do you know California Red Wine? Pairing and characteristics. Prices and best brands. The United States is among the first wine producing countries, but it is in California where 90% of these wines that are becoming more and more popular worldwide are produced.
Red grape varieties of Spanish, French and Italian origin manage to blend with the climate of the area to produce tasty wines that undoubtedly conquer the taste of those who are looking for high quality red wines.
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what is California Red Wine?
California red wine is a brightly colored wine that, thanks to the quality of the grape varieties used to make it, achieves fruity flavors and aromas that catch everyone’s attention.
Origin and History of California Red Wine
It was the Spanish Franciscan missionaries during the 18th century who were responsible for cultivating vines of European origin in Californian soil in order to produce Mass wines.
Despite its rather slow growth, and the phylloxera in 1880 and the subsequent Prohibition Act that originated between 1919 and 1933, the growth of red wine in California boomed during the second half of the 20th century.
Wineries making a living on U.S. soil were compromised, but by the 1960s, California was known for its sweet port-style wines, which were made from Cariñena and Thompson Seedless grapes.
But soon after, a new wave of winemakers emerged and helped usher in a period of wine flourishing in California, thanks to the use of new winemaking technologies that generated higher quality.
It was in 1976 when California red wine achieved great recognition, as it swept the wine tasting competition in Paris, where it was compared with the best French wines, obtaining great acceptance among the public.
Characteristics of California Red Wine
California red wine is a very pleasant wine thanks to its freshness and charming aroma.
- Intense color
- It is a full-bodied wine
- It is a wine full of fruity aromas
- It is a wine with great flavor
- Low minerality
Color, flavor and aroma of California Red Wine
California red wine is a broth full of fruity aromas that give it a good flavor
- View: Intense cherry red color clean and bright
- Nose: Intense aromas of ripe black fruit, with floral notes of violets, notes of oak aging, sweet spices such as vanilla
- Palate: Fresh, elegant, with good structure, its soft tannins give it the perfect balance between its fruity and spicy notes.
Alcohol Content of California Red Wine
California red wine is a fresh wine with fruity and spicy aromas that make it very pleasant to the palate. Its alcohol content is between 13.5% and 14.5%.
Types of California Red Wine
California red wine is a wine with aromas of ripe black fruits that give it sweetness and quality, its natural characteristics give it the necessary balance to make it a delight full of freshness and flavor.
Pairing of California Red Wine
California red wine is a wine that can accompany the table on any occasion thanks to its pleasant freshness and flavor.
- Meat: Especially with game meats, its flavor is balanced leaving a trail of freshness in its wake
- Pork: An ideal companion for dishes prepared with roast pork
- Chicken: A perfect ally to enjoy a dish with herb chicken, its flavors melt generating a sensation of freshness
- Lamb: Especially with roast ribs.
- Turkey: Delicious combination that enhances the flavors
- Pate: Wonderful sensation that generates pleasure to the palate
- Salmon: Especially baked salmon
- Cheeses: Very pleasant with gouda style cheeses.
how is California Red Wine made?
California red wine is made with grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah mainly, other varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Malbec can also accompany its elaboration.
Its elaboration process can include native yeast fermentation, between 5 and 8 days in contact with the skin, and its aging can go for at least 18 months in French oak barrels.
Characteristics of the grapes used to make California Red Wine
The vines used to make California red wine, thanks to the influence of the soil where they are planted, produce wines full of black fruity aromas and incomparable flavor.
Cabernet Sauvignon Grape
One of the best known varieties worldwide and whose wines are silky and velvety.
- Very small and conical shaped bunches
- Small berries with thick skin
- Very vigorous and upright, branched, with many late budding, mid-season ripening clusters
- Late budding withstands spring cold weather well
Merlot Grape
A grape variety that produces wine with class and one of the best valued worldwide.
- Small to medium cluster size
- Small berries with unpigmented flesh
- Some sensitivity to spring frosts
- Requires heavy potassium fertilization and responds very well to boron which reduces berry runner
Pinot Noir Grape
A grape variety that serves as a base for making wines with bouquet, especially if the grapes come from calcareous soils.
- Small clusters
- Small to medium sized berries
- Not very fertile vines
- Sensitive to climatic shifts
Syrah grape
The wine made from Syrah grapes is a wine with a lot of color, dark, intense, aromatic, which makes it very famous in the world viticulture.
- Medium cluster size
- Small to medium sized berries
- Adapts well to all types of soils
- Wines are of good quality and high alcoholic strength
California Red Wine Temperature
California red wine is a delicious wine with soft tannins that give it elegance and freshness. It is recommended to be served at a temperature of 16°C to better appreciate its aroma and enveloping flavor.
Price and best brands of California Red Wine
California red wine is a very well known wine in the international market, its flavor and aroma make it an easy choice when it comes to enjoy high quality, its price ranges from 14 euros to 700 euros. Some of its best brands are:
Francis Ford Coppola R & B Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
A very clean and bright cherry red color, full of fruity aromas that evoke the best of black fruit, ripe with floral notes and spices that give it balance making it a special broth 14.75 €.
Marimar Mas Cavalls Pinot Noir 2014
A very pleasant deep red wine thanks to its aromas of raspberry, cassis and blueberries that make it round, complex and balanced on the palate 38,90 €.
Ridge Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015
A bright and clean red color that envelops thanks to its aroma of ripe black fruits and spices such as clove and cocoa that make it a delight on the palate 80.90 €.
Opus One Overture
A deep cherry red wine, with aromas of blackcurrant, plum and blueberry that give it a lot of expressiveness 190,90 €.
Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
A red wine full of aromas of white flowers, wild berries with hints of vanilla and cinnamon that make it silky with defined tannins 625 €.
