CHILLABLE REDS
When it’s hot, hot, hot, and you love your red wines, what to do? Refrigeration!! Viola – we know a lot about that here in sunny Florda. Man can no longer survive without refrigeration. Did you know that the Ancient Chinese cut and stored ice as far back as 1000 BC? The Egyptians used underground chambers to store ice and snow, and the Persians were the first to develop “ice houses” for food storage and preservation. Even in Colonial America, the founding Colonies were dotted with ice houses for food preservation. The birth of modern-day refrigeration was discovered by a Scottish physician, William Cullen, in 1748 he used an artificial method of evaporating liquid to gas. The first refrigerators were designed around the 1840’s and paved the way for commercial and residential refrigeration, not just for our comfort, but for food and wine storage and preservation.
Around 6,000 BC the Georgians were storing wine in clay and burying it underground for preservation. The old saying of “red wine should be served at room temperature” was based on ancient European wine cellar temperatures, which often hovered around 45 degrees. Back in Medieval times, room temperatures varied as well, so proper wine storage was often underground, caves or cellars. Many times, the wine would have to be warmed up before serving. Red wine with its high tannin, higher alcohol and bigger body becomes astringent and a little bit metallic tasting when served too warm. And white wines, when served frigid can remove the fruit and other intricacies of the wine flavors. Seeking a perfect temperature for service is a challenge!
So now that we know, the old adage of serving red wine at room temperature came from a time when red wines were served in chilly, ancient French castles or chateau, how do we figure out what wine should be served at what temperature? As with most things in wine, it is subjective. There is a general rule of thumb that reds should be served around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and whites should be served at 40. But let us take a look at a few fun wines, their region of origin, and varietal, that do better with a little chill.
The Mediterranean climate of Greece is a great example of an area that produces their own wines, using native varietals. Most are whites as the lighter skinned grapes grow better in the higher temperatures, however, most Greeks will serve their native red wines refrigerated. Markou Vineyards grows predominantly indigenous varietals, with minimal intervention, without irrigation, and hand picking/sorting. The vineyards are surrounded by olive groves, and herbs- bushes of thyme and rosemary, Pines and Cypress trees. All of this contributes to the terroir of their wines.
Marcou Emeis Red an organically grown blend of Agioritiko and Mandilaria, from Attika, in Central Greece, near Athens. Emeis is fermented via carbonic maceration which reveals a more playful, candied flavor profile, and is often served chilled. We give it two bones.
Chile also has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by long hot, dry summers. The Carignan grape, also known as Mazuelo, and Carignano is a red varietal of Spanish origin, most commonly grown in France and now South America. Vina Maitia produces Carignan from hand harvested grapes from a 60 + year old vineyard in The Maule Valley, known for its granite soils. “Weon” is a common Chilean slang term for “dude” or “bro”, the Vina Maitia Weon Carignan is aged in concrete tanks, unoaked and light bodied. Notes of blackberry, cedar, and black pepper, the wine shows exquisitely around 50 degrees. We give it three bones.
Another great Chilean red wine to try chilled is the Pais Veijo also grown on older vines from the Maule region. Bouchon Family Wines began in the late 19th Century when Emile Bouchon left his winemaking family in Bordeaux to pursue a wine life in Chile. The Pais varietal is known for light fruit, strawberry with wildflowers and flavors of sour cherries. J Bouchon Pais Viejo is a perfect wine to chill and serve with a steak, we give it three bones.
J Lohr Valdiguie Wildflower is crafted in the style of Beaujolais, with Carbonic Maceration, similar to the Markou red from Greece. This light bodied red from the famous J Lohr winemakers is sourced from Monterey fruit. A bright floral nose, red cherries and strawberry fruit, we give it two bones.
Bilo Idro Plavak from Otok Winery in Croatia is made organically, with no irrigation from grapes grown on rocky soils with beautiful sea and sun exposure. The Plavac sees only 8 days of skin maceration, then is aged in stainless steel tanks using native yeasts. Bilo Idro is meant to be an approachable, fresh and easy drinking style of Plavac Mali that brings you dockside overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Notes of baby blueberries, dark red cherry and subtle earth, serve it with a slight chill. We give it three bones.
Emma is a Lambrusco wine produced by Cantina di Carpi e Sobrara, a sparkling red wine from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy using Lambrusco grapes. It is light, fresh and fun, with aromas of strawberry, raspberry and fig; it’s recommended to pair with spicy foods or appetizers as the bright acidity and bold fruit balance out. Emma Lambrusco is a perfect example of a red wine, showing lighter color because of lower skin maceration time, produced in a sparkling wine style to be enjoyed cold. We give it three bones.
Living in Florida and enjoying red wine is easy thanks to modern day refrigeration. Step inside our wine room and into the world of perfect temperature vintage reds! Wine is part of a subjective world- so you are free to enjoy it any way you like. Some folks drink their whites on the warmer side, some throw in an ice cube (this practice is not acceptable if you are evaluating and enjoying a red wine, as it melts the addition of water will change the actual and intended taste of the wine). However, swirling a cube in a glass of hot wine and discarding quickly has been the key to a quaffable red on a hot patio! Best advice: before you open that big, heavy red wine, throw it in your refrigerator for about ten minutes and then enjoy it at the perfect temperature. We have many “chillable reds” here at Ed’s, and hope to see you soon!
Cheers!
By CRBrown
