Full-bodied red wines are characterized by their mouth-coating density.

So what are the biggest full-bodied red wines out there? Pay attention to a wines color and youll notice darker wines tend to be bolder. This is because a large portion of the flavor comes from the skins of the grapes. As you may already know, some grapes have thicker skins than others.

Top 10 Darkest Full-Bodied Red Wines in the World

Douro Reds Indigenous grapes from the Douro including Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional taste of fresh blueberries and violets. Petite Sirah High tannin and blackberry are prevalent flavors in the natural cross of Syrah and esoteric French variety Peloursin. Mourvedre Meaty flavors and black in color make this wine a popular selection to a small group of hardcore followers. Shiraz A marketing success for Australia in the late 1980s, it worked because of Shirazs sweet tobacco finish Syrah Tasting of black olives to Red Velvet cake, Syrah hits your palate upfront and tapers off to the tingle of acidity. Nero DAvola A value wine from Sicily tasting of licorice, black cherry and leather. Oak aging deepens and makes Nero DAvola lush and opulent. Malbec Grown in high altitudes to increase acidity, this black-staining grape has blueberry and vanilla flavors when aged in oak. Priorat An area with extreme schist-rock soils that uses Grenache and Cabernet to make very inky, highly sought-after wines. Cabernet Sauvignon* The classic full-bodied red wine from France that outputs pepper and cedar flavors along with loads of fruit Merlot* When aged in American oak, merlot has higher tannin and savory tobacco flavors along with the classic taste of black cherry pie. *Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are technically medium-colored wines because they are semi-transparent

Malolactic Fermentation After the wine is fermented, an additional fermentation called Malo-lactic fermentation (MLF) will increase the texture. MLF is basically just altering the type of acid in a wine. Malic acid is the same acid that is in apples. Lactic acid is smooth, like the creaminess of whole milk. Starting a malolactic fermentation involves a different kind of yeast that gobbles up malic acid and poops out lactic acid. If you want a rounder more creamy feeling wine, look for a wine that has undergone what winemakers sometimes call Full malolactic conversion.

Oak Aging Oak aging not only adds tannin but it adds esters to wine including vanillan. Oak esters and tannin help balance out the harshness of a wine and add body. The newer the oak, the more it affects the wine. New oak barrels will often be toasted, which actually means torched with a fire. The torching caramelizes the oak and in some instances turns some of the oak to charcoal. Terroir - Terroir (French pronunciation: [twa] from terre, "land") is the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with plant genetics, express in agricultural products such as wine,coffee, chocolate, hops, tomatoes, heritage wheat, and tea.

Climate / Soil type / Topography

- Grand cru (French for great growth[citation needed]) is a regional wine classification that designates a vineyard known for its favorable reputation in producing wine. Although often used to describe grapes, wine or cognac, the term is not technically a classification of wine quality per se, but is intended to indicate the potential of the vineyard or terroir. It is the highest level of classification of AOC wines from Burgundy or Alsace. - Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot,Malbec and rarely Carmnre.[9] Today Carmnre is rarely used, withChteau Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carmnre vines. - The next process in the making of red wine is secondary fermentation. This is a bacterial fermentation which converts malic acid to lactic acid. This process decreases the acid in the wine and softens the taste of the wine.