Hot Time; Summer in the City

It’s summer in Richmond, and the thought of a big fat Cabernet is, well, not exactly appetizing right now is it? One of the things I have espoused on these pages is how good white wines taste in the summertime, and how hard it is to get red wine drinkers to come over to the “light” side. Even if you try lighter style reds, the temperature outside seems to overpower “room temperature” wines inside. If you are not amenable to trying whites, there are a few chilling ideas to help you get through the summer time. Merlot and Cabernet do lose something when served too cold, but try chilling your Syrah/Shiraz or Grenache based wines. Most of these lose much less flavor on the chilling, and as we handle the wine glass, it warms back to a temperature that releases any missing flavors. You can, dare I say it, even put ice in your wine for a quick chill. Come on, don’t giggle. Your wine is about 85% water right now. A little more won’t ruin it! You scotch drinkers know that a “wee dram” of water added to your glass of Glenmorangie actually brings out nuanced characters in the whisky.
While we are on the subject, ice and wine have one more interesting use. Have a half bottle of something wonderful left but you are leaving on vacation? Pour the remains into a plastic baggie, carefully squeeze out the air and pop it into the freezer. You will do it no damage, and on thawing two weeks later you will have had none of the oxidation that can occur with even Vacu Sealed wines. Heck, you can even thaw it in the microwave with no ill effect!