Wine Is Beautiful!

WineDiets.Com finds Cabernet as a perfect red wine to use for your red wine diet but does not want you to feel confined to red wine only. Therefore we list a few alternate choices below:

Cabernet Sauvignon
Though the Bordeaux region is famous for Cabernet-based blends—powerful wines with ripe, dark fruit flavors, California's Cabernets have become stars in America. 

Carménère

Another one-time French-only grape has become the signature grape of Chile.  However, its soft, round tannins, low acids, and flavors of herbs, blackberry, plum, smoke, and sweet spice flavors are beginning to make this grape more noticed in America. It is grown in small quantities in California and the Walla Wallaregion of Washington. Enjoy some ham, burritos, pizza or nice sausage with this red. 

Grenache/Garnacha
Known as Garnacha in Spain and as Grenache elsewhere, this red grape is also grown in the San Joaquin Valley in California. Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grapes in the world. It likes the hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, which is more than likely, the origin country of the grape. 

Malbec
Centuries ago its origins are the Bordeaux region of France.  Malbec is one of my favorites. To me, it is a cross between a Merlot and a Cabernet. This Old World grape is a favorite planting in Argentina. Malbec has most of its planting in Argentina, In the United States, Malbec grapes are mostly (85%) found in California. 

Merlot
Looked upon as softer than Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is blessed with medium tannins and acids. It is a popular stand-alone varietal as well as a major blending grape in Bordeaux.  Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, Merlot is one of the primary grapes used inBordeaux wine, California Merlot consumption in 2014 was about 18 million cases. 

Nebbiolo
This is the Italian grape responsible for the famous Italian reds of Barolo and Barbaresco. For American wineries, the experience of growing and producing wine with Nebbiolo has been notoriously challenging. Production and quality levels are often inconsistent from year to year. Some attribute this to the grape having a reputation for needing well-established vineyards. In Italy, the traditional view is that vineyards must be at least 40 years old to produce quality wine. 

Pinot Noir
Wines from Burgundy in France use this grape. Other regions of the world including New Zealand, Oregon, and California have also had great success with Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir grape is much more delicate than cabernet sauvignon. It has a pale color when in the glass and its acidity can be described as quite zesty. Its thin black skinned grapes are tightly wound in bunches and so the grape struggles to gather necessary precious sun. It prefers growing areas with a long spring and fall. Though temperamental, vintners and connoisseurs alike find that the extra effort to produce these grapes is worth it when the resulting wine is so complex and interesting. The taste of Pinot Noir can be described with flavors ranging from cranberries to black cherries. The grape and therefore the wine has great variation 

Sangiovese (Chianti)
Known as Chianti in America, this is the most widely planted red grape in Italy. The Sangiovese grape used in Chianti is found in all corners of the world. Its origin is central Italy. It has traveled across the world including to America thanks to Italian immigrants. The California variety found sudden popularity in the 1980s when winemakers were looking for red wine alternatives to the standard French Bordeaux varietals.
 

Shiraz (Syrah)

Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape known by both names. The French like to use Syrah in their Rhône reds, while in Australia, Shiraz is the name and the wine has become increasingly popular down under. It is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. The style and flavor of Syrah wines depends on the climate where the grapes are grown. Moderate climates (Northern Rhone Valley & Walla Walla) produce medium to full-bodied wines with medium-plus to high levels of tannins and flavors of blackberry, mint and black pepper notes. Hot climates (Crete, Barossa Valley of Australia), produce a more consistently full-bodied vintage with softer tannin, jammier fruit and spice notes of liquorice, anise and earthy leather. 

Zinfandel
The Zinfandel grape is widely grown in California. Its flavor varies from fruity to full-bodied, and produces wines that range from structured reds to somewhat sweet pink wines, depending on the way it is vinified. The white zinfandel is pink as the grape itself is red and the shade of pink depends on how long the skins are kept with the wine. Red Zinfandel is rich and full-bodied..