“Red, red wine, stay close to me” sang Neil Diamond. Although nowadays, it seems not close enough. Globally, red wine sales have not matched those of white. A fruity pinot grigio, it seems, has more appeal than a traditional cabernet sauvignon. The reasons given are varied and complex including the demand for fresher, more drinkable wines and a shift in our eating habits from conventional three-course meals to lighter lunches coupled with the rise in popularity of the aperitif.
However, it’s not all bad news. Red wine still has a lot going for it. Its tannins – the compounds found naturally in grape skins, seeds and stems – cleanse the palate, complement hearty dishes and help the wine age gracefully. Lighter reds can be lightly chilled and enjoyed as a summer beverage and healthwise red wine has a slight edge over white because it has higher amounts of some vitamins and minerals.
So, if you are going for red, which one should you choose? Here, we look at red wines from the old world and the new that vary in taste, price and production. But all offer that special something that can change an average meal into a feast or a simple toast into a memorable one.
Read more: Best orange wines, tested by a food and drinks writer
The best red wines for 2026 are:
- Best overall: Domaines Barons de Rothschild lafite les légendes R pauillac 2021: £30, Tesco.com
- Best luxury choice: Frescobaldi ripe al convento di castelgiocondo brunello di montalcino riserva 2019: £99.45, Ministryofdrinks.uk
- Best New World wine: Yalumba the signature barossa cabernet sauvignon shiraz 2022: £46, Majestic.co.uk
- Best Spanish wine: Altos R Pigeage tempranillo rioja 2021: £22, Laithwaites.co.uk
- Best value red wine: Journey's End founders reserve merlot 2024: £12.50, Majestic.co.uk
Read more: Best supermarket wines, chosen by experts and sommeliers
Domaines Barons de Rothschild lafite les légendes R pauillac 2021
Rating: 5/5
Best: red wine overall
Why we love it
- A superb wine from a great name
Elegance is the word that immediately springs to mind here with this blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot made from grapes that come in part from the Château Lafite Rothschild family vineyards in Pauillac on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. Ageing for a year in oak barrels produces a wine that is layered and complex with persistent notes of cassis and spice allied to hints of cedar and a more than welcome toastiness. It’s a classic wine from a prestigious name at a price that won’t break the bank.
Key specifications
Buy now £30, Tesco.com
Journey's End founders reserve merlot 2024
Rating: 4/5
Best: value red wine
Why we love it
- Easy-going and approachable
Take note
- Had to overcome a bad press
There was a time when merlot – or over-produced and over-valued examples of it – became the bad boy of the wine trade, exemplified by its big-screen hammering in the movie Sideways. The good news is that it’s recovered from the dip in critical appraisal and regained its proper place in the wine world as an easy-going and very drinkable medium-bodied red wine. This attractively priced example from the South African Coastal Region has lashings of damson and dark fruit flavours with notes of spice and oak. It’s a great wine that will enhance any meat-based meal.
Key specifications
Buy now £12.5, Majestic.co.uk
Frescobaldi ripe al convento di castelgiocondo brunello di montalcino riserva 2019 DOCG
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: luxury red wine
Why we love it
- 700 years of history in a glass
Take note
- For wine lovers with deep pockets
There has to be something very special about a wine that retails at around £100. And take our word for it that with this wine there certainly is. The Frescobaldi family began making wine in Tuscany in 1308 and are still at it 700 years later, having produced a litany of explorers, financiers, statesmen, bishops and, more importantly, great winemakers in the meantime. This wine is made from sangiovese grapes grown in a small vineyard near Siena on 450m-high hills where the midday sun is tempered by bracing Mediterranean winds. The grapes are hand-picked and scrupulously examined before fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in wood before it's released six years after the harvest. What you finish up with is a judicious overload of sweet berry flavours with notes of spice and pepper complemented by velvet tannins and a very long finish. A superb wine now but keep it for a few years to bring out its full potential.
Key specifications
Buy now £99.45, Ministryofdrinks.uk
Yalumba the signature barossa Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2022
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: New World red wine
Why we love it
- Unctuous charm
Take note
- Not for the faint-hearted
On the lookout for a rich, full-bodied red wine that doesn’t take prisoners? Then this should be your first port of call. A blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz from the Barossa Valley wine region an hour northeast of Adelaide in South Australia, The Signature barossa has become an outstanding fixture in the Aussie wine firmament (this is the 51st vintage). Matured in French and Hungarian barrels, there’s huge red and black berry flavours here along with notes of cocoa and spice in a wine that keeps its structure and elegance and poise amid that onslaught of fruit and savoury flavours. Those who prefer lighter wines may not be that enamoured but the rest of us will be enchanted.
Key specifications
Buy now £46, Majestic.co.uk
Altos R Pigeage tempranillo Rioja 2021
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: Spanish wine
Why we love it
- A flagship Spanish wine
Take note
- Lush rather than light
No survey of red wines can afford to ignore Spain’s red wine of choice, rioja. Luxurious, lush and full-bodied it epitomises the best of Spanish winemaking. This example from the Altos de Rioja Winegrowers and Winemakers is made from selected grapes in the upper part of Rioja Alavesa, where the vineyards meet the towering Sierra de Cantabria mountains. Made from tempranillo and graciano grapes picked from 80-year-old vines, it’s produced using Burgundy’s pigeage method which involves physically pushing the marc (the floating cap of grape skins and seeds) into the fermenting juice.
This results in a better integration of tannins and improved aroma and colour. It’s a hands-on operation that’s completed three times a day. The wine is then matured in oak and with 10 per cent in amphorae. As you can imagine, the end result in an intensely flavoured red wine with dark berry and dark chocolate flavours overlying each other aided by notes of spice and pepper. A serious wine that deserves not to be taken too lightly.
Key specifications
Buy now £22, Laithwaites.co.uk
Touché William Knuttel dry creek biglieri vineyard zinfandel 2023
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: California wine
Why we love it
- Jammy and juicy
Take note
- It’s not a subtle wine
In the country’s 250th anniversary year perhaps it’s time to celebrate a truly American grape, Zinfandel – although, whisper it quietly, its origins are believed to lie in Italy and Croatia. Never mind, what the grape does produce is a wonderfully jammy wine that’s packed full of fruit-forward flavours. This example, made from vines planted in 1963, is a perfect example of that concentrated melange of plum, damson and dark berry flavours aided and abetted by notes of vanilla and spice. Subtle it’s not but if you want that full-on fruity experience, this is the wine to go for.
Key specifications
Buy now £20, Laithwaites.co.uk
Xavier Vins SAS Côtes du Rhône Villages une bouteille à la mer 2020
Rating: 4/5
Best: Côtes Du Rhône red wine
Why we love it
- Bold and bountiful
Take note
- Alcohol content may be too high for some
A red from the Côtes Du Rhône that not only has style and substance but also supports an important environmental initiative. Crafted by philosophical winemaker Xavier Vignon (although he seems to prefer the title, alchemist), a euro from each bottle sold is donated to Foundation de la Mer, a charity aimed at protecting marine ecosystems. So, as you sip the wine and enjoy those rich and vibrant flavours of dark berries and cherry and admire the stylish bottle and label design from fashion guru Ines de la Fressange, remember that in your own way you’re helping the environment too.
Key specifications
Buy now £16.92, Vinatis.co.uk
Zuccardi regiones vista flores malbec 2023
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: malbec red wine
Why we love it
- A damson delight
Take note
- Too ripe for some
For Argentina, read malbec. It’s the country’s flagship wine. Despite its origins in Bordeaux, it’s taken to the Andes-fringed vineyards of the Mendoza wine region like a duck to water. Statistics show that Argentina is now responsible for 75 per cent of the worlds’ malbec acreage. The reason why is simple to explain. In France, malbec was undistinguished underdog, whereas in Argentina it became the star of the show, producing fruit-forward plummy wines with ripe, rich flavours and notes of chocolate and pepper. This example from the renowned Zuccardi family of winemakers has it all. A big wine that would provide the perfect partner to an equally impressive steak.
Key specifications
Buy now £18.5, Winedirect.co.uk
Vignamaggio cabernet franc 2019
Rating: 4.5/5
Best: underrated red wine
Why we love it
- A hidden treasure
Take note
- More savoury than fruity
We’re back in Tuscany for an underrated and often overlooked wine variety, cabernet franc. An ancient wine grape – it is thought to pre-date cabernet sauvignon and merlot – it’s best known for its role as being an important part of Bordeaux blends. But as a single-varietal wine it has its fans, who recognise its fragrant aromas, its delicate red fruit flavours and its savoury and herbal notes. This particular example comes from a chance discovery in the 1980s when 40-year-old cabernet franc vines were discovered among sangiovese vines in a vineyard in the Chinati Classico region. Hand-picked, the wine spends up to 24 months in French oak barrels to give it a satisfying structure and complexity. Worth trying for more adventurous wine enthusiasts.
Key specifications
Buy now £54.5, Corneyandbarrow.com
The Capeography Co seascape malbec 2024
Rating: 4/5
Best: unoaked red wine
Why we love it
- Unoaked and undeniably juicy
Take note
- May lack the finesse that some crave
Another red wine from South Africa’s Coastal Region where young malbec vines in the Swartland and Paarl areas are kept fresh and cool by ocean breezes. But this malbec is different to most. It’s not matured in oak barrels, so there’s no modifying those bright fruit flavours of plum and dark berries that spring from the glass, tempered by notes of spice and chocolate. Ripe, carefree and oh-so drinkable it’s a remarkable wine to find for under a tenner.
Key specifications
Buy now £9.75, Amazon.co.uk
What is the best red wine?
With such a wide range of red wines available, it's probably best to choose one to suit the occasion. For something easy-going and approachable, try the Journey's End founders reserve Merlot 2024. If it's boldness you're after, then go for the Xavier Vins SAS Côtes du Rhône Villages une bouteille à la mer. If you really want to push the boat out then the wine of choice has to be the Frescobaldi ripe al convento di castelgiocondo brunello di montalcino riserva. But for a wine which can suit any occasion, our choice is the elegant and assured Domaines Barons de Rothschild lafite les légendes R pauillac – fruity with savoury notes and a depth and complexity that can only impress.
How I tested the wines
The wine was served after the cork had been removed or the screw cap taken off three to four hours before sampling. This enabled the wine to breathe and enhanced the taste. If that was not possible, then a wine aerator was used to oxygenate the wine.
A red wine glass with a large bowl and a tapered rim was used to allow the wine to breathe further and soften any overactive tannins. The bowl also captured the wine’s aroma and allowed the wine to go directly on to the tongue. The temperature at which the wine was served varied from 12C to 15C for lighter reds, 13C to 16C for medium-bodied wines and 15C to 18C for more robust, full-bodied wines.
In tasting, the classic five steps were followed – see, swirl, smell, sip, and savour. The glass was held by the stem to prevent warming the wine, and against a white background to judge its colour and opacity. It was swirled to provide more oxygen and reveal the “tears” of wine trailing down the glass that indicate its alcohol content. During testing, the following were considered.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
John Clarke draws on his lifelong passion for wine to compile reviews and guides on the wide range of wines available to consumers. He started writing wine and spirit reviews for The Independent more than 10 years ago, and has discussed everything from ports and whisky for IndyBest. He put his extensive wine knowledge to good use when testing a wide range of wines for this review, offering his verdict on which red wines are worth your money.
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