A Walk on the Ligher Side...of Reds

I had occasion to do a tasting of thin-skinned red grapes with a tasting group of which I am a part.

DORKY, I know, yet useful so I thought I'd share some observations.

In normal terms, thin-skinned grapes make wines that don't have the color, tannin, and general brawn of thicker skinned grapes. It makes sense when you figure that wines with that aforementioned stuff get it from contact with their big 'ole thick skins when the juice ferments in a vat. No thick skin, lighter wine. Easy math.

So there are lots of thin-skinned red grapes in the world, but some common ones that all of us wine enthusiasts encounter are Sangiovese (the main grape in Chianti), Grenache (the main grape in Cotes-du-Rhone), Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Gamay (used in Beaujolais from France) and everyone's favorite, Pinot Noir. That's a lot to swallow (literally), so I'll just run down the ones I thought were pretty interesting from a contrast standpoint -- Sangiovese, Grenache, and Pinot Noir -- and highlight the differences between them so when you're shopping for a lighter red, you can easily figure out what to get. If you want more info, comment and I'll post on the others too...just don't want to bore you.

First on the docket: Sangiovese.
Where it lives: Although it's grown in the US, Australia, South Africa, and parts of South America, the home of the grape (whose name means blood of Jupiter, the king of the gods) is Italy, and more specifically, Tuscany.
Color: Sangiovese is pretty light in color and tends to be orange or even brownish.
Smell: I feel like the wine almost smells like it looks -- rustic and kind of dirt-like or metallic, with a whiff of orange peel.
Taste: The wine tastes like it smells. It usually has a cherry or cranberry flavor and is a little bitter. It's got high acid, usually some tannin (if there are other things like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot blended in, it's pretty good mouth-puckering, drying tannin) and, to me, tastes like a dusty road, a cup of tea, and tart cherry all in a liquid package.
Good Food Options: Anything Italian with a tomato based sauce is a friend to this wine. No shocker there, I know but I'll risk being Master of the Obvious for thoroughness.
Wine Tried for the Tasting: Poggio alla Sala, Chianti Colli Senesi, 2007, $15.

Next, Grenache (AKA Garnacha and a few other names).
Where it lives: It's the main grape in the Southern Rhone in France, an important grape in it's home country of Spain (where it's called Garnacha), the US, on Sardinia off the coast of Italy (called Cannanou and tastes really different), and in Australia (where it is frequently part of "GSM" blends -- Grenache, Shiraz. Mourvedre, which are all delicious grapes originally from the Rhone in France).
Color: Grenache is a funny grape. It's generally very light in color. That said, some viticulturists reduce yields dramatically and the wine turns a rich purple/ruby hue (I love Clarendon Hills from Australia. Huge wine, but this is a great example of rich Grenache).
Smell: Grenache is usually blended with Syrah and Mourvedre in the Rhone, Tempranillo in Rioja, Spain, and Cinsault in Provence Rose wines. If you do get a varietal standalone, Grenache smells like spice, black pepper, raspberry, and strawberry. It can smell rustic, but unlike Chianti, it is usually really high in alcohol so it's a bit of a cilia singer. Also different from Chianti, Grenache or Garnacha has a lot herbal and lavender scents and can even smell like licorice.
Taste: In contrast to our Italian friend, Garnacha or Grenache tends to be very low in tannin and higher in alcohol. Its fruits are red berry with a little black fruitiness and the wine almost always has a spice/black pepper component. The wine can taste rustic, but it doesn't taste quite as dirty or dusty to me as Chianti does.
Good Food Options: For whatever reason, I think Grenache is the worst pairing with anything tomato-based. Vile with pizza, FYI. Stick with grilled veggies, stews, and braised meats. Usually it's going to be blended with Syrah anyway, so you'll want to pair it with richer foods since Syrah is so powerful in flavor.
Wine Tried for the Tasting: Las Rocas Garnacha, 2007. Calatayud, Spain. $12

Finally Pinot Noir.
Where it lives: Pinot is native to Burgundy France and is at its most awesome there. It's also one of the primary grapes in Champagne (look for Blanc de Noirs for 100% Pinot Noir). That said, since that movie Sideways, the whole world has gone bananas for it and now it's grown everywhere (although it's often grown poorly and tastes terrible). From Germany, where it's called Spatburgunder, to Italy, where it's Pinot Nero, to the US to South Africa to Moldova, to New Zealand (where it's delicious), nearly every region has a version of this really hard-to-grow, not supposed to be overcropped (or blended with Syrah/Merlot/Cab to decrease the price of it) grape.
Color: Well, there are somewhere between 200 and 1000 Pinot Noir clones (as a reference point, Cabernet Sauvignon has 12), so the color ranges a bit depending on what clone was in the vineyard. The standard Burgundy color tends to be a more ruby-red, but they can be maroon or even pinkish. No matter how you slice it, the wine is not a deep black like a Syrah or Malbec could be. It's light - which is the mark of a thin-skinned grape.
Smell: A traditional Pinot will smell like raspberry and strawberry, but unlike Grenache its spice flavors are really exotic -- like a tea shop -- and there is generally a characteristic earth flavor like a barnyard (seriously, it can be like poo), mushrooms, minerals, or smoke.
Taste: The best Pinots are like drinking velvet. They aren't rustic like Grenache or Chianti, they're plush and silky. They taste like they smell and have tannins and acids that are in perfect balance. This is a glam grape, if done right, and lacks the sharp edges of the other two wines mentioned above. A good Pinot is like watching a sunset over the ocean or falling into a bed at the Hotel Healdsburg (seriously, the best bed in the entire world. Next time you're in Sonoma, spring for it -- it's worth it!). Pure heaven. Even mediocre Pinots still have a silkiness that you won't find in Grenache or Chianti.
Good Food Options: Pinot is called the Chef's Wine for a reason. It goes with everything from salad to salmon. From cream sauce to spicy dishes, from chicken to pasta. It's a real treat if made well, and almost always a safe bet for medium to light foods of nearly any cuisine.
Wine Tried for the Tasting: Domaine Jean Louis Chavy Bourgogne Pinot Noir, 2007, $16

That's a wrap. Hope my mini-journey through these grapes was helpful or interesting. The tasting certainly helped me in my quest to master blind tastings, which are a requisite for me as I progress through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Certified Wine Educator distinctions. Plus, they were pretty damn good, if I may say so myself.