Skip to content

Red Wines

Red Wines

Red wine expresses the creative soul of civilization and mankind's enological wisdom. Its origins are lost in the mists of time and its history is closely linked to the culture of countries with a strong wine vocation, such as Italy and France. On Callmewine you will find a wide selection, from the important and full-bodied red wines to lighter and easier to drink versions. Prestigious wines such as the great red wines from Piedmont, Tuscany or Veneto, or the French wines produced in Burgundy or Bordeaux, as well as lesser known but surprising wines. Wines that express the characteristics of a territory, that are the spokesman of a style, a tradition and a human passion that goes beyond time. Find the best red wine online on Callmewine.

Read everything
Promo
Red Wines
452 results
Only 3 left!
'RossoVigliano' Paolo Marchionni 2021
2/3
Gambero Rosso
Marchionni Paolo
2021 | 75 cl / 14% | Toscana (Italy)
£21.70£19.50
£19.50
Only 2 left!
'Il Vigneto di Poggio' Poggio Mandorlo 2018
88/100
Veronelli
4/5
Bibenda
Poggio Mandorlo
2018 | 75 cl / 14% | Toscana (Italy)
£17.00£14.50
£14.50
Only 4 left!
Rouge 'Les Cliquets' Opi D'Aqui 2020
Opi D'Aquì
2020 | 75 cl / 13% | Languedoc Roussillon (France)
£23.50
£23.50
Only 4 left!
'Dialectic Red' Penho 2021
Penho
2021 | 75 cl / 10% | Nord Portogallo (Portugal)
£21.40£18.20
£18.20
Last One Left!
Douro Rosso Quinta Do Monte Xisto 2020
Quinta do Monte Xisto
2020 | 75 cl / 14% | Douro (Portugal)
£68.00
£68.00
Only 5 left!
Pinot Noir 'Weg' Melanie Pfister 2020
Melanie Pfister
2020 | 75 cl / 12.5% | Alsazia (France)
£30.50£24.40
£24.40
Only 3 left!
Chianti Rufina 'I Domi' I Veroni 2022
88/100
Veronelli
4/5
Bibenda
91/100
James Suckling
I Veroni
2022 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Toscana (Italy)
£20.00
£20.00
Last One Left!
Carignano del Sulcis Riserva 'Buio Buio' Mesa 2019
5/5
Bibenda
2/3
Gambero Rosso
92/100
Veronelli
Mesa
2019 | 75 cl / 14% | Sardegna (Italy)
£26.00
£26.00
Only 2 left!
Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Terrasses' Machard de Gramont 2019
Machard de Gramont
2019 | 75 cl / 13% | Borgogna (France)
£65.00
£65.00
Only 2 left!
Cote Rotie Ampodium Domaine Rostaing 2019
Domaine Rostaing
2019 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Valle del Rodano (France)
£80.00
£80.00
Only 2 left!
Barbera 'Vicini' Jean Yves Peron 2019
Jean-Yves Péron
2019 | 75 cl / 14% | Savoia (France)
£40.70
£40.70
Only 3 left!
Barbaresco Riserva 'Rio Sordo' Produttori del Barbaresco 2015
2/3
Gambero Rosso
3/4
Vitae AIS
Produttori del Barbaresco
2015 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£81.90
£81.90
Only 3 left!
Luberon 'Alphonse' Rouge Domaine de Fontenille 2021
Domaine de Fontenille
2021 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Valle del Rodano (France)
£24.90
£24.90
Last One Left!
'Altea Rosso' Altea Illotto
Altea Illotto
75 cl / 13.5% | Sardegna (Italy)
£28.60
£28.60
Barbaresco 'Basarin' Adriano Marco e Vittorio 2019
2/3
Slowine
3/4
Vitae AIS
4/5
Bibenda
Adriano Marco e Vittorio
2019 | 75 cl / 14% | Piemonte (Italy)
£33.80
£33.80
Only 2 left!
Barbacarlo Lino Maga 2020
3/4
Vitae AIS
Barbacarlo - Lino Maga
2020 | 75 cl / 15% | Lombardia (Italy)
£71.00
£71.00
Only 3 left!
Barolo Marziano Abbona 2018
3/4
Vitae AIS
93/100
James Suckling
5/5
Bibenda
Abbona Marziano
2018 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£32.50
£32.50
Only 5 left!
Rossese di Dolceacqua 'Beragna' Ka' Manciné 2021
4/5
Bibenda
2/3
Gambero Rosso
3/4
Vitae AIS
Ka' Manciné
2021 | 75 cl / 13% | Liguria (Italy)
£22.00
£22.00
Only 5 left!
Dogliani 'San Luigi' Quinto Chionetti 2021
3/4
Vitae AIS
2/3
Gambero Rosso
89/100
Veronelli
Quinto Chionetti
2021 | 75 cl / 13.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£19.00
£19.00
Only 4 left!
Barbera d'Alba 'Rinaldi' Marziano Abbona 2020
89/100
Veronelli
3/4
Vitae AIS
89/100
James Suckling
Abbona Marziano
2020 | 75 cl / 15% | Piemonte (Italy)
£22.50
£22.50
Only 5 left!
Granaccia 'Gigo' Bio Vio 2021
3/4
Vitae AIS
BioVio
2021 | 75 cl / 13% | Liguria (Italy)
£21.00
£21.00
Only 2 left!
Barolo 'Bricco delle Viole' Mario Marengo 2018
4/4
Vitae AIS
92/100
James Suckling
2/3
Gambero Rosso
Marengo Mario
2018 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£47.50
£47.50
Only 2 left!
Barbaresco Riserva 'Muncagota' Produttori del Barbaresco 2013
94/100
Robert Parker
3/4
Vitae AIS
2/3
Gambero Rosso
Produttori del Barbaresco
2013 | 75 cl / 14% | Piemonte (Italy)
£90.00
£90.00
Only 3 left!
Barbaresco Riserva 'Muncagota' Produttori del Barbaresco 2011
92/100
Robert Parker
Produttori del Barbaresco
2011 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£104.20
£104.20
Only 3 left!
Morey Saint-Denis Premier Cru ‘Les Ruchots’ Domaine Arlaud 2019
Domaine Arlaud
2019 | 75 cl / 13.5% | Borgogna (France)
£129.00£103.20
£103.20
Montiano Famiglia Cotarella 2019
5/5
Bibenda
3/3
Gambero Rosso
Famiglia Cotarella
2019 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Lazio (Italy)
£58.00£52.20
£52.20
Only 4 left!
Blaufrankisch 'Guterweg Neckenmarkter' Kolfok 2018
Kolfok
2018 | 75 cl / 12.5% | Burgenland (Austria)
£29.40£23.50
£23.50
Only 2 left!
Spatburgunder Calx Weingut Mann 2019
Weingut Mann
2019 | 75 cl / 11% | Renania (Germany)
£30.30£24.20
£24.20
Last One Left!
Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore 'Primo Segno' Villa Venti 2019
3/3
Gambero Rosso
3/4
Vitae AIS
Villa Venti
2019 | 75 cl / 13.5% | Emilia Romagna (Italy)
£18.30£16.50
£16.50
Only 2 left!
Pinot Noir Express Winemakers 2022
Express Winemakers
2022 | 75 cl / 11.5% | Australia Occidentale (Australia)
£26.50£23.90
£23.90
Only 6 left!
Barbaresco 'La Casa in Collina' Vite Colte 2018
4/5
Bibenda
2/3
Gambero Rosso
Vite Colte
2018 | 75 cl / 14% | Piemonte (Italy)
£27.00£23.00
£23.00
Only 3 left!
Valtellina Superiore Sassella 'Le Tense' Nino Negri 2020
3/4
Vitae AIS
2/3
Gambero Rosso
4/5
Bibenda
Nino Negri
2020 | 75 cl / 13.5% | Lombardia (Italy)
£21.40
£21.40
Only 3 left!
Brunello di Montalcino 'Pian delle Vigne' Antinori 2019
93/100
James Suckling
Antinori
2019 | 75 cl | Toscana (Italy)
£46.00
£46.00
Only 6 left!
Chianti Classico Rocca di Castagnoli 2021
4/5
Bibenda
91/100
James Suckling
Rocca di Castagnoli
2021 | 75 cl / 14% | Toscana (Italy)
£16.00
£16.00
Only 4 left!
Barolo 'Parussi' Massolino 2017
4/5
Bibenda
2/3
Gambero Rosso
3/4
Vitae AIS
Massolino
2017 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£70.80
£70.80
Last One Left!
Barolo Bartolo Mascarello 2017
5/5
Bibenda
4/4
Vitae AIS
2/3
Gambero Rosso
Mascarello Bartolo
2017 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Piemonte (Italy)
£230.00
£230.00
Only 3 left!
Barbaresco Riserva 'Rio Sordo' Produttori del Barbaresco 2014
3/4
Vitae AIS
2/3
Gambero Rosso
Produttori del Barbaresco
2014 | 75 cl / 14% | Piemonte (Italy)
£90.00
£90.00
Only 6 left!
Pinot Nero Riserva 'Trattmann' Girlan 2021
3/3
Gambero Rosso
4/4
Vitae AIS
94/100
Veronelli
Girlan
2021 | 75 cl / 14% | Alto Adige (Italy)
£36.00
£36.00
Only 3 left!
'K-Lys' Clos Troteligotte 2017
Clos Troteligotte
2017 | 75 cl / 13.5% | Sud Ovest (France)
£23.30
£23.30
Only 4 left!
Valpolicella Superiore Poderecastagne - Camerani 2018
4/4
Vitae AIS
2/3
Slowine
Camerani
2018 | 75 cl / 12.5% | Veneto (Italy)
£30.50
£30.50
Only 4 left!
Nerello Mascalese 'DieciDecilitri' Bonaccorsi - Valcerasa 2019 - 100cl
Bonaccorsi - Valcerasa
2019 | 100 cl / 13% | Sicilia (Italy)
£26.70
£26.70
Only 3 left!
Don Luigi Di Majo Norante 2017
3/3
Gambero Rosso
5/5
Bibenda
94/100
Veronelli
Di Majo Norante
2017 | 75 cl / 15.5% | Molise (Italy)
£41.10
£41.10
Only 5 left!
Hush Xose Lois Sebio 2018
Xose Lois Sebio
2018 | 75 cl / 14.5% | Galizia (Spain)
£82.00
£82.00
Only 4 left!
Beaujolais Village Les Vins de Vicky 2022
Château des Moriers
2022 | 75 cl / 12.5% | Borgogna (France)
£14.50
£14.50
Only 2 left!
'Poiema' Eugenio Rosi 2019
4/4
Vitae AIS
Rosi Eugenio
2019 | 75 cl / 13% | Trentino (Italy)
£30.00
£30.00
Pinot Noir 'Meczan' Hofstatter 2021
Hofstätter
2021 | 75 cl / 13% | Alto Adige (Italy)
£22.00
£22.00
Merlot Riserva 'Campo Camino' Bosco del Merlo 2019
4/4
Vitae AIS
88/100
Veronelli
4/5
Bibenda
Bosco del Merlo
2019 | 75 cl / 14% | Veneto (Italy)
£17.00
£17.00
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Medoro 2020
Villa Medoro
2020 | 75 cl / 14% | Abruzzo (Italy)
£13.00
£13.00

The Production of Red Wine

Red wine is made with red grapes only, through a production process called red wine vinification.

One of the first stages in the production of a red grape wine is the choice of the harvest period, a decisive and fundamental moment. Depending on the type of wine to be produced, the right balance must be found between the sugars present in the grapes, which increase as they ripen, and the acidity, which tends to decrease as the harvest continues. As a rule, red wines tend to have lower acidity than white wines or sparkling wines, so the grapes are harvested when they are fully ripe or even overripe.

The harvested grapes are taken to the cellar where they are usually destemmed, i.e. the stalks are removed, before being pressed to obtain the juice. It is necessary that this practice is carried out in a delicate way (soft crushing): therefore the traditional press tends to be replaced by modern de-stemming machines, equipped with rollers covered in rubber or with directional cones. Less often the grapes are crushed whole, i.e. without having been destemmed. In this case, the wine produced will be characterised by a high level of tannin, which can be detected in the form of astringency, because the woody part of the bunch will have yielded its tannins to the must.

The pressing of the grapes produces a greenish grape juice called must. In red wine making, fermentation of the must involves contact with the marc, i.e. the grape skins and seeds. This maceration causes the extraction of anthocyanins from the skins, which are responsible for the red colouring of the must, and other polyphenols, which enrich it with aroma, fragrance and structure. The grape seeds, on the other hand, have the function of releasing the tannins. Generally, maceration lasts about 10-15 days, but some producers choose to extend it up to 4 weeks: the longer the contact between must and marc, the greater the quantity of tannins present in the wine and the intensity of the colour.

In the meantime, thanks to the action of the yeasts present on the grape skins or added, alcoholic fermentation is triggered: the sugars are transformed into ethyl alcohol thanks to the action of the yeasts which, combining with the acids present in the grapes, give rise to esters, secondary products of the chemical reaction, but responsible for the wine's aromatic qualities. An increase in temperature favours this natural process but, in order not to damage the yeasts and compromise the quality of the wine, the temperature must be kept between 25 and 30°C. These processes can take place in stainless steel, fibreglass or wooden vats.

During the fermentation phase, the skins form a very compact layer on the surface, known as the ‘cap’, which prevents contact with the liquid part, with the risk of developing acetic acid. To overcome this problem, one of the many techniques used to stir the must and break up the cap can be used: punching down consists of mechanical pressure applied by means of a piston to make the cap sink into the must; pumping over is a method of tapping the must from the bottom of the tanks through an external pipe, so that it can be put back on top of the cap; delestage involves the total separation of the liquid part of the must from the cap and its subsequent re-insertion, after the solid parts have been compressed to the bottom of the tank by gravity; finally, the submerged cap technique uses a perforated diaphragm to keep the cap of grape skins below the level of the liquid.

After alcoholic fermentation, the winemaking process for red wines includes, with very few exceptions, malolactic fermentation, i.e. the transformation of malic acid into lactic acid. This is an essential stage in the vinification of red wines because it increases their smoothness and eases their sharpness and hardness.

The must has now turned into wine, but the wine is turbid, with skins, fermentation lees and spent yeast in suspension. It is therefore necessary to initiate racking, i.e. removing the residues, which can be carried out either by filtration or by static decantation. The latter method, which is less invasive, consists of lowering the temperature in the tanks so that the substances to be removed settle on the bottom.

Once the wine has been "cleaned", it is ready for maturation, which can take place in steel, cement tanks, large casks or small barrels. The time spent maturing may depend on the requirements of the production regulations, the type of wine and the producer's choice. Once the maturation phase is over, bottling takes place: the wine begins its ageing in the bottle and, after another possible rest in the cellar, is put on the market.

Main Types of Popular Red Wines in Italy

A great amount of excellent to good Italian red wines come mostly from two red grape varieties that are widespread on the peninsula: Nebbiolo and Sangiovese:.

  • Nebbiolo is the symbolic vine of Piedmont, the oldest and most famous in the region, grown mainly in the Langhe and Roero areas, where it produces great red wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco, but also Roero Rosso. Further north, between the provinces of Torino, Novara, Vercelli and Biella, Nebbiolo grapes produce wines that are just as robust, although less well-known, such as: Carema, Boca, Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra and Lessona.

The Nebbiolo grape is also widespread outside Piedmont, in Valtellina, where it is called Chiavennasca and used for the production of important red wines such as Sforzato.

  • The Sangiovese grape is widespread in Tuscany, Romagna and all of central Italy. It is the basis of the famous red wine Brunello di Montalcino, but also of Chianti Classico, Morellino di Scansano, Carmignano, Nobile di Montepulciano and Sangiovese di Romagna.

Among the most widespread Italian vines, Barbera should also be mentioned. It is widespread not only in Piedmont, where it gives rise to various red wine types and denominations, but also in Lombardy, especially in Oltrepò Pavese, in Emilia and in southern Italy.

In Trentino Alto Adige, the production of red wine is centred on two typical vines, Teroldego and Lagrein.

In Veneto, excellent red wines are produced in the Valpolicella area, where Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara and other grapes are used to make Valpolicella, Recioto and above all Amarone.

The true enological symbol of Emilia is Lambrusco, a light, sparkling red wine obtained from the vine of the same name, a red wine pairing excellently with cured meats, sausages and typical Emilian dishes.

Montepulciano is the most widespread red grape variety in Marche and Abruzzo, where rich and popular red wines are produced, while in Apulia Primitivo and Negroamaro dominate.

In Irpinia, Aglianico grapes are used to produce Taurasi, a robust and intense red wine nicknamed "the Barolo of the south", while in Basilicata it gives rise to an equally structured wine such as Aglianico del Vulture.

The islands also offer many types of red wine, the most popular being Nero d'Avola in Sicily and Cannonau and Carignano in Sardinia. On the slopes of the Etna, however, the vine called Nerello Mascalese is becoming more and more important, from which Etna Rosso is made.

Alongside these indigenous varieties, international varieties are also cultivated in Italy, which have found favourable conditions in the various Italian territories: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon. The combination of Merlot with other red grape varieties gives rise to Bolgheri Rosso and some of the great Tuscan red wines known throughout the world as Super Tuscan.

These are just a few examples that testify to the enormous richness and vastness of Italy's enological heritage. In our country there are hundreds of native red grape varieties and red wine types, each with its own characteristics and capable of expressing the peculiarities of the territory of origin.

 

Red Wine Deals and Prices

Prices of red wines can vary depending on the value of the bottle, the area of production, and the demand in the market. On Callmewine you can find the most expensive and famous red wines in the world, with prices over €1000, but you will also find lighter, everyday reds starting at just under €10. Buy red wine and discover red wine the best deals on Callmewine! Fine bottles to fall in love with and online delivery. 

Read everything