Moving beyond big reds
For a long time, the received wisdom about red wine was simple: bigger was better. Deep colour, high alcohol, firm tannin, and plenty of oak were the markers of quality. Barossa Shiraz, Napa Cabernet, Amarone: the wines that attracted the most attention and the highest scores were almost always the most powerful ones.
That thinking has shifted considerably, and for good reason. Lighter, fresher red wines are not a compromise or a stepping stone to something more serious. They are wines in their own right, often with more complexity, more food-friendliness, and more genuine drinkability than their heavier counterparts. They can be chilled. They work through a whole meal rather than overwhelming it after the second glass. And at their best, they are some of the most pleasurable wines you can open.
This guide covers the key light and medium-bodied red wine grapes worth knowing, what they taste like, where they come from, and the best bottles to try from our shelves.
What are the different types of red wine?
Light-bodied red wine
Light-bodied reds are wines with lower tannin, lower alcohol (typically 11 to 13 percent), and a colour that is often pale ruby or translucent rather than deep and opaque. They tend to be high in acidity, which gives them freshness and makes them brilliant with food. Think of them as reds that behave a little like whites: refreshing, versatile, often better slightly chilled than at room temperature.
The key light-bodied red grapes are Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cinsault, Frappato and Zweigelt. Each has a different character, but all share that quality of lightness: the sense that the wine is lively rather than heavy, fresh rather than extracted.
Medium-bodied red wine
Medium-bodied reds sit between the lightness of a Gamay and the weight of a Barossa Shiraz. They have more structure and tannin than the lightest reds, but remain food-friendly and approachable rather than overwhelming. Alcohol typically ranges from 12.5 to 14 percent. Colour is usually a solid ruby, deeper than the lightest styles but not the near-black of a full-bodied red.
The key medium-bodied grapes include Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Sangiovese and Barbera. These are grapes that offer complexity and structure without heaviness, and they are often the most versatile food wines in the whole red wine spectrum.
Full-bodied red wine
Full-bodied reds are high in tannin, high in alcohol (often 14 percent and above), and deeply coloured. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Nebbiolo and Mourvèdre are the classic examples. These are wines that need food, or time, or both. They are not what this guide is about, but understanding where they sit helps put lighter styles in context.
The best light red wines to try
Gamay and Beaujolais: bright and juicy
Gamay is the grape of Beaujolais, the region just south of Burgundy that produces some of the most immediately enjoyable red wine in France. Beaujolais Nouveau aside, which is a phenomenon unto itself, serious Beaujolais and Gamay-based wines from natural producers are among the most exciting light reds in the world.
Gamay produces wines with vivid red fruit: strawberry, cherry, raspberry, cranberry. The tannins are soft and the acidity is high, making it one of the most food-friendly reds made. Serve it cool, around 14 degrees, and it becomes one of the most refreshing red wines imaginable. The best Gamay producers, many of them natural winemakers in Beaujolais and the Loire, are making wines of real depth and character that go well beyond the simple glou glou reputation.
Try: Lapierre Raisins Gaulois Gamay | Beaujolais, France | £22 | Organic, Biodynamic, Natural
Pure Gamay from young vines at the legendary Domaine Marcel Lapierre, one of the founding estates of the natural wine movement in Beaujolais. Bright strawberry and summer fruits on the nose, tart red cherry and berries on a lively palate. Lip-smacking and best served lightly chilled. The textbook entry-point Gamay.
Try: Beaujolais, Chateau Cambon | Beaujolais, France | £24 | Natural
Made by Marie Lapierre, wife of the Gamay godfather Marcel Lapierre, in the most natural way possible. Wild forest berry fruit with notes of earth, leather and a lovely smokiness. Mellow tannins and a depth that transcends the one-dimensional Beaujolais stereotype. Best slightly chilled.
EXPLORE MORE GAMAY AND BEAUJOLAIS WINES
Pinot Noir: delicate with an earthy edge
Pinot Noir is the grape of Burgundy, and the great red wines of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune are among the most complex and age-worthy wines in the world. But Pinot Noir is also one of the lightest-bodied red grapes, and that is precisely what makes it so versatile and so interesting.
Good Pinot Noir has a translucent ruby colour, silky tannins, and a flavour profile built around red fruit (cherry, raspberry, strawberry), earth, and sometimes a forest floor or dried herb quality that gives it complexity without weight. Burgundy is the benchmark, but excellent Pinot Noir also comes from Germany (where it is called Spätburgunder), New Zealand, California's Sonoma coast, Chile, and South Africa. Natural producers across all of these regions are making Pinot Noirs of real character at more accessible prices than classic Burgundy.
Try: Andreas Bender Pinot Noir | Pfalz, Germany | £20 | Organic, Vegan
Brilliant ruby with vibrant aromas of red fruits and subtle spice. Ripe redcurrants and raspberries with a hint of vanilla from light oak ageing, balanced tannins and a clean finish. On the more generous side of Pinot Noir due to the warm Pfalz climate, but fresh and well-structured.
Try: Thorle Spätburgunder | Rheinhessen, Germany | £23
A phenomenal German Pinot Noir with the complexity and depth to challenge wines twice its price. Cherry and plum fruit with a strong scent of roses and violets, picking up spice, smoke and supple, well-integrated tannins from almost a year in used oak barrels. Brilliant with poultry, duck or mature cheese.
Cinsault: soft and gently fruity
Cinsault is one of the most underrated grapes in the natural wine world. It is widely planted across southern France and South Africa, where it tends to be used as a blending grape in the background of bigger wines. But on its own, made with care and low intervention, Cinsault produces wines of real charm: pale, soft, aromatic, with red cherry and floral notes and tannins so gentle you barely notice them.
It is one of the grapes with the least tannins of any red variety, which makes it an ideal starting point for anyone who finds red wine too drying or grippy. It also responds brilliantly to being served slightly chilled, which makes it a genuine all-year red: as welcome in summer as in winter. South Africa, where old alberello-trained Cinsault vines produce wines of surprising intensity and freshness, has become one of the most exciting places to look for the grape.
Try: Kabbelend Cinsault Paarl | Paarl, South Africa | £13 | Organic
Crunchy and juicy, with delicate florals, fresh red cherries and cranberries. A spicy, easy-drinking wine with some bite and good structure, grown from dry-farmed bushvines on the border of Paarl and Swartland. Naturally fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel. Brilliant value and a brilliant introduction to what Cinsault can do.
Try: Radford Dale Thirst Cinsault | Stellenbosch, South Africa | £19 | Sustainable, Vegan, Natural
Bright, light and crunchy, with cranberry, crunchy dark cherry character and grippy tannins. Can be served chilled. Easy drinking and versatile: works with barbecued seafood, salads, light pasta and pizza. A reliable, honest Cinsault from one of South Africa's most respected natural producers.
Zweigelt: juicy, vibrant and gently spiced
Zweigelt is Austria's most widely planted red grape and one of the great under-the-radar light reds in Europe. A crossing of Blaufränkisch and St Laurent developed in the 1920s, it produces wines with vivid red and dark fruit, a distinctive spicy note, and soft, approachable tannins. At its best it has a lively, almost peppery freshness that makes it excellent with food and ideal for slightly chilling in warmer weather.
Austria's natural wine producers have embraced Zweigelt enthusiastically, making low-intervention versions that show off the grape's fruit and freshness without the heavy hand of oak or added yeasts. If you like Pinot Noir but want to explore something less familiar at a better price point, Zweigelt is one of the best places to look.
Try: Kamptal Kollektiv Red | Kamptal, Austria | £18 | Organic
Raspberry and cherry aromas with a lovely rosehip twist. An easy-drinking, uncomplicated table red from a collaborative project that supports small family-run grape growers in converting to organic farming. We recommend serving it chilled. Honest, unpretentious and very good value.
The best medium-bodied red wines to try
Cabernet Franc: fresh and savoury
Cabernet Franc is the underrated sibling of Cabernet Sauvignon and the parent grape of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Where Cabernet Sauvignon tends towards power and structure, Cabernet Franc is more aromatic, more savoury, and considerably more versatile. The classic Loire Valley expressions, from Chinon, Saumur-Champigny and Bourgueil, are medium-bodied, fresh and food-friendly: wines with real complexity but none of the weight of Bordeaux.
The flavour profile is distinctive: red fruit alongside a savoury, herbal quality (sometimes described as graphite or iron), with a violet and iris note on the nose that is unmistakably Franc. The tannins are firm but fine, giving the wine structure without heaviness. Natural producers in the Loire and beyond are making some of the most exciting Cabernet Franc available, with low-intervention methods that preserve the grape's aromatic freshness.
Try: Domaine des Roches Neuves, Thierry Germain, Saumur-Champigny | Loire, France | £24
Lively aromas of irises, violets and red fruits, a balanced and ripe palate, harmonious and full, with a smoky finish and subtle tannins. From Thierry Germain, who arrived in the Loire from Bordeaux in 1991 and works his vineyards naturally to keep vines and soil at their healthiest. Benchmark Saumur-Champigny.
Try: Faedesfa Cabernet Franc Franko | Spain | £30 | Natural, No Added Sulphites
Delicate and light-bodied but vibrant and complex. Balsamic herbal notes, peppery spice, smooth tannins and a blood-orange freshness. Whole bunches undergo carbonic maceration before fermentation with indigenous yeasts, bottled with no fining, filtration or added sulphur. A brilliantly unconventional Cabernet Franc.
Grenache: smooth and medium-bodied
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red grapes in the world, found across southern France, Spain (where it is called Garnacha), and beyond. It produces wines that are generous and fruit-forward: red and dark cherry, strawberry, raspberry and a warm, slightly spiced character. The tannins are soft and the alcohol tends to be high, which is one reason it is so often blended with more structured grapes like Syrah and Mourvèdre.
As a single varietal wine in the natural wine world, Grenache has become increasingly exciting. Lower yields and careful winemaking produce wines with genuine elegance alongside the warmth: lighter than you might expect, with a freshness that makes them good to serve slightly cool. Old-vine Grenache from the south of France or from Spain's Navarra and Aragon regions can be remarkably complex.
Try: Chasing Rabbits Grenache Noir | Wellington, South Africa | £18 | Organic, Vegan
Crunchy, juicy and fresh, with red fruit and slightly floral notes. Grown on land previously used as communal grazing for nomadic trek farmers, fermented and aged entirely in steel to keep the fruit pure and lively. Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif or alongside lighter food. Brilliant value.
Try: Garnacha Joven, Vina Zorzal, Navarra | Navarra, Spain | £16 | Organic, Vegan
Fleshy, vibrant and bursting with red fruits, sweet spice and unmistakable Spanish warmth. From very old, low-yielding vines, hand-selected and aged for four months in a mix of French and American oak for soft roundness without overshadowing the fruit. The kind of bottle you open for one glass and somehow finish.
Sangiovese: freshness with an earthy edge
Sangiovese is the backbone of Chianti and one of Italy's great red grapes. At its best it produces wines that balance vivid cherry fruit with a distinctive earthy, savoury quality: leather, dried herbs, a slightly rustic edge that makes it feel grounded rather than flashy. The tannins are firm but not aggressive, and the acidity is naturally high, which gives Sangiovese-based wines their excellent food-pairing versatility.
The Tuscany-based versions, from Chianti, Morellino di Scansano and beyond, are the most famous. But Sangiovese is also planted across central Italy and in the hands of natural producers it can produce wines of real character at very accessible prices, particularly when winemakers choose freshness and drinkability over extraction and oak.
Try: Fattoria di Sammontana Sangiovese | Tuscany, Italy | £24
A Chianti in everything but name: the producers chose not to sacrifice their natural practices, including adding almost no sulphites, just to maintain the certification. Fruit-driven and well-structured, with a fairly dry finish. Poor nutrient soils have concentrated the grape's flavours. Honest, genuine Sangiovese from a producer doing it properly.
Barbera: generous fruit and vibrant acidity
Barbera is Piedmont's most widely planted red grape and one of the great underrated Italian varieties. It produces wines that are deeply coloured and richly fruity, with dark cherry, plum and blackberry at the core, but what sets it apart from heavier southern Italian reds is its naturally high acidity. That acidity keeps Barbera wines feeling fresh and lively even when the fruit is ripe and generous, making them excellent at the table: versatile, food-friendly and very drinkable.
Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba are the two main DOC designations. Both produce wines that range from everyday drinking to genuinely serious, age-worthy bottles in the hands of the best producers. The tannins are relatively low compared to Barolo or Barbaresco, which means Barbera is approachable young while still having enough structure to work with substantial food.
Try: Cascina Zerbetta Barbera del Monferrato | Monferrato, Piedmont, Italy | £24 | Organic
Rich and spicy, with juicy black cherries and spice, and the perfect balance of acidity and juiciness that keeps this full-bodied wine very drinkable. From a seven-hectare organic farm in Monferrato, where Paolo makes wines that express the work in the vineyard more than in the cellar. Give it some airing time to allow the flavours to develop fully.
Which red wine has the least tannins?
Tannin is the compound in red wine that creates that drying, grippy sensation on the palate. It comes from the grape skins, seeds and stems, and varies significantly between varieties. If you find red wine too drying or tannic, the grapes to look for are Cinsault, Gamay and Pinot Noir, which consistently produce wines with the lowest tannin levels of any red varieties. Grenache and Zweigelt are also relatively low in tannin. At the opposite end, Nebbiolo (Barolo), Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre produce the most tannic wines.
It is also worth knowing that how a wine is made affects tannin levels significantly. Natural wines made with whole-bunch fermentation, carbonic maceration, or shorter maceration periods tend to have softer, more approachable tannins than conventionally made wines from the same grape. This is one of the reasons that natural Gamay, Pinot Noir and Grenache from low-intervention producers can be so much more drinkable and food-friendly than their conventional equivalents.
What food goes with lighter red wine?
The great advantage of lighter reds is their versatility at the table. A few principles worth keeping in mind.
Light reds, particularly Gamay and Cinsault, work brilliantly with dishes that challenge lighter whites: charcuterie, pâté, grilled oily fish like salmon or tuna, mushroom dishes, and lightly spiced food. They also work with the food that heavier reds overwhelm: roast chicken, pork, duck, lighter pasta dishes, grain salads and vegetarian food with earthy, savoury character.
Medium-bodied reds like Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Sangiovese handle more substantial food: lamb, beef, hard cheese, rich pasta sauces, braised dishes. Barbera is particularly good alongside anything with tomato, reflecting its origins in Italian cucina.
The simplest rule: match the weight of the wine to the weight of the food. A light red alongside a light dish. A medium red alongside something with more substance. And when in doubt, serve the wine slightly chilled: most lighter reds are better at 14 to 16 degrees than at a heavy room temperature.
Discover our light and medium red wine collection
We stock a wide range of light and medium-bodied reds at Forest Wines, from entry-level everyday bottles to more serious natural and organic wines from producers doing genuinely interesting things. Browse our red wine collection and our natural wine range online, or come in to the shop in Walthamstow. We are always happy to point you towards something that fits your palate and your dinner.
