How they’re made
- Red: dark grapes crushed and fermented with their skins for days or weeks.
- White: usually green grapes, pressed first, juice fermented alone.
- Rosé: dark grapes with only a few hours of skin contact.
- Orange wine: white grapes fermented with skins, like a red.
Taste
Reds bring tannin (that drying grip) and darker fruit; whites bring acidity and citrus, orchard or tropical fruit. Both can be light or full, dry or sweet.
Food
The old “red with meat, white with fish” rule is a decent start. Better: match weight (light dish, light wine) and sauce (tomato → high-acid red like Sangiovese; cream → rich white like Chardonnay). Explore 40+ dishes in our pairing guide.
Health
Red wine has more polyphenols (like resveratrol) from the skins, but the amounts are small; any benefits don’t outweigh alcohol’s risks. Calories are similar (mostly from alcohol) at roughly 120-130 per glass for dry wine.
