Why Big, Bold Red Wines Are Back, According to Sommeliers

You’re familiar with the Big Reds guy. You can picture him now: monocled, aging, really into discussing credit card points. Nothing like the stick-and-poked pét-nat evangelist at your local wine bar. Then again, historically speaking, all trends obey the laws of circularity… and if low-rise jeans can return to favor, so, too, can Bordeaux. 

It goes without saying that the “chilled red” movement has gone rogue. You hear the phrase in your sleep; wake up mumbling about jammy gamays and Beaujolais nouveau. “Lighter, more elegant, low-tannin wines have become the new international style,” says natural wine importer Steven Graf. “So the counterculture is looking back at Bordeaux and the Rhône to go against the mainstream.” In short: The denser, more full-bodied syrahs and malbecs that have been collecting dust at venues patronized by crowds generally below the age of 45 are primed for their moment in the sun. 

So what, exactly, is a Big Red? “I usually call them dad wines: cabs, Bordeaux, merlot, blends,” says Sarah Morrissey, beverage director at Le Veau d’Or—the wildly popular Manhattan revival of the eponymous iconic French eatery. “Any red that can stand up to bold flavors, or lots of garlic and spice; [something] that’ll make you feel warm, and coat both your mouth and chest.”

Helena Jensen, a Paris-based sommelier originally from Massachusetts, argues that Big Reds are unfairly dismissed. “I think big red wines have become wrongly emblematic of the excess of [the] ’80s and ’90s,” she says. “As such, I think many young wine drinkers are quick to overlook anything big and bold for its tacit association with the worst of industrial winemaking … and all the aesthetic and moral implications of said association.”

Often, wines like this are misconceived as extraordinarily high in alcohol, with bowl-you-over, dye-your-teeth-red structure. Sure, these exist, but a truly well-made, balanced red will offer gentleness (by way of acid), fruit concentration and often some degree of spice or earthiness—texture, if you will. “Balance, in red wines, is always a must,” says Jarred Roth, beverage director at West Village mainstay il Buco. “If a wine is all tannin, with no acidity or supporting structure, then it’s just not good, and there is most likely some fault with the winemaking.” As he sees it, the il Buco classics—certain Barolos, Brunellos and Barbarescos designed to pair with hearty Italian fare—are all balanced in their respective ways by tannin, acidity and fruit. “Even a Barolo with 14.5 percent alcohol can be incredibly elegant and suave if everything is in balance, oak is well-integrated and there’s no component that’s out of whack,” he says.

Before you protest: We’re not here to disparage light, fruit-forward, daytime-appropriate red wines. Rather, we’re implying that there’s plenty of room on the scene for more lush, full-bodied—dare we say, chubby—bottles, as well. “The uptown crowd has been drinking big reds for forever, and their taste really doesn’t seem to change, while the downtown crowd—that has been sipping on dark rosés, pét-nats and orange wines—is certainly into chilled reds,” says Morrissey. “And now, slowly, I do think that crowd is moving towards larger-bodied, more traditional or stable wines.”

A case in point is Jensen herself. “For a long time, I gravitated towards bright red wines that always spoke of sour cherry, but I found myself tired of this often-thin style,” she says. “Then, gradually, I began moving towards structure and depth, and have sort of found my home here.”

Naturally, plenty of long-standing establishments have never ceased to serve big reds—especially to buyers who consider them to be more proper, bang-for-your-buck investments (in both prestige and alcohol content). This is, however, far from the point. “The reality is, bigness, boldness and concentration are just stylistic differences,” says Jensen. “Preferring these qualities in a wine is just that: a preference, or a difference in taste—not a stance on natural and conventional winemaking practices, or cost-efficiency.” 

On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that the skew toward fuller-bodied reds is nothing more than a natural byproduct of age. Perhaps there’s a reason that Brunellos often appeal to a particular demographic—and as the natty generation creeps toward middle-age, their preferences, too, may follow the same trajectory. “I’ve seen many a natty fan go full Barolo later in life, at a time when you want to have three glasses at night instead of three bottles,” says Graf. “I think there is a general return to more classical wine regions and old AOCs happening… But mostly, I think we’re just aging, and old people like big red wines.”