[wine] Red Wine Cool

July 2, 2008 The Pour Reds on Ice? It.s Not Heresy By ERIC ASIMOV BROTHERS and sisters, I am feeling the heat. I am feeling the sweat on the back of my neck and the hot, wet air pressing against my chest like a rock on my heart. My collar is open, my sleeves are pushed up, and when I look out into the glare of the sun I ask you this: Do I want something hot to drink? No, I do not. Do I want something served to me at what the ill-informed call room temperature? No, I do not. Do I want something cool and refreshing, something that will revive my spirit, stir my soul and go hand-in-hand with outdoor grilling? Yes, indeed. Now, nobody needs a sermon promoting the joy of a cool drink in the summertime. But I.m talking about red wine. Sometimes a glass of white wine is not enough. Nor is a beer, an iced tea or a lemonade, though heaven knows few things are better than a tart lemonade in a beaded glass on a hot summer.s day. While it is well understood that these beverages are served chilled, for maximum sustenance in the summer we do have one more river to cross, and that, my friends, is red wine. It may be hot, but . repeat after me . we want red wine. It may be humid, but . say it again . we want red wine. It may be oppressive, but . louder, now! . we want red wine. Yes, we want red wine. And how are we going to drink this red wine? That.s right, chilled! Cold, cool, brisk, whatever you want to call it, we are going to enjoy this red wine at a temperature that refreshes, restores and revitalizes even the most exhausted soul. Now, I.m sure you.ve been told that you cannot chill red wine, that you must drink it at room temperature, whatever that means. These people who give you these rules, do they tell you that room temperature is as fluid as a sinner.s conscience, depending on whether said room is in a Louisiana bayou in July or in a stone cellar in Scotland in November? Of course they do not. But even stone cellar temperature is sometimes not cold enough. Sometimes we demand right-out-of-the-refrigerator cold, and yes, my friends, we can enjoy a red wine like that. Some of you may have heard me preach of lambrusco, the foaming, almost purple sparkling wine from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. No, not the semi-sweet fizzy stuff that was so popular in the 1970s, but the real, dry, earthy lambrusco, from producers like Medici Ermete, Vini, Vittorio Graziano and Villa di Carlo. Served icy cold, it.s wonderful with just about any simple dish, be it fried chicken or pizza or burgers. But you say you want a real wine (as if lambrusco weren.t real enough)? You say you want an American wine because it is, after all, practically the Fourth of July? I wouldn.t argue with you, not one bit. I.d reach for the zinfandel. Yes, indeed, though you must be careful about which kind of zinfandel, and which red wines in general, you chill in the fridge. Big, heavy red wines like most zinfandels are not suited to the cold. They close up so all you can taste is oak and alcoholic heat. Oak and alcohol do not work in the cold, so avoid them. But if you choose a more graceful type of zinfandel, like something from Dashe, Nalle, Sky or Quivira, then, my friends, you.ve got a wine that takes to a chill. Of course, you wouldn.t want to overdo it. Unlike the lambrusco, which you can drink straight out of the fridge, you want to take the zinfandel out and let it sit for half an hour or, if you.re starting from scratch, just stick it in the fridge to cool for 45 minutes before drinking. If chilled but not ice cold, you.ve got yourself one refreshing beverage. The same lighter-bodied principle holds for pinot noir. I recently tried an experiment with a 2004 Calera Mount Harlan Cuvé I had a glass at room temperature, which was about 72 degrees, and the wine was flat . as weighty as a flannel shirt in a sauna. But after chilling for about half an hour, the wine was set free, offering a pretty cinnamon scent and lithe fruit. As I said, heavier wines don.t take to the cold, nor do wines that promise subtlety and complexity. So save your Barolo and Barbaresco, your Bordeaux, Napa cabs and Burgundy . although, come to think of it, a nice Bourgogne might be just the thing chilled. But temperature is a funny thing. The cooler a wine is, the less aromatic it gets, and the fewer complexities emerge. If it gets too cold, all you taste is tannins. So you.ll want to choose your wines for chilling carefully, looking for generous wines that find greatness in their capacity to offer simple pleasures rather than profundity. I don.t mean you should drink great wines warm, though. Even the best red wines need to be a touch cool to flourish . 65 degrees maximum, not 75. If only more restaurants understood that ice buckets are better suited for cooling off reds than over-chilling whites. Yes, an especially hot place is reserved for those who serve their reds too warm and their whites too cold. But, my friends, let us not stray from our subject. Instead, let.s think of this weekend, when you.re grilling your burgers and steaks, your salmon and chicken and ribs, and you want your red wine cool. Can I get a barbera? Yes, indeed, a good straightforward barbera, like a 2006 Paitin Barbera d.Alba, is a wonderful thing chilled, when its bright fruit pops right out. Likewise, cabernet francs from the Loire Valley can be so refreshing lightly chilled, like a 2006 Chinon Les Granges from Bernard Baudry, which was smoky, pliant and fruity with a plate of spicy kung pao shrimp, or a Rioja crianza. And let us not forget Beaujolais, especially from the lighter crus like Brouilly, Chiroubles or St.-Amour, or even a Beaujolais Villages: the 2006 vintage is just right, right now. Nor should we forget the gamay wines from other places . like the gamays from Clos Roche Blanche in the Loire . just beautiful chilled. You might take a chance on something unknown, a zweigelt from Austria, for example. I recently had a chilled cabernet sauvignon from the Spanish region of Navarra that was light, juicy and oh-so-refreshing on a steamy night. I found an unexpected red, a 2006 CuvéGranit Vin de Pays from Domaine de la Pepiè, better known for its exceptional muscadets. This wine was earthy and light, perfect chilled though it may have a lot more to offer in a few years. And it was $12.99. Possibilities abound, like a frappato from Sicily, ruby red and full of fruit. Dare I mention merlot? Especially the herbal, earthy merlots from the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia? I would not steer you wrong. Can I get an amen? -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *