Red wine is different from white wine in several aspects including how it’s made, proper serving temperatures, and its health benefits. It also has developed a reputation as a robust, rich drink to be savored with a cigar or a good steak.  It is the masculine wine

when red wine is made, it gets its color from the grape’s skin. The grapes are crushed and the skins are left in the juice.  Tannins and flavanoids, healthy antioxidants, are naturally occurring substances found in the grape skins that are released into the wine.  Since the skins are left in during the winemaking process, red wines have a much higher level of flavanoids and tannins than white wine.

Health Benefits

Everyone knows red wine has healthy affects on the body, but what are those health benefits? And why are they mostly present in red wine and not white?
Because red wine is made by leaving the grape skins in for a period of time, the antioxidant flavanoids have a chance to be released into the wine.  Studies have shown that antioxidants like catechins and resveratrol prevent free-radicals from destroying cells in the body.  They also boost the immune system, prevent some types of cancer, and prevent heart disease.

Serving Recommendations

Red wine should be served at a warmer temperature than white wine. 57-68 °F is a perfect temperature for reds.  Room temperature is thought to be reasonable for red wine.  However, some prefer it a bit cooler during the summer. Nowadays, every wine seems to have its own glass.  Generally red wine is served in a larger bowl shaped glass than white wines, but red can be served in a traditional 10 oz wine glass.  Keep in mind that when serving red wine, you should never fill the glass more than two thirds full. Some European studies and a 2003 Harvard study has demonstrated that resveratrol may prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease by preserving cognitive function in the elderly. 

Keep in mind that healthful benefits of red wine come from moderate consumption of one to two glasses a day.  Anything more than that and the healthful effects decrease.  So, more is definitely not better in this case.

Red Wine Aging

After wine has been in the bottle for a while, it changes. The strong fruity tastes begin to mellow. the astringent tannins in red wine relax and start feeling smooth in your mouth. Once the strong tannins take a backseat, the more subtle flavors can make an appearance.
With age, red wine’s most powerful flavors subside and all the smells and tastes will blend and swirl together. And people pay a premium for that process. But if you love cabernet because of all the blackberry fruit tastes, you might not like it to be aged. And, let’s not forget the time and trouble of storing the wine to enable the aging process.  This alone can drive up the cost of premium aged red wine.