It wasn’t long ago that chilling red wine was the sort of niche sommelier activity everyone laughed at. How times have changed.
This spring you can hardly glance at a wine list without encountering the rather odd phrase ‘chillable red’.
We’ve always drunk red wines in the summer but rarely, if ever, chilled. There does seem to be a trend towards popping lighter reds in the fridge for a few minutes. This actually enhances their vibrant, fruity notes and makes them all the more refreshing.
The supermarkets are over it and in particular Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer’s.
Traditionally the wines we chilled were lighter, fruitier and had more marked acidity, such as Beaujolais (from the Gamay grape), Loire reds such as Chinon
(Cabernet Franc) and some Pinot Noirs from the Southern hemisphere.
Never forget the concept of reds being served at ‘room temperature’ started in Victorian time when there was no central heating. Room temperature, without a fire, was no more than 12 degrees Centigrade.
These days there are many more options and the Aromo winery produces all that we could need with Aromo Pais (a grape variety long forgotten by Europe), two Carmeneres and three Pinot Noirs.
