CENTRE COUNTY — For red wine drinkers, finding the perfect sip for the summer can be a challenge. After all, red wine is for cold weather, right?
Even with temperatures in Centre County spiking into the 90s, there are still some red wine options you can find locally that are great served chilled.
Zweigelt is Austria’s most common red grape variety. It has a medium body, so it doesn’t feel overly heavy in the mouth. Red wines generally have a fuller body compared to white wines, so chilling a red wine can make it feel thin and less flavorful. However, the lighter body and more delicate texture of zweigelt can benefit from a slight chill — making the wine crisper and refreshing.
In the Other Imports section of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits store at 127 Southridge Plaza, a bottle of Turk Blauer’s zweigelt is $15. Expect notes of red cherry, raspberry and a little peppery spice. Zweigelt tends to have medium tannins — the part of the wine that makes your lips, cheeks and tongue feel dry — so it pairs well with grilled food, like chicken, ribs or vegetables. Proteins tend to soften the astringency of tannins, which will make the tannins feel softer in the mouth, especially with the added combination of the chilled temperature. The charred, grilled flavor will also bring out the pepperiness of this wine while still allowing the fruit notes to shine.
Grenache — or garnacha depending on the region you are buying from — is another great light red wine option. It has vibrant red fruit notes like strawberries, cherries and plums, with some herbaceous and blood orange notes. For those looking into jumping into the world of red wine, grenache is a great option because of its fruit-forward flavors, refreshing acidity and relatively low tannins. It is also on the more affordable end of red wines and pairs easily with food.
While the French have popularized the use of grenache in the Southern Rhône Valley, its original home is Spain. Hailing from Aragon a wine region in northeastern Spain, Tres Picos 2021 garnacha by Bodegas Borsao is $19 at the North Atheron Fine Wine & Good Spirits location. While it pairs well with game meat, grilled fish and vegetables and stews, it also pairs well with tomato-based dishes — so pour a glass at your next pizza night. The acidity of the grenache balances the acidity of tomatoes, but the fruit-forward nature of the wine matches well with the sweetness of tomatoes.
Beaujolais is a wine region in France, just south of Burgundy — a region known for its pinot noir, which also makes for a great slightly chilled red option. Beaujolais gained prominence in the mid-20th century, due in part to the popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau, a young wine released just weeks after harvest. The tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau began as a local celebration, but it expanded internationally, becoming a widely anticipated annual event.
While Beaujolais wine is named after the region it comes from, it is actually made with the gamay grape variety, which makes for a light-bodied, fruity and floral wine that will often even have notes of bubble gum or banana.
Due to its high acidity and lower tannin levels, Beaujolais pairs well with many main courses — many sommeliers recommend it for a Thanksgiving meal wine pairing. This summer, try the Karim Vionnet Beaujolais Villages from the North Atherton wine shop location, which is $20 and enjoy it either on its own or with salmon, barbeque, sushi or pasta salads.
These three chillable reds are best enjoyed between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit or about 30 minutes to an hour in the refrigerator.