Red Wine Types



3 mins readOct 21, 2017

With more than 1,300 types of wine grapes, where do you begin if you’re just starting to explore the world of wine? Jacques Scott Wines & Spirits in the Cayman Islands has some tips that will help you round out your wine knowledge.

Jacques Scott Wines & Spirits is well-known in the Caribbean for our great prices and vast selection of popular international name brand and hard-to-find wines, beers and spirits.

We have convenient Jacques Scott Wines & Spirits stores in George Town, Seven Mile Beach, West Bay, Savannah and East End to serve you, but you can also order online and have your purchases delivered anywhere on Grand Cayman for free! Place your online order before 3:00pm, and we’ll deliver it on the same day (Monday through Saturday).

About Red Wine

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned wine drinker, we have provided information and recommendations for four of the most popular red wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon

This is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. Usually classified as a dry wine, Cabernet Sauvignon is full bodied, high in alcohol, and bursting with flavors, including coffee, toffee, and chocolate. It pairs well with steak, beef stroganoff, short ribs, and roasted potatoes.

Cabernet grapes have spread around the globe from their origin in Bordeaux (France) and are now significant grapes in the Napa Valley (California), Coonawarra (Australia) and Maipo Valley (Chile) wine regions.

At Jacques Scott Wine & Spirits, we highly recommend the award-winning Cakebread Cabernet from Napa Valley and Intriga Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley.

Merlot

Some consider Merlot to be the Chardonnay of red wines. It is the second most popular type of red wine behind Cabernet Sauvignon. A dry, full-bodied wine with flavors of watermelon, strawberry, cherry and plum, it also features soft notes of vanilla, mocha, and cloves. Merlot pairs well with chicken, fish, and lightly-spiced red meats.

Merlot grapes are plentiful in France, Italy, Switzerland, California and Washington. Be sure to try the 2017 gold medal winner of the TEXSOM International Wine Awards, Ferrari-Carano Merlot from Sonoma County, California, and the highly rated Le Macchiole Messorio Merlot from Tuscany, Italy.

Malbec

Another delicious type of red wine is Malbec, one of France’s most heavily produced and popular wines. It is also cultivated and produced in large quantities in Argentina. Malbec features a rich, full bodied taste with berry-like fruit flavors. It is considered to be a dry wine and pairs well with grilled beef, pizza, and tomato sauce-based pastas.

At Jacques Scott Wine & Spirits, we encourage you to try the highly rated Yacochuya Malbec from Cafayate, Argentina, and Layer Cake Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina, the winner of the 2017 Best of Class Award at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Pinot Noir

The best Pinot Noirs originate in Burgundy, France, but the grape has been carried around the globe, most notably to California, Washington, Oregon, South Africa and New Zealand. Pinot Noir features strong, oaky overtones and is considered a moderately dry medium-to-light bodied wine. It pairs well with roasted duck, goose, salmon and pork.

Jacques Scott Wines & Spirits highly recommends the superb Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir, an award-winner from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in Walker Bay (South Africa) and the excellent Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County (California).

No matter which types of red wine you decide to try, be ready for your next special occasion on Grand Cayman with delivery, free of charge, from Jacques Scott Wines & Spirits.