Red wines, certainly more complex in the evaluation than whites, are generally considered, in the common sense about this subject, the ones that usually are associated with the idea of wine. These types of wine, produced with different methods than whites, have specific organoleptic characteristics which requires an adequate evaluation strategy in order to find out and appreciate their best properties. In general terms, what is usually adopted for white wines, does not have the same efficiency when applied to red wines, mainly because of the presence of other factors usually absent in any other style of wine. The differences are clearly evident as soon as appearance is considered, aromas are different as well, most of the time are the result of the aging in a cask, and in the flavor are usually found elements which are absent in other wines, such as astringency.

 The color of red wine, even when it is quickly evaluated, allow the determination of some of its main characteristics. The range of colors in this type of wine is rather vast, determined by the type of grape, area and cultivation practices, the way the grape was turned into wine and the evolution process, in other words, its aging level. A first consideration that can be made about the colors of these wines is that, contrary to white wine which tends to get darker in color as time goes by, red wines tend to get lighter in color with time.

 Talking about colors in red wines it should be said that, as opposed to what it is usually believed, the intensity of its color is not always a sign of quality. The intensity in red wines must be considered according to the variety of grape used for its production and, in particular, the coloring capacity of the grape, that is, the quantity of pigments it contains, last but not the least, the way they were transformed into wine. A red wine having a color not much intense could indicate an absolutely normal condition and coherent with some types of grapes, however, it could also indicate a short period of maceration, or grapes from harvests of high yields or from a particularly rainy season. In order to make this concept clearer, it could be useful to observe the color of two wines very different from each other, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Pinot Noir, and realizing that, no matter they both are excellent wines, the one produced with Pinot Noir will certainly have a less intense color when compared to the other. Not all the grapes are the same, and this is true for the color of wines they produce.

 In youth red wines will show, in a more or less evident way and according to the grape used for their production, strong blue or purple nuances, mainly observable in the rim of the liquid mass while keeping the glass tilted. As time goes by, these blue and purple nuances will tend to disappear and the color of wine will get a more strong red tint, in particular ruby red, and it will subsequently get garnet tints and, as the aging process goes by, red tints will tend to diminish while getting orange or brick tints, and therefore getting, at the end of its life cycle, brown or mahogany colors, a sure sign the decay has finally come to an end or because of strong oxidations. It should be however observed that by evaluating the evolution of colors it can be uniquely determined the process of the aging evolution of a wine, not its age considered as the quantity of years passed from harvest. The velocity at which the aging process takes place depends on many factors, among the many, the kind of grape used to make the wine and how the wine was kept, and the quantity of time in which a wine reaches a specific level of aging is variable from wine to wine. It must also be considered that the most reliable information about the level of aging of wine can be determined by observing the colors nuances, that is the color of the rim of the liquid mass in a tilted glass, instead of its tint, that is the overall color of the liquid mass. The following list contains the most common tints in red wines and the information that can be determined:

• Purplish Red - This is the typical color of young wines, and in case blue or violet tints are very evident, it could also be the sign of an immature wine whose fermentation process ended recently. However it should be observed not all young wines show this color; the many species of grapes have quantities and qualities of pigments rather different from one each other, therefore grapes which are rich in blue/violet pigments will usually tend to produce wines that in youth will be characterized by this color and in other cases, the purplish tint will be evident even when the wine will have reached an advanced level of aging
• Ruby Red - Represents the color of the first aging level which follows youth and the loss of the purplish tint. In general terms, red wines get this color after about one or two years of aging. This color is certainly the most common one in red wines and, in particular wines produced with specific grapes, this could also indicate the best aging level, the one that would allow the best appreciation. In case of wines destined to long aging periods, this color should be considered as a sign of youth
• Garnet Red - This color usually indicates a wine whose aging process is proceeding towards maturity while leaving its youth time. According to the type of wine as well as the grape used to make it, this color is usually observable after two or four years of aging and it can accompany the evolution of red wines even for many years before getting to a full and complete maturation
• Brick/Orange Red - Represents the tint which is typical in wines that finally reached full and complete maturation conducted in excellent keeping conditions. It should be observed that not all type of wines, according to the grapes used for their production and the technique of wine making, can reach this level while keeping at the same time excellent organoleptic characteristic. For some wines, that certainly should have been consumed earlier in their youth, this color indicates the loss and the degradation of their best characteristics. It must also be observed that this color can also be caused by oxidation, therefore the wine is not appreciable anymore. In case oxidation occurred, this can be easily confirmed by the olfactory evaluation. This color, when observed in young wines, can be the sign of a rapid aging probably because of a too high keeping temperature. The time needed for wines kept in the best conditions to get to this color, in general terms, can vary from five to ten years, in some wines, it could also take longer
• Mahogany - In case this color is observed in wine's tint, that is in its overall color, it is the result of a strong and excessive oxidation as well as being sign of some degenerative diseases, therefore the wine is not drinkable anymore. This color can be considered as a positive sign only and uniquely in rare, very rare cases and when met in wines of excellent and magnificent quality, which reached the apex of an extraordinary aging process conducted in excellent and impeccable keeping conditions. It can be observed, in case of such magnificent wines, after an aging period in bottle for more than twenty years and, often, these wines can remain in excellent conditions for many other tens of years, before taking their way for decay. Once again, it must be said this condition belongs to few, very few wines; most of the cases, as well as when amber nuances are being observed, when this tint is present in wines aged for some years, it always represents a negative factor

 The aromatic range of red wines is rather vast, in particular, it is rather high the expectations of the taster when he or she is about to taste a red wine. These types of wine are considered, at least for the majority of wine lovers, the ones which are usually associated to the idea of wine, therefore one usually expects from these wines superior characteristics because of this “prejudice”. Indeed, the aromatic variety in reds seems to be more complex because of its higher versatility and suitability to aging, a characteristic which allows aromas to evolve and to get “important” connotations. However it should be remembered that red wines are produced with a fruit, the grape, and therefore will be the aromas of fruit, just like in any other wine, the ones that will be more frequently perceived in its olfactory assessment.

 Whereas in white wines are frequently found aromas of flowers, in red wines are fruit aromas the ones that will prevail, in particular fruits having a red pulp or skin, such as raspberry, strawberry and cherry, or black, such as black currant, blackberry and blueberry. However aromas of flowers can be found as well, even though they are less frequent than fruit, such as rose, violet, peony and cyclamen. Aromas of fresh fruit will be common is young red wines as well as in those wines which are beginning their aging process. As time passes by, aromas of fruit start to evolve and to turn into cooked fruit, in particular jams, and subsequently in candied fruit. Even aromas of dried fruit, such as hazelnut or dried fig, can be found during the aging process in a red wine and these aromas can be perceived after a very long time of aging. In red wines can also be perceived, during the aging process, aromas of seasoning and aromatic herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and mint.

 During the evolution of the aging process in red wines, other aromas develop as well, usually having nothing in common with fruit, as a consequence both of production factors and of evolution. The most easy ones to be perceived are the ones passed by wood to wine during the aging in cask. These aromas can resemble toasted, smoked and vanilla. Moreover, “unusual” aromas can be perceived as well, such as coffee, cocoa, chocolate and tobacco, as well as spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper. In some wines, as a consequence of long time of aging, there can also be perceived aromas of tar. An aroma which is often found in red wines, particularly in quality wines, is licorice, an elegant aroma that, when present, gives wine a touch of class.

 The long aging of wines in bottle can result in reductive conditions, that is the progressive diminishing of oxygen, and as time goes by, it contributes to the formation and to the development of particular and complex aromas, as a consequence of years of patient and long aging. The aromas which usually originates from this condition are of animal and foxy nature, a condition which is usually preceded, in those wines which are subject to this kind of evolution, by aromas of leather. The series of “animal” aromas evolves with time until getting real and proper smells of animal's fur, wet fur and game, as well as aromas of civet and musky secretions.

 Moreover, the aromatic range in red wines is enriched, in some cases, with balsamic essences, such as eucalyptus, pine, resin and incense, as well as aromas of vegetal origin such as bell pepper and truffle. In particular, the aroma of bell pepper, especially the green one, can be indicative about the variety of grape, as well as the maturation level of grapes used to make the wine. This aroma particularly indicates the presence of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, sometimes it can be perceived in Merlot grape as well, however it can be perceived in wines produced with grapes not perfectly mature at the time of harvesting. Another aroma which usually indicates a specific type of grape is the one of black pepper, generally associated to Syrah grape, however it can also be found in other wines, especially when are aged in cask. Violet is an aroma which usually identifies Nebbiolo and Sangiovese grapes, as well as rose is a characteristic of Brachetto grape.

 During the gustatory evaluation, red wines are usually more complex than white wines. The main cause of this “complexity” is astringency, because of the presence of tannins, both passed from cask's wood and the ones extracted from grape's skins. Astringency in red wines, caused by tannins, is usually the element which plays a fundamental role in the determination of balance. A fundamental element which is capable of balancing astringency in red wines is alcohol and, besides that, it is also responsible for balancing any acidity or sapidity in wine. Diagram shown in figure illustrates the relation among the many elements present in red wines responsible for balance.

 It must be observed tannins and acidity tend to exalt one each other, therefore a red wine, in order to be balanced, in case is characterized by a high quantity of tannins it will have a pretty low acidity, on the other hand, a crisp red wine, that is having an evident acidity, will not have much tannins. As a consequence, alcohol, responsible for the burning sensation in the mouth, must be present in adequate quantities in order to balance the sum of quantities of both tannins and acid.