"Life is too short to drink bad wine," said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (worth looking up if you don't know who he is), and I tend to agree with him. Don't waste your precious, limited time drinking the plain old ordinary stuff. Drink something good and something with meaning. Yes, some are pricey (if you've got shallow pockets), but there are ways around that. There are also some absolute bargains — even for the most cash-strapped, penny-pinching student of wine. Before you grab another bottle of vin ordinaire, here are 17 red wines that you must try.
The 17 Best Red Wines to Try Before You Die
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First Growth Bordeaux
First Growth Bordeaux is ridiculously expensive, and many oenophiles drool over it without having tasted a drop. One reason to tick it off your bucket list is so you know you haven't actually been missing out on that much!
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Penfolds Grange
Penfolds Grange is Australia's flagship red wine, one of the world's great wines, and the first Grand Cru wine of the New World.
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Gran Reserva Rioja
Gran Reserva Rioja has been bottle-aged to perfection on release. You get oodles of bottle-age complexity without having to wait.
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Californian Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (along with Chardonnay and the help of a wee English fella) changed the wine world forever ... and for the better.
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A Really Good Red Burgundy
No other wine captures people's attention, taste buds, and wallets as does a really good red Burgundy.
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Barolo
Barolo is pale yet powerful, perfumed yet fiercely tannic — an iron fist in a velvet glove. There is a reason Piedmont's Nebbiolo benchmark has long been called the "wine of kings and king of wines."
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Super Tuscan
Super Tuscans were born when a handful of wealthy Tuscan families decided the rulebook was getting in the way of making great wine. Inspired by Bordeaux, they made the wines they wanted to drink — and the results were so good Italy eventually had to rewrite the rules.
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Northern Rhône Syrah
The Northern Rhône is the birthplace of Syrah, producing dark, full-bodied, bold wines. Back in the day, Bordeaux's top châteaux would add some dark, beefy Northern Rhône Syrah to improve their own wines!
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The legendary wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr reckoned the rich, round, sumptuous, and opulent texture found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is virtually unmatched in the wine world.
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Beaujolais
Beaujolais can be summed up in three words: Yum! Yum!! Yum!!! It's not an expensive wine, but it can lift one's mood in an extraordinary way.
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Etna Rosso
Etna Rosso looks delicate in the glass, yet can pack fragrant red fruit, fresh acidity, grainy tannins, and surprising intensity. Old Nerello Mascalese vines grown high on the slopes of an active volcano make it one of Italy's most distinctive reds.
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Mendoza Malbec
Malbec from Mendoza is one of the darkest, most full-bodied, seductive, velvety, exuberantly fruited red wines you'll ever drink.
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Chilean Carménère
Carménère is the variety that helped put Bordeaux on the wine map. It nearly became extinct until a curious discovery in Chile.
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Californian Zinfandel
Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay might all have more prestigious reputations in California, but Zinfandel is its signature grape and one that the state can really call its own.
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Barossa Valley Ancestor Vine Grenache
Ancestor vines were planted in the 1800s, so they've been alive across three centuries and producing wine since Queen Victoria was on the throne! They also produce wines with über-ripe, concentrated raspberry flavour and a silky-smooth texture that is next level.
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Chianti (with Italian Food!)
Chianti is the perfect accompaniment to pizza and pasta (...and possibly liver and fava beans!). It goes brilliantly with many Italian dishes and can lift a meal to the next level.
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Amarone
Amarone, like Champagne, was never supposed to exist — it was an accident. Yet it's a heady celebration of the senses: profound, hedonistic, and impressive.
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Where to Start
If staring at a list of 17 wines feels a bit much, here's a simple way into it. Start at the accessible end: Beaujolais is a revelation for the price. Mendoza Malbec is a crowd-pleaser that's easy to find in any decent wine shop. Chianti with a bowl of pasta on a Friday night is one of life's uncomplicated pleasures. Gran Reserva Rioja punches well above its weight — and the bodegas have already done the hard work of ageing it for you.
Then go exploring. Etna Rosso gives you something completely different: fragrant, fine-boned Nerello Mascalese grown on the slopes of an active volcano. Northern Rhône Syrah, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Barossa Ancestor Vine Grenache show just how different great Rhône varieties can become depending on where they're grown.
Then, when the right occasion comes along, go for the big ones. Try Barolo and discover how something so pale and perfumed can be so powerful. See what happened when Tuscan winemakers threw away the rulebook with a Super Tuscan. And eventually find the moment for a really good Red Burgundy, Penfolds Grange, and yes, First Growth Bordeaux. Find the moment. Make it count.
This is a bucket list, not a race. Some people take years to work through a list like this — and that's exactly the point. Each wine here is a doorway to a much deeper rabbit hole: more producers, more regions, more vintages. The 17 on this list are just the beginning.
Why These 17 Red Wines?
Here's what separates a great bucket-list wine from a merely good bottle: every wine on this list has a story. First Growth Bordeaux shaped the modern wine world (whether it deserves its price tag is another matter entirely). Northern Rhône Syrah was the secret weapon the top Bordeaux châteaux quietly added to their blends for centuries — they just didn't shout about it. Carménère was presumed extinct for 150 years until a vine detective noticed something wasn't quite right in the vineyards of Chile. Penfolds Grange was so controversial when first released that the winemaker was reportedly told to destroy the remaining bottles.
And the new additions fit that philosophy perfectly. Super Tuscans emerged when ambitious winemakers decided Italy's wine laws were getting in the way of making the wines they wanted to make. Etna Rosso comes from old vines clinging to the slopes of one of the world's most famous active volcanoes. And Barolo somehow combines perfume and elegance with formidable tannin and longevity. These aren't just wines. They're chapters in a very long, very delicious story.
And no — this doesn't have to cost you a fortune. Yes, First Growth Bordeaux is extravagant, and it's on the list for a very specific reason. But Beaujolais will set you back less than a decent meal out. Gran Reserva Rioja delivers years of bottle-aged complexity without the wait — or the price tag — of aged Burgundy. Mendoza Malbec is one of the great-value reds of the wine world. The bucket list is meant to be ticked off, not just admired from a safe distance.
Best Red Wines FAQ
What Is the Best Red Wine?
The best red wine in the world is — genuinely — a matter of fierce debate. For complexity and collector obsession, Red Burgundy leads many conversations. Barolo has perfume, power, longevity, and centuries of pedigree. For prestige, there is First Growth Bordeaux. For value-to-quality ratio, Gran Reserva Rioja and Mendoza Malbec can embarrass wines several times their price. The honest answer is that "best" depends entirely on the occasion, the food, and your own palate. That is precisely why this list has 17 wines on it, not one.
What Is the King of Red Wine?
The king of red wine is most commonly said to be either Burgundy's Pinot Noir or Barolo — famously known as the "wine of kings and king of wines." Robert Parker called Châteauneuf-du-Pape virtually unmatched in texture and opulence. The truth is there are several contenders for the crown, and the answer changes depending on who you ask, which vintage you're drinking, and what's on the table.
Are Expensive Red Wines Always Better?
Expensive red wines are not always better — and this is worth understanding before you spend your money. Price and quality do correlate up to a point. Beyond that point, you are increasingly paying for scarcity, reputation, and status rather than what's in the glass. First Growth Bordeaux is on this list partly so you can tick it off and decide for yourself whether it lives up to the mystique. Beaujolais, Mendoza Malbec, and Gran Reserva Rioja are also on this list, and none of them should require a remortgage.
What Is a Good Affordable Red Wine?
Several excellent red wines consistently over-deliver for the price. Beaujolais — especially Cru Beaujolais from villages like Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent — can be extraordinary value. Mendoza Malbec delivers full-bodied, velvety richness at a fraction of what comparable European reds cost. Gran Reserva Rioja gives you mature, bottle-aged complexity without the wait or the Burgundy price tag. Chianti Classico is one of the most reliable food-wine pairings at any budget.
Is Penfolds a Good Wine Brand?
Penfolds is one of Australia's most famous wine estates and has an international reputation built largely around Penfolds Grange, its flagship red. Grange was one of the first New World wines to achieve genuine international fine-wine prestige. If your budget doesn't stretch to Grange, the broader Penfolds range offers plenty of considerably cheaper ways into the house style.
How Do I Choose a Good Red Wine?
Choosing a good red wine starts with the occasion and the food. For something light and versatile with a meal, try Beaujolais or Chianti. For something fragrant, elegant, and a little more unusual, try Etna Rosso. For full-bodied and impressive, try Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Barossa Ancestor Vine Grenache, or Mendoza Malbec. For aged complexity without the wait, Gran Reserva Rioja has already been cellared for you by the bodegas. When in doubt, ask your local wine merchant to point you at something overperforming for the price. They almost always know something excellent that nobody's ordering.
What Are the Big Six Wines?
There isn't one universally accepted list of "Big Six" wines. The term is sometimes used for a group of famous, collectable styles that may include Red Burgundy, Red Bordeaux, Barolo, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, and a benchmark such as Rhône Syrah or Rioja Gran Reserva. Most of those great red-wine reference points now appear directly on this list; Champagne, naturally enough, belongs over on the sparkling wine bucket list.
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