Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2008 | Page 100

life

FOOD & DRINK

Chill

Tim Flint from Eurovines talks
about the latest trends in the
wine world.

Despite what some say,
it's not illegal to serve red wines cold.
There are, of course, some hard
and fast do’s and don’ts ! It’s
not generally good to serve
classic red Bordeaux wines too
cool, because they are relatively
high in acidity and tannins, the
chewy preservative that comes
from grape skins. Chilling claret
has the effect of making it
taste even more tough and tart.
Equally, chilling very full bodied
wines too fiercely causes
them to give up their aroma,
where they then can taste of
nothing more than alcohol.
Try something different this
summer. When you fill the
picnic cooler with beer and
soft drinks, toss in a couple of
bottles of red wine—yes, red.
While conventional wisdom
recommends serving reds at
cellar temperature (10 to 15
degrees C), there are a host
of choices that are delightful
when served, like whites,
at 5 to 12 degrees. This can
be achieved by about half
an hour in a refrigerator or
15 minutes in ice water.
The best red wines for chilling
should be as young as possible
and low in alcohol—less than
twelve percent is best. Most
of these come from cooler
climates. Grape types for
chillable reds vary, although
soft and unassertive varieties
are the best, such as Pinot
Noir, Pinotage, Gamay,
Dolcetto and Grenache.
Not surprisingly, the richest
crop of chillable reds hails
from France. Beaujolais is a
natural. It is traditionally served

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a little cool, maybe 10 minutes
refrigerated. But if you’re going
to break the rules, you might
as well go all out. Leave it in
the fridge for half an hour.
The classic chillable reds are
Beaujolais, based on the fruity
Gamay grape, and red Loire
wines, based on the beautifully
scented Cabernet Franc grape.
Some of the most suitable reds
for serving chilled however
are made from the Burgundy
grape Pinot Noir which is
naturally relatively low in
tannin. Australia’s enterprising
winemakers seem to have
jumped resoundingly on to
this particular bandwagon,
but similar wines are also
emerging from cooler parts of
South America such as Chile’s
Pacific-cooled Limari and some
of the higher vineyards in the
Andean foothills in Argentina.
New Zealand is known for
its flinty sauvignon-blancs
and bright chardonnays,
but they too began planting
pinot noir about 20 years
ago, not knowing what to
expect; and today it threatens
to take over the islands and
is gathering high praise.
So when you are next having
a bbq outdoors this summer,
reach into the fridge and serve
your guests a frosty glass
of red wine—they'll be as
delighted as they are surprised.
By Tim Flint, Managing
Director of Eurovines Ltd
Tel: [phone]

www.wightfrog.com/islandlife