le fruit rouge des Hautes-Côtes, relevé d'une pointe d'épice douce.
Cave Saint-Pierre - Cornalin Reserve Of Administrators 2022
Le cépage roi du Valais dans sa version la plus dense, cassis, poivre noir et tanins de granit.
Elena Walch - Pinot Noir Aton 2018
Framboise, cerise et violette, un pinot noir alpin d'une belle finesse.
Domaine Bonnardot - Beaune 1er Cru Les Béllissants Red 2023
Un premier cru de Beaune tout en dentelle, floral, long, sans lourdeur.
Domaine de la Roche Aiguë - Pommard Red 2022
Pommard fidèle à sa réputation, charpenté, sombre, taillé pour durer.
Domaine du Four Bassot - Mercurey Vieilles Vignes La Charme Rouge 2022
Vieilles vignes de Mercurey, fruits noirs denses et poivre bien présent.
Domaine du Four Bassot - Givry Red 2023
Givry en rondeur, cerise noire et poivre, sans une once de rusticité.
Domaine du Four Bassot - Mercurey 1er Cru Les Croichots Red 2022
Premier cru chalonnais tout en soie, groseille et réglisse en finale.
Domaine Vaudoisey - Burgundy Pinot Noir 2022
Le pinot noir bourguignon dans sa version quotidienne, velouté et franc.
Domaine de la Roche Aiguë - Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras Red 2022
Un premier cru de Beaune dense, marqué par le cassis et la truffe.
Domaine de la Roche Aiguë - Hautes-Côtes de Beaune La Dalignière Red 2022
Framboise, cerise, sous-bois : un pinot noir des hauteurs de Beaune, fin et digeste.
Domaine Vaudoisey - Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans Red 2022
Volnay premier cru, une finesse de dentelle sur des fruits rouges éclatants.
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.