Red Wine

Red wine is one of the oldest and most culturally significant beverages in the world, made by fermenting the juice of dark-skinned grape varieties in contact with their skins — the skins providing the colour, tannins, and much of the flavour complexity. Common varieties include Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Grenache.

Australia is one of the world’s major wine-producing nations, with regions like the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Margaret River, and the Yarra Valley producing internationally acclaimed reds. Shiraz is often considered Australia’s signature red grape, producing bold, full-bodied wines with dark fruit and spice characters.

Beyond drinking, red wine is a valuable cooking ingredient, used to deglaze pans, braise meats, enrich sauces, and add depth to stews and casseroles. The flavour concentrates as the alcohol cooks off, leaving behind rich, complex notes.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Dark-skinned grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness, destemmed, and crushed to release their juice. The crushed grapes — juice, skins, seeds, and sometimes stems — are transferred to fermentation vessels where yeast converts the sugars to alcohol. During fermentation, which typically lasts one to three weeks, the mixture is regularly mixed or punched down to keep the skins in contact with the juice, extracting colour, tannin, and flavour. After fermentation, the wine is pressed off the skins, then aged in tanks or oak barrels for months to years before bottling.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 80kcal
Protein 0.2g
Carbs 0.2g
Fat 0g
Fibre 0g Sugar 0.2g
Mass Distribution

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon 1.27kg
Freshwater 0.23L
Land 99.4m²

Where it comes from

Made from
Grape, fruit

In the kitchen

Used as

braising and sauce liquid

Classic dishes
  • Beef bourguignon
  • Coq au vin
  • Bolognese
  • Osso buco

Keeping it

In the fridge: 1–3 days (after opening).

In the pantry: 1095–1825 days.

Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ

How it was calculated

Recipe

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

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