Top 100 red wines of California
Discover the top 100 best red wines of California as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of California and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of California
Powerful, sunny reds: dense Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (blackcurrant, chocolate, tobacco, ample tannins), spicy, jammy Zinfandel from the Sierra Foothills, silky red-fruited Pinot Noir on the cool coast (Sonoma, Russian River, Central Coast). Opulent, buttery Chardonnay, notes of yellow fruit and vanilla. Varied climate, from the hot interior to the Pacific-cooled coast. 80% of US production, 139 AVAs including Napa (1st AVA, 1981).
Fleshy, exuberant wines, cellar bottles.
Discover the grape variety: Zinfandel
Generous, high-alcohol reds with a dark robe and indulgent palate, showing aromas of stewed blackberry, raspberry, black pepper, liquorice, cinnamon and cooked fruit. Also vinified as a popular sweet rosé (White Zinfandel). Star of California (Lodi, Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley, Paso Robles) with sought-after century-old vines. Identical to Italian Primitivo and Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski by DNA analysis.
Food and wine pairing with a red wine of California
red wines from the region of California go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of fleischnacka leaf, leg of lamb in a herb crust with preserved vegetables or roast doe in the oven.
Organoleptic analysis of red wine of California
On the nose in the region of California often reveals types of flavors of cherry, oaky or smoke and sometimes also flavors of earthy, blackberry or blueberry. In the mouth in the region of California is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
Top wines in regions and sub-regions of California
The best wines of California in other styles
- The best wines natural sweet of California in other styles
- The best wines other of California in other styles
- The best wines pink of California in other styles
- The best wines sparkling of California in other styles
- The best wines sweet of California in other styles
- The best wines white of California in other styles