Wines in this style tend to be:

• Made from thicker-skinned varieties
• From grapes harvested at medium to high levels of must weight
• Mainly dry

Wines in this style tend to have:

• Moderate to high levels of alcohol
• Styles that range from generous, approachable and early-drinking to complex and for medium to long-term cellaring
• Used a range of production methods according to the style made

For approachable, early-drinking styles, the following techniques are often used:

• A cold soak or pre-fermentation maceration
• Fermentations carried out by inoculated or ambient yeasts
• Fermentations at cooler temperatures
• Micro-oxygenation during fermentation and maturation
• Limited use of barrels, casks or oak alternatives
• May go to bottle with fining and filtration

For the more complex styles for medium to long-term cellaring, the following techniques are often used:

• Spontaneous fermentations
• Higher temperature fermentations
• Post-fermentation maceration
• Extensive barrel ageing
• May go to bottle with light or no fining and filtration