Wine & Words

It's hot out there! I just don't feel like drinking a warm glass of my favorite red wine. I want something chillin'. Well, here are my Wine Guy tips for Chillin' with Wine.
Cool Reds
Everyone knows you should serve red wines "at room temperature."  But you also know that you can save on your air-conditioning bill by keeping your thermostat at 78 degrees.  Not a very good temperature for red wine.  In fact, the "room temperature" referred to is that of a chilly room in Europe...about 60 degrees.  So, that means even your favorite big reds will be more refreshing if you put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes before serving them.  A very cool idea.
Chilled Reds
Sometimes you want red wine but you want it even colder than cool.  Well, go on ahead and chill it if you like.  I usually limit this move to light fruity wines.  Red dinner wines are just too dry to take the chill.  And you don't want to chill an expensive, complex wine, either.  The cold clamps down on the flavor subtleties that you pay for.  One of my favorites to chill is the all-Garnacha Viña Borgia.  Or you could try the Goats Do Roam Western Cape Red or the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin.  Pour them right from the refrigerator and see what happens as they warm to their environment.
Rosés
Now we're talking about my favorite summer coolers...wines made from red grapes but in a lighter, chillable style.  These are serious wines that are made for hot afternoons and sultry evenings.  My favorite is the Domaine de Nizas from France's Languedoc region, a light blend of Rhone grapes that takes me to a bistro table under a plain tree.  To go with food, we have rosés of Cabernet Sauvignon (Mulderbosch) and Sangiovese (Barnard Griffin and Gonfiente), great food grapes with reduced weight.
Iced Wine
No, not the sweet dessert wine made from frozen grapes.  I'm talking about wine with ice in it.  The classic of this genre is Sangria from Spain.  You mix a fruity red wine with soda water and fresh fruit (sugar and/or brandy, if you're so inclined) and serve it over ice. Sangria's got enough flavors in it that the diluting effects of the ice don't hurt it.  You can also put ice with light, dry whites that are meant to be chilled...well, ice cold.  I'm thinking of something like Vinho Verde, the lightly spritzy dry white from Portugal.  Or a racy dry Sauvignon Blanc like our Lurton Fumees Blanches.  The flavors in these wines are mostly in their bright acidity, a taste that is perceived directly on the tongue and doesn't get drowned by the chill.  Only one problem with this -- it's too easy to drink on a hot afternoon.  At least you've got the ice helping you with your hydration.
So if the hot weather's got you down, just chill...your wine.  It won't hurt my feelings.