WineInk: Chillin’ season

How fortunate are we to be in this cool little wine town? While much of the country swelters in the summer heat we get to bask in the moderating breezes and mountain air here in Aspen. Sigh.

But still, ’tis the season to sip cool wines or rather wines that have been cooled in the ice bucket. For years we have known that summer sparklers, Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and such, along with our rosé wines, all are better when served chilled. But today there is a trend toward chilling red wines as well for our enjoyment at picnics and BBQs. And it only makes sense, particularly with lighter-style wines like, say Beaujolais or Grenache, or even some high acidity pinot noir because, especially in the summer, refreshing is good.

In fact, at this year’s Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, there was a seminar devoted exclusively to the concept that chilled red wines are crowd-pleasers. Sabato Sagaria, a master sommelier and once the food and beverage director at The Little Nell hotel, was joined by his brother in wine (and spirit) Gary Obligacion to host a presentation titled, “Just Chillin’: The World’s Coolest Chillable Reds.”

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“When we were coming up with ideas for the seminar, we wanted to do something that we really enjoy drinking that could also introduce the attendees to something different, new varietals or regions,” said Sagaria about the concept before the seminar. “With warm weather on the horizon, we thought it would be fun to debunk the myth that red wine should be served at cellar temperature. We both love entertaining and were talking about the reactions you get when you put a bottle of a lighter red right from the fridge on the table.  First, it is usually ‘Is this too cold?’ followed almost immediately by ‘This is delicious!’ and those bottles tend to be the ones that get emptied the quickest!”

Obligacion, a longtime hospitality pro and the vice president of food and beverage at Aparium, concurred and even went a step further in the discussion about what temperature to serve white wines. In an interview with The Aspen Times’ Sarah Girgis during the Classic he shared, “We put our whites in the refrigerator. They get icy cold, and most people think that’s what it’s supposed to be, and they’re not getting the depth of flavor they could get from their white wines,” he elaborated. “And then with the reds, they’re drinking them too warm. And what you get is that alcohol taste and everything’s out of balance.”

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It is view that is shared by many sommeliers.

For years “white wine chilled, red wine room temperature” was one of the “rules” that was sacrosanct in the wine world. But what exactly is room temperature in a world ruled by climate change? Is it different in Austin than in Aspen? And who takes the temperature of their wines? It’s easier to take my dog’s temperature than it is to ascertain that a bottle of, say Sancerre, has reached the 50-degree mark. No, it is a wine geek’s folly to suggest that there is a perfect way to tell the exact temperature at which a wine is served. And it is a wine lover’s task to find just the right temperature for the wines they enjoy.

There are a few suggestions though that can help. Lighter-style, higher-acid reds are good candidates for a date with an ice bucket. Think wines that are lower in tannins, that are bright and fruit-forward in the glass, and that are made to be drunk in their youth. You don’t want to take your big Napa Cabs or merlot from Bordeaux and sink ’em in ice. You’ll obscure the beauty and nuance of the wine. Rather, consider coastal wines from places like Sicily or New Zealand or wines from Austria or Germany that are lower in alcohol.

And there is one immutable fact that reigns true with any chilled wine. Once poured a wine that is too cold will eventually heat up in the glass. A wine glass does not hold the cold well and you can speed the process of warming up the wine by simply holding the bulb of the glass in your 98.6-degree hand for a few moments instead of holding the glass by the stem.

Stay cool.