My Go-To Chillable Red Wines for Summer

Ep 56 

The clouds have started to break. The sun stays out longer. And the weather is getting warmer, which means that summer is finally here!

And with summer here, I feel like a lot of people lean towards Rosé and White wines but there is another style of wine that you are not going to want to miss out on…and that is chillable red wines!

Chillable red wines typically have higher acidity,  are lighter bodied, low in tannins, plus they taste great now so no need to age them. And they are a great value!

From the beloved Gamay which is often considered the OG chillable red, to Refosco, which is gaining popularity here in the US with its unique flavors, to Cinsault with its bright red fruit aromas and herbaceous spice notes. I’m sharing 6 of my favorite chillable red wines that you will for sure want to be on the lookout for this summer!

So, which of these chillable red wines will you be pouring into your wine glass? I’d love to know! You can send me fan mail with the link above or send me a DM on Instagram @corkandfizz 

Resources

Episodes Mentioned:

• Ep 35 French Wine Part Deux 
• Ep 14 Grape Deep Dive Cabernet Franc 
• Ep 31 Walsh Family Wine
• Ep 55 Esja Wine

Blog Post: Chillable Red Wines (2 Bonus Wines)

Cinsault Producers:

• Margerum (Santa Barbara)
• Domaine des Tourelles (Lebanon)
• A Los Viñateros Bravos (Chile)

Episode Highlights:

• What is a chillable red wine
• What temperature to drink red wine at
• Gamay and its characteristics
• Gamay and its food pairings
• What is the Refosco grape
• Refosco characteristics and food pairings
• Blaufränkisch characteristics and food pairings
• Cabernet Franc characteristics and food pairings
• Cinsault characteristics and food pairings
• Lambrusco characteristics and food pairings
• 2 bonus chillable red wines over on the blog

Transcript

Speaker: 0:10

Welcome to another episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. If you're new here, hi. So glad you're here. Hope you enjoy the episode. And for our regular listeners, thanks for being here and listening in. Today's episode is very much inspired by the weather. I am it is definitely starting to feel like summer here in the Pacific Northwest. It's kind of that moment where the clouds start to break and the sun stays out longer and you get that warmer temperature, and I feel like a lot of people lean towards rose and white wine in the summer. But there is another style that was quite trendy, I think, last year, but I don't think it should die. I don't think it's one of those that's, like, it's a trend that just dies out. I think we should keep this around. These are chillable red wines. And so I'm gonna talk to you today about what makes a red wine chillable, and then I'm gonna be sharing 6 of my favorite chillable red wines for you to go on the lookout for and for you to try this summer. So what is a chillable red wine? Now I'm a big advocate of teaching folks that red wines should not be served at room temperature. I feel like this is a myth in the wine world that you just still have your red wine sit out. You have them sitting out in the fridge or you have them sitting out in the kitchen, which is even worse than having them sit out in any other room because it gets so warm in the kitchen when you're cooking. But you just have them at whatever the temperature is of the room. The problem is that is often too warm even for regular red wine. So, generally, with red wines, I recommend having them at cellar temperature, which is about 55 to 62 degrees Fahrenheit. So that said, I generally recommend that folks stick their red wines in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes before drinking them if you if they've just had them sitting out at room temperature. Sorry, Liz. I'm gonna start that over. I feel like I wanna say I wanna talk to the listener instead of saying, like, generally folks and things like that. So we're gonna start over. So what is a chillable red wine? Now talking about just regular red wine, we don't normally serve it directly out of the fridge. Now we also or at least I, a big advocate of teaching folks to not serve it directly just at room temperature either. What I would recommend that you serve that at is at cellar temperature is what it's called. So it's slightly chiller. It's about 55 to 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and so what I'd recommend you do for most red wines is you stick them in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes before drinking them just so it drops that temperature a little bit. Now a chillable red wine is one of those wines that taste better at an even lower temperature. So something closer to 48 to 54 degrees. So rather than 30 minutes in the fridge, you can leave them in there for an hour or 2, or you could store them in the fridge and then take them out about an hour before you're planning to drink them. Now, the qualities that you can expect from a chillable red include high acidity. So remember that's that tartness or, like, how much it it makes you salivate. They also have lighter bodies. So the body of the wine is the weight of the wine, how heavy is it, and so a lighter bodied it is very I mean, it is what it sounds like. It is light. It doesn't have a lot of weight to it. It's not super viscous. It's not gonna coat your mouth. It also has low tannins, and tannins are those things that make your mouth feel dry. And so, normally, a chillable red will have very low amounts of that, so you won't get a lot of that, like, cotton ball in your mouth kind of feeling. And the last, quality of a chillable red is that it tastes great now, meaning you don't have to age it. They're meant to be drank young. Now the good news is that a lot of these wines are also a great value. So they're perfect for enjoying out on the patio with friends, on a warm sunny day. That's, like, my favorite time for a chillable red wine, which is why we are talking about them now. Generally, you can look to spend no more than $30 per bottle for a great choluble red, though I've definitely had some that are higher up there just depending on kinda where you get them from. Just depending on where you get them from. Obviously, those in god damn it. Sorry. Just depends on where you get them from. Sometimes newer world, you know, smaller wineries, we're gonna have them a little higher price, but they're usually worth it. But either way, they're not meant for aging. They're meant for enjoying. So here are 6 of my favorite chillable red wines perfect for summer. Now we're gonna start with the OG chillable red, and to me, that is Gamay. I think it's the most popular in this category and probably the easiest to find. Now Gamay originally comes from the Beaujolais region in France, just south of Burgundy. You might remember us talking about this in my French wine podcast. I'm trying to remember if it was in part 1 or part 2, but go check out the show notes for those and find out which one talks about Beaujolais. It is just south of Burgundy, and they make Gamay. That's what they do. But now Gamay is grown all across the world from Australia to California. Now if it's Beaujolais, it's likely we labeled as the region and not the grapes. So you're gonna have to look for Beaujolais, which is spelled nothing like how it sounds. It is b a it's beaujolais. Whenever I write, Beaujolais, I have to think in my head, b e a, you tiful. You know how you spell beautiful? Like, that's what I say in my head to spell that. I also say it when I spell Beaujolais. If it's from anywhere else besides, Beaujolais, or I suppose you can also find it in the region in the Loire Valley that will also be labeled as the region, so a n j o u. And it could be blended with another well, it could be blended with another chillable red wine that we're gonna talk about, which is Cabernet Franc. But those are the ones where you're gonna find the region on the label. If it comes from anywhere else, you should find Gamay written on the label. So my favorite Gamay from outside of France has come from Oregon. In a great Gamay, you can expect a mix of fruity, floral, and earthy aromas such as pomegranate, raspberry, violet, potting soil, and cherry blossoms. In terms of structure, Gamay is exactly what you'd expect from a chillable red. It is light bodied with high acidity, low alcohol, and hardly any tannins. And if you're pairing this wine with food, you don't have to try that hard. Gamay pairs well with just about everything from grilled salmon to beef stir fry. I also shared it on my Instagram today, actually, so obviously not the day that you're listening to this, but the day I recorded this. I shared a reel about Gamay, and I recommended pairing it with burgers. I think it works well with, like, beef, chicken, or turkey burgers, or even veggie burgers. I just it's so it's so good at pairing with food. Now, why do I consider Gamay to be the OG chillable red? Well, it's a certain style of Beaujolais. So again, Beaujolais is the French wine made from the grape Gamay, so I'm gonna talk about Beaujolais specifically right now. There is a style of Beaujolais called Beaujolais Nouveau, and this is one of the only wines in the world that you can drink just 60 days after the grapes were harvested. Typically, you have to wait, I mean, at least, like, what, 3 months probably. They need to harvest. They need to ferment. They need to go either in a barrel or tank to age for just a little bit and then go and bottle and settle for a little bit. Now Beaujolais is different. This is the one that's meant to be drink like Uber, Uber, yeah. So this drink actually started as a drink for the workers after harvest, and it was after harvest was complete and they were celebrating. But, you know, nothing's gonna stick around just as the harvest for the workers for forever. So it started showing up in bistros, in local cafes in Lyon, France, which Lyon is in Beaujolais, biggest city. I think it's the capital, but I might be wrong. Scratch that part about the capital, Liz, because I don't even know if that's true. But it is, the main city in, Lyon is the main city in Beaujolais. Then in the early 19 sixties, it became race to see which producer could get their Beaujolais Nouveau to Paris first. And this happened for a few years, and then it spread to the US in the 19 eighties, and it has become a very popular thing. Now there are over 35,000,000 bottles produced in this Beaujolais Nouveau style, and that is nearly a third of Beaujolais production. So I I think it's super cool. Some might say it's a bit of a marketing tactic, but, hey, you know what? If it gets people to try a new wine, and try something a little different, like, why not? Give it a try. So what does this wine taste like, this Beaujolais Nouveau? It is very, very low in tannins and high acidity. It's kinda like an extreme version of a regular Beaujolais. It's gonna be super, super fruity, but more tart than a regular Gamay. So you've got raspberry, grape. This one is actually wine that tastes like grape. You've got cranberry, candied fruits, and even this is where you get this really unique note of bubble gum. Trust me, you gotta try it. I know you don't wanna believe me, but it can smell like bubble gum. And this is just meant to be drunk super young and chilled. This is the one that you stick in the fridge for at least an hour or 2, and that is how you're meant to drink it. So that is a Beaujolais, and that is made with, again, the grape Gamay, and that's our first chillable red wine. Now jumping straight from the most popular to a grape that you've likely never heard of, let's talk about Rifosco. Rifosco hails from the Friuli region in Northeast Italy. It is deep in color but light in body, which is why it falls under our chillable red wine category. This grape is really starting to gain traction outside of Italy, and one such place is in California with winemaker Steve Mathiason of Mathiason Wines. Now, Mattiason Wines is located in Napa Valley, but it is very, very different from your typical Napa winery. I actually got a chance to visit Matthiason and do a tasting at their tasting room, and I I don't know if it's the same one they have now, but it was one that we actually sat outside. They only had space outside. They had some picnic tables set up. And when you win, you actually got to talk to one of the people who helps out in, I think, both making the wine and they're hired specifically to talk about the wine. So they're very well versed in it. They're not there just to, like, sell the wine, they're there to teach you about it. And here, Steve and Jill, his his wife, Jill, they are the winemakers and the owners of Matthiassen. They were farmers before they were winemakers, and they care a lot about sustainable agriculture, which has led them to become leaders in sustainable winemaking. It's actually really funny. We recently had a we recently had a q and a with a, expert in sustainability in the court crew, and I was reminding those, members of the court crew that one of the wineries that we've one of the very first winemakers that we actually talked to in the court Q and A was Steve Mathiason. And he talked a lot about how important sustainability was to him, both with taking care of the land and with taking care of his workers. So it's not really related to the chillable red wine, but I think it's always a good thing to call out when you have wineries that are doing these really good things and that you should go support them. So coming back to Rafosco, Steve first discovered the region of Friuli on a trip in 2005, and he fell in love with the wines made from the indigenous grapes. So when he returned, he brought with him or not brought with him. No. He didn't do that. You can't do that. That's not legal. He began planting. I'm sure he got them perfectly legally. He began planting Rofosco along with 2 other, indigenous varietals from Fruelly, which is Ribola Gialla and Ciopetino. Now while most Rifosco in the US is actually so you're gonna find Rifosco outside of Napa Valley and Matthiasan wines, but a lot of it, if it's older, is actually this grape called Mondus Noir. True Rufosco budwood, which in the case of hold on. True Rifosco was imported from Italy and officially released in the late nineties, and methiocin is currently one of the only plantings in California of this true Rifosco. But like I said, it is growing, and it is growing in attention, I think, because of this chillable red wine movement, because it falls into that category. Aroma wise, you're gonna get things like black cherries, dried herbs, espresso, and black licorice. Now this red wine is not your typical fruit forward porch powder, but trust me, it tastes just as delicious with a good chill as the other wines on this list do. These wines can range in flavor from almost having this strikingly high acidity. Oh, I said that wrong. Hold on. These wines, they can range in flavor and structure, but they almost always have that strikingly high acidity, medium tannins, and low alcohol. Now, when it comes to food pairings, this is gonna be a great one to have alongside a charcuterie board. It pairs wonderfully with cured meats. Okay. Next on our list is a grape called Blaufronkisch. Now, when I think of chillable reds, I immediately think of Austrian red wines, and Blaufrenkisch is one of those. Now the other is Eigelt, if you're curious, or I don't know if I'm saying that right. I think it's Eigelt. Sounds the best. But Blaufrenkisch is one that I've seen a little bit more, so we're gonna talk about that one first. So, while its origins are still a little bit muddy, some say that it was Blaufronkisch was founded in Germany. Some say that Blaufronkisch comes from Germany, where it may also be called Lemberger. Others say Slovenia or Austria, but it's clear that the grape has made a home for itself in Austria. Is actually a parent of one of the other grapes on this list, Gamay, and it shares its And while it shares its offstring's boisterously high acidity, it differs in flavor. In terms of aroma, you can be prepared to get a lot of black pepper along with blackberries, black cherries, allspice, and a little bit of a green earthy note. The wine will be light to medium in body with medium tannins and medium alcohol. One of my favorite producer goodness. One of my favorite producers is Judith Beck, and you're gonna recognize the wine. It's gonna have a bright blue label on it. All of her wines all of her wines are considered a natural wine, and so this is another one that is great to look for. It's a Judith Beck. It'll be labeled as Blau Franches. Now she also makes a great red blend. Remember that other grape I mentioned, Zweigelt? It's a red blend of Zweigelt and Saint Laurent. It's called Beck Inc, and I highly recommend that one as well. So if you can find either the Judith Beck, Blaufrenkisch or Herbeck Inc, give them a try. When pairing Blaufronkisch with food, look to the areas of origin for inspiration. So think smoked sausage, goulash, or even, spaetzle spaetzle spaetzle. I'm gonna look that up quick because I don't know how to say that. When pairing with food, look to the area of origin for inspiration. So think smoked sausage, goulash, or even spaetzle noodle dish. Spaetzle. Spaetzle. I still say it funny. Oh, well. Alright. Moving on. We are onto what wine number 4 now. So we talked about Gamay, Rifosco, Blanca Franchesh. Now how about a wine you've likely heard of before, Cabernet Franc. Now you may have heard of this before, but did you know that Cabernet Franc is the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon? I mean, you probably did if you listened to my grape deep dive on Cabernet Franc. If you haven't, go back and check that out. I will add it to the show notes for you to listen to it. Now if that is news to you, that it is the parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, can you guess who the other parent is? And I'll give you a hint. It's in the name. Think on that, and you you let me know if you come up with that. Now, Cabernet Franc is originally from France, where it's still particularly popular in Bordeaux and Loire Valley, but now it grows all but now it grows in countries all across the world. You have Italy, United States. So in the US, you could find it in New York, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, California. You'll also find it in Hungary, Chile, and South Africa, just to name a few. Cabernet Franc is often distinguishable by its earthy bell pepper notes, which comes from a compound known as pyrazines, which are found naturally in the wine. Now, if you're not a fan of this bell pepper note, don't worry. You do not have to give up on Cabernet Franc altogether. I recommend finding a Cabernet Franc from the new world and especially a warmer region. And, again, new world basically means anywhere but Europe. You could also look for one that has been in New Oak. All of these things will lead to a Cabernet Franc, which has more fruitier notes and less of those green bell pepper notes. Along with the bell pepper, you might also note you might also notice aromas of strawberry, raspberry, and even a nice minerality note. You know it's wine people love minerality. Think like crushed gravel or wet pavement. Structure wise, this red wine has the telltale high acidity and light medium body that we would expect from a chillable red with medium tannins and alcohol. Now this is one that I've had so many amazing wines of, so I'm gonna share some of my favorite producers, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are so many more out there. And like I said, go check out that full episode all about Cabernet Franc. It is an old deep dive. I don't have the number handy, but I'll I'll we'll put it in the show notes. Favorite producers include Early Mountain from Virginia, also Walsh Family Wines from Virginia. We actually interviewed the winemakers there. You can find that at episode 31. I had that one jotted down on for you. It's a great episode. It's actually the most listened to episode on this podcast, so, you know, it's probably pretty good. From the Loire Valley, I recommend Arnott Lambert. Then from Oregon, we have Leah Jorgensen, And just last week, I interviewed, or and just last week, you heard from the winemaker at, and I tried her Cabernet Franc, which happens to still be on my desk here. I just did that interview. You listened to it last week. I recorded it an hour ago. So her Cabernet Franc is really good. And then also Weis Vineyards, that is weis Vineyards in New York is another good one. Again, Cabernet Franc is another food friendly wine. Can you you noticing a theme here? Chillable reds are not just great for the summer, They're also great for pairing with, pairing with foods. So it pairs with anything from, like, a tomato based dish to anything with vinegar based sausage. Vinegar based sausage. Goodness, Liz. I'm so sorry. Cameron De Franc pairs just as well with tomato based dishes as it does with anything with, like, a vinegar based sauce. It also works well with vegetable dishes, especially those that have a little bit of that higher bell pepper note to them. Okay. Moving on. Our next chill little red, it's honestly one that you've probably had before but you might not have known it. The grape is called Cinsault. It is c I n s a u l t. This grape is a minor blending grape in both the Southern Rhone Valley reds and Provence Roses, so minor blending grape meaning it usually shows up as a smaller percentage in the blend. Cynso is another variety that's got its start in France, but has now traveled across the world to places like Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia. It's also obviously made it over to the US. I feel like we grow just about everything here at this point and it's very popular in Lebanon. On its own, Thin Cell produces wines with aromas on its own, ThinCell produces wines with aromas of bright red fruit. Think raspberry, tart cherry, cranberry. You also get some floral notes like rose and these herbaceous spice notes that will make you think of your favorite black tea. This wine has the true chillable red structure. It's got light body, high acidity, and barely there tannins. In terms of producers, this might be a little bit harder to find on its own, but a couple that I found include Marjoram in Santa Barbara, Domaine de Torres, this is in Lebanon, and Allos Vignateros Bravos, which is in Chile. And again, I'll throw those in the show notes. I know just hearing them might make hard to spell them and I might not be saying them perfectly correct. We'll put them in the show notes for you. Now, again, due to the low tannins and the high acidity, this wine can pair well with just about anything. However, I highly recommend giving it a try with a lightly spiced cure. Goodness. I'm just gonna say that again since the siren was going. Okay. I think it's got now. Due to the lotannins in high acidity, this wine can pair well with, say it with me now, just about anything. But I highly recommend this one, giving it a try with a lightly spiced curry. Okay. I think we're on to our last red chillable red wine. Now if you want more, I have 2 more, chillable red wines that I mentioned on a blog post on my website. You can head to cork andfizz.com/wine dash blog. Yeah. I'm really creative with that blog title. I came up with it when I first made the website and then just, like, never changed it, so it is corkandfist.com/winedashblog. I'll put the full link in the comments, but if you go to the wine blog and you go to that little search bar on the right and just type in chillable red wines, it'll pop right up, or you can go to the show notes and we will give you the full link. And like I said, that has 2 additional chillable red wines, and it has all of this written down and it has all of this written down for you if you'd rather read about it after you listen to this. Now, our last one is a super fun one. This list would not be complete without our lovable, bubbly, red Lambrusco. It is grown almost entirely in the Emilia Romagna region in Italy, and it is a and it is a wine that is made in a variety of sweetness levels. If you prefer if you prefer something drier, aka no sugar or low amounts of sugar, look for the word secco, s e c c o. If you want a hint of sweetness, look for a wine or a Lambrusco specifically, labeled semiseco, so s e m I, seco, or amebile. Amabil. Amabil. Amabil. Amabil. God. Now if you want a hint of sweetness, look for a Lambrusco labeled a semi seco or amabile. In terms of flavor, you can expect aromas of fresh strawberries, rhubarb, pink flowers, and a hint of something earthy like potting soil. Depending on your sweetness level, your Lambrusco should be light to medium bodied. That's gonna be a little bit, more medium bodied with more sugar. That That more sugar just kind of adds to the richness of it. So if you're looking for something dry, it'll be more light bodied. Has high acidity and, again, low tannins and generally low alcohol. Now I'll be honest. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with Lambrisko. I think it's because sometimes it can taste a bit like cola to me, and I've just never enjoyed the taste of soda. I don't know exactly what that taste is, but sometimes the Lambrusco will go that way, and I'm not the biggest fan of it. But when I find a good one and I'm in the mood for something fun, Lambrusco is the first one I think of. So one of the producers that I like a lot and that I see in many stores is Lenny 910. Their bottle, if you've ever seen on my Instagram, I've shared their bottle many times. It's kinda that one Lambrusco that made me realize, oh, I don't hate Lambrusco. I just don't like some Lambruscos. This is another one that is great to pair with your charcuterie and cheese board. I think it's just, like, such a fun pairing. Alright. Those were your 6 chillable red wines. We talked about Gamay, Gryfosco, La Franchesh. Cabernet Franchesinso, and Limbrousco. Like I said, if you wanna hear 2 more or not hear 2 more, but read about 2 more, you can head to my blog on my website, quorkandfizz.com, and please let me know. Send me a message on Instagram, email me, haley@quarkandfizz. Which one of these wines do you want to try? A. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. If you loved it as much as I did, I'd love it if you could take a quick second to rate it and leave a review. It takes you all of, like, what, 30 seconds, and it means so so much to me. It helps my my podcast grow, and you can also share it with friends. You can share it directly with friends by sending them a link, just talking to them about it, or maybe posting it on social media. I would really appreciate it. And, of course, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. We release new episodes every Wednesday. Now in next week's episode, I'll be sharing another installment of my grape deep dive series. This time this time, we'll be talking about a very misunderstood grape, and that is Merlot. Now before you're like, oh, I'm not a fan of Merlot. We can skip that. You gotta hear this. You gotta hear this podcast. We're gonna talk about the sideways effect and how a movie completely destroyed the reputation of this grape, and then I'm gonna talk about why this grape is so important in Walla Walla and how surprised I was about what winemaker said about the grape they think is the best in Walla Walla. Thanks again for listening. And if you wanna learn more about the episode, come follow me. That was not right. Thanks again for listening, and if you wanna learn more about wine, come follow me at corkandfizz on Instagram. And to try more wine outside of your comfort zone, like some of these chillable red wines, be sure to sign up for my virtual tasting club, The Cork Crew. Remember, you can join your first event totally free. No credit cards needed. I promise no strings attached other than I might send you an email or 2. Just head to corkandfizz.com/free class pass. You will get signed up for your free class pass, and then you can sign up for any of my upcoming court crew tastings. I would love for you to join us. Cheers.