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CHILLABLE RED WINES COME ABOUT IN A VARIETY OF WAYS

Simply put, a red wine that tastes best cold is one that has little to no tannins and is usually, but not always, light bodied. There is not a straightforward explanation for what makes a red wine “chillable,” but we’ve boiled it down to essentially three factors: 1) the physical nature of the red grape varietal; 2) where the grape grows; and 3) how the grape is manipulated during the winemaking process. And almost always it is a result of at least a combination of two of these factors.

The physical nature of the grape. As we have learned in other wine club editions, there are thousands of different grape varietals. A grape with a thin skin, or lighter colored skin is usually going to impart less tannins to a wine and thus be a good candidate to be light-bodied and chillable. Also, if the grapes are small, there is less pulp, leading to less sugar to be turned to ethanol, which adds body to a wine. Grape varietals that can mature in cooler climates with shorter growing seasons tend to fit these descriptions. If you’re interested, Wine Folly has a great article (with their usual great graphics) identifying 13 grape varietals that make light-bodied red wine (https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/light-red-wine/). I’m sure you can guess some of them, such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Cinsault. But, also, did you know that Nebbiolo is one, even though we associate the big, bold (not chillable) Barolo with the varietal? And how about Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara, the grapes that blend to make one of the biggest wines around: Amarone? When vinified normally these grapes make one of the lightest bodied wines in Europe: Valpolicella Classico.

Where the grape grows. As we have already hinted, the red grapes that have the physical characteristics, such as light-colored skins, thinner skins, and smaller size, are grapes that thrive in cooler temperatures with less sunlight and shorter grower seasons. Hence, location by default makes for chillable red wines because the varietals that thrive in these locations have mutated over thousands of years to adapt to the climates, OR in some cases such as Zweigelt, they have been engineered by humans to thrive in these climates. That said, “New World” viticulture has proved that even grapes meant for the warmer climates of their native European terrains will produce chillable red wines when planted in cooler climates with shorter growing seasons.

Winemaking process. Wine would not happen if it were not for human intervention. As mentioned already, Barolo and Amarone, despite being made from grapes that naturally produce light-bodied wines, can be manipulated by humans to make full-bodied wines. In the case of Nebbiolo, the grape is small, but the skins are thick, and the skins of a grape are a major source of tannin, so winemakers take advantage of this to macerate the skins for a long time, creating both more starch to make alcohol and tannin, and then they age the wine in oak to produce a tart, full-bodied wine. With Amarone, the grapes that comprise its blend are left to dry in the sun to an almost raisin-like status, giving the yeast more to eat for higher ethanol content, translating into a full-bodied wine.

But let’s stop talking about how winemakers make non-chillable wines and talk about how they make chillable wines. Carbonic maceration is one way, as it involves removing tannins. More on that process later with one of our wine club selections. Another way to lessen tannins is to limit the skin contact with the juice during the fermentation process. Keep in mind that the skins of a red grape are what give the wine its red color and also its tannin and alcoholic heft; hence, when you limit skin contact, you are making what we all know now as a rosé wine. That’s right, a rosé wine is a chillable red wine. Don’t worry, though, we won’t cheat you with a selection of three rosé wines (we already did this wine club edition if you’re interested: August 2022 What is a Rose Wine) for our Wine Club selections, and the one we do include is uniquely full-bodied. Without further ado, let’s dive into our three selections.

DON’T TELL THE PEOPLE FROM ABRUZZO THAT THEIR CERASUOLO IS ROSÉ!

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Vineyards by the Adriatic Sea…
So yes, we would be remiss not to include as one of our selections the most obvious type of chillable red wine, the rosé. But because many people were not even aware that rosé was made from red grapes, and tend to associate it with white wines, we opted for a full-bodied rosé. Also, the people in the region where it is made don’t consider it a rosé. Ask a native of Abruzzo (an Abruzzese) and they’ll tell you that you are drinking a Cerasuolo.

Most people who like Italian wine know the name of the Italian region Abruzzo from the name of one of the Italy’s more popular appellations: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Only about an hour and a half to two hours’ drive from Rome, the region has some of the biggest, mostly mountainous, national parks in Italy, and only a short drive brings you to the Adriatic Sea with miles of shoreline. The red grape varietal that defines the region is Montepulciano, and it is perfectly adapted to the region’s sun-soaked summers; even in the mountains, the sun is intense. The grape is big and juicy, but thick-skinned, so it takes what it needs from the sun without being too pulpy to become overly alcoholic and flabby. In fact, most Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines are medium bodied, unless they are aged for a long time in oak barrels.
The history of winemaking with this grape goes back centuries with mentions of it in records dating to the 1400s, but it was without a doubt a staple well before then. The region also grows white grapes (e.g., Trebbiano, Pecorino, Cococciola) to make wines that pair with the maritime aspects of their regional cuisine, but the cuisine coming from the inland, mountainous territories is so varied that it also demands a light chillable red: enter Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, which is an official appellation. Cerasuolo is wine made with the Montepulciano grape that is purposely macerated for only a short time on the skins to limit the tannin. The word Cerasuolo is a derivation of “Cirasce” in the Abruzzese dialect which comes from the antique Greek “Cherasion,” which means cherry. When you see the color, you’ll see why.

Of course, now you’ll see the Italian word for rosé on some bottles of Cerasuolo – rosato – or even the word rosé, but who can blame them for exploiting trends to sell more product. Anyway, what they have NOT done is compromise the heft of the wine. This is not a light rosé, in neither color nor in body.
The history of winemaking with this grape goes back centuries with mentions of it in records dating to the 1400s, but it was without a doubt a staple well before then. The region also grows white grapes (e.g., Trebbiano, Pecorino, Cococciola) to make wines that pair with the maritime aspects of their regional cuisine, but the cuisine coming from the inland, mountainous territories is so varied that it also demands a light chillable red: enter Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, which is an official appellation. Cerasuolo is wine made with the Montepulciano grape that is purposely macerated for only a short time on the skins to limit the tannin. The word Cerasuolo is a derivation of “Cirasce” in the Abruzzese dialect which comes from the antique Greek “Cherasion,” which means cherry. When you see the color, you’ll see why.

Of course, now you’ll see the Italian word for rosé on some bottles of Cerasuolo – rosato – or even the word rosé, but who can blame them for exploiting trends to sell more product. Anyway, what they have NOT done is compromise the heft of the wine. This is not a light rosé, in neither color nor in body.
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Vineyards by the foothills of the mountains…
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Featured June Amaro Wine Club Chillable Red wine: Lunaria Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Pettirose (2022)
VARIETALS: Montepulciano

Lunaria is a brand within the portfolio of the BIO Cantina Orsogna, a cooperative of 450 farmers whose farms encompass both major geographical aspects of Abruzzo between the Adriatic Sea and the Maiella National Park at the foot of the Maiella massif of which Monte Amaro is the highest peak at 9,163 feet (2,793 meters). The farmers employ organic and biodynamic agriculture with an array of different agricultural pursuits and products. And they have even gone the extra bureaucratic step of obtaining both organic and biodynamic (Demeter) certification, which are two separate, rigorous regulators.
After limited contact with the skins, this wine spends time in cement before it is bottled.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Capra alla neretese (native goat, tomatoes, onions, peppers dish), mutton and lamb dishes, salty cheeses, barbecue, chicken spiedini, zuppa di pesce

MERGING GRAPE VARIETAL TYPES AND GEOGRAPHY FOR A PURPOSE

Unlike our previous selection, the red grapes in this wine were meant to grow in cool climates. About 75% of Slovenia’s production of wine is white wine because white grapes are naturally suited to cooler climates and shorter growing seasons. Of the three main wine regions in Slovenia – Pimorska, Posavska, and Podravska –only the southeast Posavska produces more red wine than white wine, and not by much. The Doljenska subregion is particularly known for its fresh light reds, but often these reds are blended with white grapes, and especially known for a type of wine called Cvicek, which is a white-red blend that cannot exceed 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). Usually when you see alcohol level that low in a wine it is because some sugar was left (residual sugar) unfermented to create a sweet wine, but in this case the wines are exceptionally dry. The wine that we are featuring is NOT this wine. It is made with only red grapes, but it IS taking a page out of the Cvicek book in keeping the alcohol level exceptionally low and the wine dry.
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Red place marker is where the family estate is located in the Doljenska region.
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The Zajc family: Božidar junior and Marko with parents Ivana and Božidar senior
Featured June Amaro Wine Club Chillable Red wine: Zajc Full Circle Frankinja-Gamay (2021)
VARIETALS: 85% Blaufrankisch (aka Modra Frankinja), 15% Gamay

Ask a Slovenian and they will tell you that the red grape varietal Modra Frankinja is native to the region, and, frankly, it is easy to imagine that this is so given how perfectly suited it is for the terrain and climate. Yet it is also known as Blaufrankisch and the Austrians and Germans claim it as their own native varietal. Anyway, we prefer to think of it as native to the whole central European region as it surely was growing thousands of years before nation-states were even an idea. The blend that accompanies the Modra Frankinja for this wine is Gamay, the ultimate light-bodied wine grape of France known mostly for being the primary red grape varietal of the Beaujolais appellation.

A WINE SPECIFICALLY ENGINEERED IN THE CELLAR TO BE CHILLABLE

Take any type of varietal and keep the grapes whole, then deprive them of oxygen and they will ferment from within. The scientific term is called intracellular fermentation. The winemaking term is carbonic maceration. Fermentation is happening without yeast by being in an oxygen-less, carbon dioxide environment that causes fermentation to happen without yeast from inside the intact grape. Later, the grapes are crushed, oxygen introduced, and fermentation continues normally with yeast, but the chemical reactions that happened with intracellular fermentation have already made their mark, namely stripping out a lot of chemical components that produce tannins, leaving zippy fruitiness in its place.
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Andrew Jones, the winemaker and visionary
Featured June Amaro Wine Club Chillable Red wine: Field Recordings Freddo (2022)
VARIETALS: 79% Sangiovese, 16% Dolcetto, 5% Valdiguié

Operating out of Paso Robles, California and paying close attention to the many expressions of wine that can be made from the differing terrains and vineyards in the region, Winemaker Andrew Jones is also not afraid to accomplish what he wants in the cellar. In this case, he was aiming specifically for a chillable red wine, and even named it as such: “Freddo” means “cold” in Italian, which is paying homage to the Italian grapes that feature in the blend, namely Sangiovese and Dolcetto. Both grape varietals produce naturally light- to medium-bodied wines with tannin, but Andrew took matters into his own hands to ensure a no-tannin wine by using carbonic maceration in the fermentation process. He sealed the grapes in stainless steel tanks under pressure of carbon dioxide for two weeks. He then pressed them for the juice and finished the fermentation with native yeast, removed the lees, and then he let the wine mature for 12 weeks in stainless steel.
Andrew was not after a light-bodied wine, so he allowed malolactic fermentation to happen after both intercellular and yeast-induced fermentation, which added body to the wine for a medium-to-full-bodied alcohol level. Without the tannins, however, the wine remains juicy and chillable. He even designed the label so that when the bottle is chilled the letters that spell out FREDDO on the label turn from white to blue, which signifies that the wine is at the perfect temperature to drink. Pretty fun, right!?

FOOD PAIRINGS: antipasto, bean soup, chicken dishes with herbs, spicy Mexican or Indian
Chillable Red Wines
On the left has been chilled, on the right has not.