For centuries, the prevailing wisdom has been ‘white wine: chilled, red wine: room temperature,’ but changing tastes and changing climates are challenging the norm.
Room temperature is a nebulous thing. The Oxford English Dictionary states that it is ‘conventionally taken as about 20 °C (68 °F)’ – a number that will strike many Aussies as unseasonably chilly, but equally, perhaps a touch warm for wine. And there are so many variables at play – the wine, the room and ultimately, where in the world you are.
Why chill a red wine?
There’s one school of thought that holds that the convention for serving red wines at ‘room temperature’ dates back to the period when the drink would largely be consumed in the cool, stone manor houses and castles of medieval Europe. There aren’t too many of these in Australia, and Mike de Iuliis, Winemaker at De Iuliis wines, views chilling as something of a correction in the Australian context.
“Realistically, we are just taking our reds down to European room temperature which is traditionally a lot cooler than the standard Aussie room temperature in warmer months,” de Iuliis says.
Which wines reward a chill?
The suitability of lighter-style red varieties for chilling is something that all producers in this story highlighted to National Liquor News.
“Personally, we think any variety that is naturally fruit forward, lower in tannin and anything that has good acidity will generally drink well chilled,” say Ashton and Carla Hendriks, Owners and Winemakers at EDAN wines, which produces a chilled red muscat.
Richard Burch, second generation vigneron at the Margaret River-based Mon Tout Wines agrees, saying: “Juicy, fruit-forward reds usually sing with a bit of chill. Grenache, Pinot – varieties we work with a lot in the South West are ideal for chilling. But even moving up into Syrah or Merlot – lightish reds with body – these could certainly benefit with some time in the fridge.”
For Patrick Underwood, Winemaker at Little Reddie, grape strains from Italy respond particularly well for a spell in the fridge.
“I love the way that chilling Italian varietals can just slightly subdue their tannin and let the fruit shine,” Underwood comments.
And de Iuliis says similar, pointing to his own Italian background: “I’m Italian in heritage, if you can’t tell by my last name, so we produce the Italian varietals of Sangiovese and Montepulciano which are incredibly delicious when served chilled. Especially on a hot summer’s day, which hopefully we will have plenty of this year.”
De Iuliis also believes that for consumers, there’s good value to be found with these alternative varietals.
“Consumers are really jumping on the Pinot trend at the moment, and while we love Pinot Noir, it can be expensive to get high quality Pinot,” de Iuliis explains.
“Australian wine producers are doing great things with other light red Mediterranean varieties like Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Barbera and Tempranillo that fit right in as chilled reds.”
Why choose chilled reds this summer?
While summer tends to beckon consumers more towards whites and rosés, chilled reds have a lot to offer for the season. The Hendriks, for example, noted how chilled reds can be just as complementary to the season as other styles when the mercury climbs.
“To the broader wine drinking population, it’s more variety and another alternative if you’re tired of drinking, say, rosé all day,” the pair comment.
“It’s also great if that meal you’re having won’t pair with anything else but a good red and it’s too hot to drink something the same temperature as your kids paddling pool.”
The pairing potential is highlighted by Underwood, who says: “They go brilliantly with the foods we love to eat in summer – BBQ, pizza, olives and dips.”
De Iuliis notes that the wines are the ideal accompaniment to the flagship occasions of the Australian summer.
“With Christmas just around the corner, leftover ham sandwiches while watching the Boxing Day Test match is an awesome combination,” the winemaker says.
“Although any light, fresh summer dishes like salmon crudo, BBQ lamb chops with Greek salad or a classic panzanella salad would be pretty perfect.
“Our long, hot summers need vibrant reds that are refreshing and approachable. You can still get elegant, juicy characteristic of the variety when the wine is chilled it just makes you want to top up your glass again and again. Also, this offers a great alternative for the traditional red wine drinker.”
To read the entire article over at National Liquor News, head here.