10 Low Tannin Red Wine Styles: Best Bottles, Prices (2024)
Tannins add structure and balance to your wines and are predominantly found in red wines. Though most high tannin labels are healthy and age-worthy, their bitterness may often leave you with a dry mouthfeel.
If you’re a wine drinker who prefers a lighter tipple with a softer mouthfeel and more delicate red fruit notes, a low tannin red wine can be an ideal pick.
In this article, we’ll explore the 10 best low tannin red wine styles, the top bottles to buy, the delicious foods to pair with them, and how tannins are formed in wine.
Further reading
10 Low Tannin Red Wines and the Best Bottles to Buy in 2024
Here are 10 fantastic low tannin reds:
1. Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned red wine grape that produces light to medium-bodied wines with low tannin levels. The low tannin content also makes it a great addition to some Rose, sparkling, and white wine (vin gris) blends.
The Pinot Noir grape comes from the Burgundy region of France but is also popular in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.
The Pinot Noir varietal wine presents an addictive licorice and spice bouquet in a palate of intense cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate notes.
The 2018 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny Grand Cru 'Cuvee Vieilles Vignes' ($904) is a great low tannin Pinot Noir to try.
2. Barbera
Barbera is a red wine grape from Piedmont in Northern Italy that produces light-bodied, fruity wines with low tannins. Besides Italy, Barbera is grown in the United States, Argentina, and South Africa.
Barbera undergoes maceration, malolactic fermentation, and aging in an oak barrel during winemaking. It develops a better structure and an earthy flavor profile after cellaring.
Licorice and leather aromas complement the wine’s delicious sour cherry and red fruit palate.
The 2011 Giacomo Conterno Vigna Francia Barbera d'Alba ($103) is a fantastic red wine with low tannin content.
3. Dolcetto
This dark-skinned Italian grape produces wines with high acidity and alcohol levels. The wine’s firm tannins are softened during the fermentation process.
The Dolcetto grape is resistant to extreme climatic conditions and is planted at higher altitudes in Italy’s Piedmont region, Australia, and the United States.
The wine’s primary tasting notes of dark chocolate, raspberry, and blueberry are followed by delicate hints of plum and licorice.
If you’re looking for a red wine that doesn’t overwhelm you with tannins, try the 2018 Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba ($58.)
4. Etna Rosso
Etna Rosso, known as ‘Burgundy of the Mediterranean,’ is a fruity, light-bodied wine produced from the Nerello Mascalese grape variety. The grape is native to Sicily’s Mt. Etna region in Italy and has recently regained popularity.
Etna Rosso has low tannins, delicate sweetness and pleasant acidity (similar to Pinot Noir.) The delectable wine presents spice, leather, and licorice aromas with cherry and berry flavors.
A bottle of the 2019 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Prephylloxera 'La Vigna di Don Peppino' Calderara Sottana Rosso Etna ($122) is an excellent low-tannin Etna Rosso.
5. Frappato
The Frappato red wine grape produces a light-bodied, low tannin varietal wine but is also used in complex Nero d’Avola blends.
The wine is native to Sicily and needs a short cellaring period. The Frappato wine has balanced acidity and an irresistible strawberry and earthy flavor profile.
For a fruity low-tannin red wine, get your hands on the 2016 Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti PT Vino di Contrada Terre Siciliane IGT ($74.)
6. Gamay
The Gamay grape produces a dry wine with very low tannin content and high acidity.
Beaujolais, Loire Valley, and Northern Rhone in France are the leading producers of low-tannin Gamay wines. To make Gamay wine, the winemaker uses whole grape clusters (which undergo carbonic maceration.) The flavor profile includes red and blueberry fruit flavors with a bitter aftertaste.
The 2013 Domaine Jean Foillard Morgon 'Cuvee 3.14' ($432) is a fantastic low tannic wine you can try.
7. Grenache
The French Grenache from Roussillon (also known as Garnacha in Spain) has medium tannin levels. While collectible Grenache wines have substantial tannins, affordable labels often show less bitterness and lower tannin content.
The full-bodied Grenache wine offers dominant raspberry fruit flavors with hints of candied orange rind.
You can sample the 2016 Domaine de la Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes ($69) to enjoy a wonderful low-tannin red wine.
8. Schiava
Schiava is one of the sweetest, light-bodied wines with low tannin levels. It is nicknamed the ‘cotton candy wine’ and shares several similarities with Pinot Noir. The wine is primarily produced in Northern Italy and Germany from the Schiava grape variety. It boasts a fruity palate with strawberry and cotton candy flavor notes and low alcohol levels.
The 2013 Pranzegg 'Fuori Serie' ($51) is an exquisite sweet, low-tannin Schiava wine you can try.
9. Bobal
Bobal is a drought-resistant, late-ripening grape variety that thrives in the southern Spain climate. Bobal has comparatively lower tannins than the bolder Spanish Rioja and Monastrell wines.
The wine is fruit-driven with blueberry notes and subtle licorice hints. It is sometimes blended with Tempranillo to enhance the wine’s character and structure.
You can relish a low tannin fruity Bobal like the 2012 Mustiguillo 'Quincha Corral' El Terrerazo Vino de Pago ($80.)
10. Lambrusco
There are several Lambrusco grape variations with different tannin levels. When picking a low tannin Lambrusco, keep an eye out for the right grape variety.
For example, the Lambrusco Grasparossa grape variety produces highly tannic wines.
On the other hand, Lambrusco di Sorbara sparkling wine is the Lambrusco wine style with the lowest tannin content. This bubbly is a dry wine with berry flavors and earthy undertones.
The 2020 Podere Il Saliceto 'Falistra' Lambrusco di Sorbara ($26) is the perfect low-tannin red sparkling wine for you.
Best Food Pairings with Low Tannin Red Wines
Low tannin wines like Pinot Noir have a light character which makes them the perfect match for dishes like:
- Mushroom appetizers
- Baked fish
- French Comte
- Pasta
- Cheese
- Roast chicken
- Duck
- Grilled red meat like pork and lamb
How Are Tannins Formed in Wines?
Tannins are astringent, phenolic compounds found in the stem, seeds, and grape skin.
The differences in grape variety, fermentation technique, and the aging process can affect the wine tannin levels:
- Grape variety: Wine grapes produce tannins and other anthocyanin compounds during ripening. The tannins also develop in the grape skin with increased sun exposure.
So, vineyards with ample sunlight yield tannin-rich grapes that produce a high tannin wine.
The thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Nebbiolo grapes have high tannin levels, while the thin-skinned varieties like Pinot Noir contain lower tannins.
Fermentation: Winemakers enhance wine tannins during vinification by:
- Fermentingwhole grape clusters (grapes with stems)
- Prolonging maceration to release more tannins from the grapes
- Performing repeated punch-overs and push-downs to increase contact between the juice and the must
- Controlling oxidation while fermenting the wine to enhance tannin extraction
- Aging process:Aging wine in an oak barrel transfers tannins from the oak to the wine. But when a wine ages in the bottle, its tannins undergo polymerization and settle at the bottom, giving the wine a more refined tannic mouthfeel.
High tannin red wine styles have greater aging potential because the tannins soften with time, enhancing the wine’s flavor complexity.
Enjoy the Perfect Balance of A Low Tannin Red Wine
For a change, switch from the tannic wine styles of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah, or Petit Verdot to a lighter label. If you’re a wine drinker looking for bold flavors with a refreshing mouthfeel, get your hands on a spectacular low tannin red from our wine list.
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