Restaurant wine lists tend to lump bottlings into red and white sections, but seasoned drinkers will readily argue that merely describing a wine as "red" is laughable in its vagary. A garnet-hued Nebbiolo from Italy's Barolo region offers a wildly different drinking experience than, say, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This is all to say: The red wine category is vast, and you could spend a lifetime drinking through it and still discover new varietals and flavor profiles. The red wines that made this year's Enthusiast 100: The Best Wines of 2023 reflect that variation. There is a trio of Pinot Noirs, which hail from locales that stretch from Oregon's Willamette Valley and California's Russian River Valley to Central Otago in New Zealand. A suite of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and Washington State's Columbia Valley. Noted examples of Barolo, Californian Zinfandel, Austrian Blaufränkisch and Oregon Syrah. It's a grouping of excellent wines that are not a reflection of this year's top-scoring and most expensive bottlings, but rather those that roused our tasters' excitement and imaginations. Here are the top red wines of 2023. (In the mood for something else? Here are the best white wines of 2023.) Best Italian Best New Zealand Best Sonoma Valley Best Napa Cab Best Syrah Best Austrian Best Malbec Best Oregon Best Zinfandel Best Washington State Best Santa Barbara Why You Should Trust Us All products featured here are independently selected by our team, which is comprised of experienced writers and wine tasters and overseen by editorial professionals at Wine Enthusiast headquarters. All ratings and reviews are performed blind in a controlled setting and reflect the parameters of our 100-point scale. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment to conduct any product review, though we may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this site. Prices were accurate at the time of publication.