Red wine can only be made from black (or red) grapes. To make red wine the skins are an integral part of the recipe, whereas in whites they are often little more than packaging.

The skins of black grapes are important because of their “phenolic” compounds: a complex mix of colouring agents, flavouring agents and a substance called tannin. Tannin is the essential difference between red and white wines. It is a powerful preservative, and since red wines are often made to mature over many years, tannin is required to ensure the wine does not grow old prematurely. Tannin also has a taste - slightly bitter - and an effect that dries and puckers the mouth. Another substance containing large quantities of tannin is cold, stewed, strong tea. A mouthful of that will give you an idea of what tannin is all about.

The classic red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy (and their new world counterparts) are made with a hefty dose of tannin that preserves the wine and balances against the other flavour components of fruits, minerals and acids. Such wines are designed to improve over many years until they reach their peak - the point when the tannins have mellowed and the components have integrated perfectly. You need patience, suitable conditions and a healthy bank balance to get into the business of cellaring the great red wines until they each their peak.

Red wines destined for early or short term drinking (and not for “laying down”) are made with little or no tannin in their composition. However, tastes and needs change, and many fine, modern wines are made for immediate consumption. Since these wines don’t need to last several years, the bitter tannins are excluded and the wine tastes fruity, fresh and approachable upon release.

The winemaker has at his disposal a far greater range of techniques, and must make a far greater number of decisions, when making a red wine. The process is essentially the same as the white wine process: gathering the grapes, fermentation, maturation and bottling. At various stages the winemaker can intervene to change the style of the wine he is making.

The grapes are crushed, but a proportion of the stalks may be left in place. The resulting mash is run straight into the fermentation tank without pressing. Unlike white wine, the skins are part of the fermentation. Fermentation temperature varies between around 18 and 28 Celsius, as does the length of fermentation between a few days and six weeks. The fermentation vats may be concrete, steel or, traditionally, oak.

The high quality “free run” wine is poured straight into barrels or stainless steel to rest and mature. The remaining mulch of juice, skins, and stalks is pressed, to extract a strong, tannic liquid known as “press-wine”, a proportion of which is often blended back in at a later stage to add body, tannin and strength to the finished wine.

Most of the great red wines are matured in oak barrels. This is an expensive and labour intensive process. Oak from ancient French forests is generally agreed to be the finest, imparting a subtle vanilla, toasty flavour. American oak is also very popular and is cheaper. It is regarded as imparting a “bigger”, less subtle, spicy flavour to wine. Oak from the Ukraine, Poland and Slovenia is very old and fine and is the cheapest of all, but many experts find it is not flavourful enough.

Prior to bottling the wine must be cleared. Traditional fining is widely practised, but use of filters and centrifuges to remove absolutely all micro-solids from the wine is highly controversial. Wine is a living thing. Tiny biological changes take place over years as the wine matures in the bottle and many people believe that heavy handed filtration destroys the wine’s ability to age and improve. This is why many red wines must be decanted before serving: to run the wine off from solid deposits.

There are just as many flavour profiles amongst red wines as white. Some grapes, like the cabernet sauvignon take quite easily to a variety of growing conditions, whilst others, such as the pinot noir, seem unhappy anywhere outside their home in Burgundy.

Cabernet Sauvignon - the classic Bordeaux wine grape. A “serious” wine, with intensity and ageing potential which marries very well with the flavour of oak, blackcurrant, cedar, pencil shavings, peppers, mint, chocolate, tobacco.

Merlot - the 2nd great grape of Bordeaux - most Bordeaux is a blend of these 2 grapes along with small amounts of some others. It is a very rich, plummy, spicy grape which lends softness to the sometimes rather serious cabernet with plums, roses, spice, fruitcake, blackcurrant, pencil shavings.

Pinot Noir - The great red grape of Burgundy. It is very fragrant and should be silky with heady fruit and sometimes gamey complexity with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, violets, roses, game, compost, manure.

Syrah - the great red grape of the Rhone. Planted outside France it is known as the Shiraz. Huge and complex, rich, spicy and “manly” with raspberries, blackberries, pepper, cloves, spice, leather, game, tar.

Other important red wine grapes include:

Cabernet Franc - green peppers, blackcurrant, leaves, chocolate.

Gamay - the grape of Beaujolais. Beaujolais style wines employ a unique method of fermentation called Carbonic Maceration, or whole berry fermentation, which produces light bodied and coloured wine that is fruity, low in tannin and made for early drinking.

Sangiovese - the grape of Chianti. Full, firm, dry, spicy, tobacco and herbs.

Tempranillo - the grape of Rioja, usually with plenty of spicy, vanilla oak.

Zinfandel - unique to California. Its origins are a mystery, but it is believed to be descended from the Italian primitivo. Full blooded, spicy, powerful, alcoholic.

In the next part of the series we will learn all about sparkling wines.

To take part in educational and entertaining wine tasting sessions and other wine activities regularly, you may join the Royal Cliff Wine Club. For membership details, you may contact me directly.

Ranjith Chandrasiri is the resident manager of the Royal Cliff Grand, Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya, Thailand.