Chill out with refreshing reds

During the daytime gathering, people had started out drinking white wine, so I popped the reds back onto ice for a while to keep the temperature lower and ease our transition to reds, and then kept them off the ice once people started drinking them.

Today’s wine of the week, a Schiava-based light red from alpine Alto Adige in northern Italy, made a particularly lovely bridge from white wines, with its pretty floral lift and bright red fruits, and the refreshing acidity that chilling accentuates. Begali Valpolicella Classico (€19, Whelehans Wines) made for joyfully fruity drinking as temperatures dipped and the light began to fade. It would be an excellent choice for a barbecue, with its bold red fruits and low alcohol (12.5pc).

The evening gathering was a sit-down dinner of lamb tagine. Temperatures had dipped from the afternoon’s highs, but the air still felt balmy. We drank today’s Barbera d’Asti and Château Coudray-Montpensier Chinon 2022, a ripe Cabernet Franc from the Loire (€20.95, The Corkscrew, Redmonds, Neighbourhood Wine) served just slightly cool, but not much lower than traditional room temperature, which is upwards of 15C. Both wines had generous ripe fruit undercut by a lively line of food-friendly acidity; keeping them a little cool sharpened the focus on the acidity and tannins and reframed the fruit in a supporting rather than leading role.

In drinks temperature terms, ‘lightly chilled’ (10C-13C) is cellar cold rather than fridge cold. ‘Room temperature’ is considered to be 15C-18C (think castle rooms rather than hotel rooms) and ‘chilled’ is 7C-10C.

English ale is traditionally drunk at that lightly chilled cellar temperature, as is Burgundian Pinot Noir. It’s the temperature you’re aiming for if you leave a bottle of rich white wine on the table and not in the ice bucket, to allow it more expression. About 30-40 minutes in the fridge before serving or 15 minutes in the freezer should do it, or store it in the fridge but remove for at least 30-40 minutes before serving.

Lower temperatures desensitise our palates to sweetness and sensitise it to bitter tannins, accentuate refreshing acidity and restrict the volatility of aromatic compounds that gives a wine expressive aromas. Avoid chilling very tannic reds but otherwise you can play around with its effect.​​

Wines of the week

Kurtatsch Schiava Sonntaler Alto Adige 2022, Italy, 12.5pc, €25 From 60-90-year-old Schiava vines in the Sudtirol village of Kurtatsch, where vineyards feel the influence of both the Mediterranean and the Alps, this juicy and lively red wine is aged in large Slavonian barrels. It has a caramel edge to its raspberry, red cherry and burnt blueberry aromas and a peppery floral note that carries onto the dry and spicy palate. A natural pairing with cold cuts and charcuterie, Shiava is also a traditional aperitif served slightly chilled. Try also with pizza, picnics and garden party fare. Whelehans Wines; whelehanswines.ie

Château Sainte-Marie Reserve Bordeaux Superieur 2022, France, 14pc, €14.95 A fruity Merlot-led Cabernet blend, chilling slightly foregrounds the savoury pencil-shaving aromas that frame the forest fruits and emphasises the crisp tannins on the palate, holding the fruit back for a final burst of juicy flavour on the finish. Perfect with a steak sandwich. From €19.95 until June 16. O’Briens Wine; obrienswine.ie

Specially Selected Bourgogne Gamay, Burgundy, France, 13pc, €12.99 Burgundian Gamay (the grape known for Fleurie and other Beaujolais reds) offering hints of floral violet notes and a good balance of ripe black cherry notes and sour tang. Chilling it will accentuate that freshness, making it a welcome pairing for fattier barbecue meats like sausages and burgers on a warm day. Aldi

Château La Baronne Juste le Rouge 2022, Vin de France, 11.5pc, €20.25 A Languedoc blend of white and red wine grapes (Grenache Gris fermented in amphora-style jars; Mourvedre in stainless steel, with indigenous yeasts) to approach like a white wine, served lightly chilled with high-acidity food to counterbalance its sour grapefruit and red cherry tang. Wines Direct, Mullingar & Athlone; winesdirect.ie

Cantina di Nizza Le Pole Barbera d’Asti DOCG 2022, Italy, 14pc, €19.95 At 14pc ABV, this is richer than the ‘light summery reds’ you might think to serve a little chilled, but lower temperatures emphasise the underlying freshness and tannic structure that frame the subtly spiced sour cherry, redcurrant and cranberry fruits. Think lamb tagine. Blackrock Cellar, Red Nose Wine, Neighbourhood Wine, Ely Wine Store, McHugh’s, Bradleys; bradleysofflicence.ie