Dennis Perkins: Just do it - CHILL.
Despite the modicum of heat relief that Mother Nature kindly granted us this weekend past, we all know too well that August and September promise to plague us with perspiration inducing heat. And yet, we’ll still suffer the simmer of the late summer sun in order to grill and, importantly in this neck o’ the woods, tailgate. I don’t personally tailgate – I’m usually working to provide potent potables to the partygoers – but I know that there will plenty of BBQ and red meat from wieners to meatballs being served at football parties and other convivial occasions.
All of this food can be washed down with a cold beer – and in the heat, that’s mighty fine refreshment. But I can’t get no satisfaction (thanks Mick) with a sirloin and beer. Hell, even hamburgers taste better with red wine to my over-wined mouth. And yet the heat makes most red wine unpleasant to me – particularly if I’m outside. Sigh. Life is so difficult. Nah, just kidding.
The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of red wines that can do with a little chill. Truth be known, most of the red wines that come in under $15 won’t mind at all if you cool them down for 15 or 30 minutes. That’s because these wines typically feature lots of fruit flavors. They don’t often come with lots of tannic acid (think about the last big cabernet you had that made your mouth nearly pucker) and they’re not usually massive wines. That’s why we like them – they’re easy to sip and they’re fruit-driven.
Light pinot noir or Beaujolais are two of the finest candidates for a little chill. Don’t get them ice cold, but a half an hour in the fridge will cool them down and pump up the refreshment factor. Try it – get a bottle of Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, a pinot noir from Mirassou, Cartlidge and Brown, or Pepperwood Grove and chill it. Even some light styles of cabernet or shiraz won’t show frigid ire about a little Frigidaire action. Yellowtail, Rex Goliath, Jindalee all make wines that won’t mind a brief ice bath. Plus they’re all suited to a wide variety of foods – just what you’d expect to see at a gridiron groaning board.
And the good news is that if you hate the chill, the wine will warm up in a hurry – oh baby, it’s hot outside.
