Light red wines emphasise freshness, acidity and drinkability, offering bright fruit flavours and gentle tannins.
Beginner-friendly guides designed to help you understand wine with confidence.
The best wine with seafood is crisp, high-acid white wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño. Their freshness complements delicate seafood flavours without overpowering them. Chardonnay, Vermentino and Muscadet are also excellent choices depending on how the seafood is prepared.
Off-dry Riesling is the best all-round wine for spicy food because its refreshing acidity and gentle sweetness help balance chilli heat while complementing aromatic flavours. Gewürztraminer and sparkling wine are excellent alternatives.
There isn’t a single “best” wine with salmon, but Pinot Noir is often considered the most versatile overall choice thanks to its bright acidity, silky tannins and delicate red fruit. For sashimi, choose dry Riesling or Champagne. For grilled salmon, Chardonnay and Gamay are excellent alternatives.
Gamay is a light to medium-bodied red grape best known from Beaujolais in France. It typically offers flavours of red cherry, raspberry, strawberry and violet, with fresh acidity and soft tannins. Its approachable style, and food-friendly character make it one of the easiest red wines to enjoy.
Pinot Noir is an elegant red grape that produces light- to medium-bodied wines with bright acidity, soft tannins and flavours of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, rose and earthy notes. Originally from Burgundy, it now excels in cool-climate regions worldwide.
Choose low-tannin, fruit-forward reds like Pinot Noir, Gamay, Grenache, or Merlot for the smoothest introduction to red wine. If red wine has seemed bitter or heavy before, you may have started with the wrong bottle.
Second Glass
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