Shining light

Fruit-forward, vibrant, foodfriendly and extremely drinkable. What’s not to love about lighter styles of red wine?

Get to know fruit-forward and immensely drinkable lighter styles of red wine.

WHETHER IT’S ROSÉ, prosecco, moscato or even Marlborough sauvignon blanc, there’s always something trending when it comes to wine. But the latest isn’t a grape or a region that’s firmly in fashion – it’s a style. Lighter red wines have taken centre stage.

These fresh, vibrant wines are often made to drink young, generally with moderate alcohol and a high drinkability factor. The move towards this style of wine has ramped up over the past couple of years, following what’s been happening in Europe. It’s driven in part by winemakers slightly changing their approach, but also by wine lovers who travel and seek to relive their wine experiences on return home.

Anthony D’Anna, importer and retailer at Boccaccio Cellars in Melbourne, has witnessed first-hand the rise of lighter red wines. “For a number of years, I have seen a shift from heavier, plush-style reds to lighter, more savoury style wines,” he says. “So many people go to Sicily, Spain, Greece, you name it... When people travel, it opens their eyes to different foods, different wines and different wine styles, and you see that when they come back in [to our wine store] and they hunt for a greco from Puglia or something that’s slightly different.

“I think the Europeans are ahead of the curve and we’re slowly catching up to where the rest of the world is. When I say lighter, the wines can still be 14 per cent alcohol, but they carry themselves in a different way.”

This can especially be seen in the wines of Italy’s Mount Etna, commonly made with the grape variety nerello mascalese. “They’re light and savoury, similar to pinot noir, and their alcohol is high, still 14 per cent, but there’s a lightness to them,” Anthony says.