Cold And Red?

It is officially hot, and time for all of those wonderful summer drinks that go so well with sitting on the patio, doing absolutely nothing. The usual suspects (and I say that lovingly) are gin and tonics, margaritas, gimlets…and about a dozen other fun, hot-weather drinks. But they all have distilled spirits, and sometimes I feel like drinking something different. Yeah, yeah, what about Sangria? Well, what about it? I think that it is disgusting, a crime against nature, and there ought to be a law against it.

So, what options do we have that don’t include mixing fruit with red wine? Not much. If you like Prosecco, that is certainly an option. It’s sparkly, it’s fun, and tastes great right out of a bucket of ice. But there is another (pace, Darth Vader). Australian Sparkling Shiraz is decidedly different, tastes pretty damned good when it’s thoroughly chilled, and can be consumed in relatively large quantities without feeling like you are about to explode from all of the carbon dioxide in that other wonderful hot-weather beverage: beer. And you thought that I had forgotten?

Give sparkling Shiraz a try sometime. I can’t recommend anything in particular, because I haven’t had the opportunity to try many of them, but what I have tasted is fun stuff, and worth a bottle or two on a hot summer night.

7 Replies to “Cold And Red?”

  1. I read the NY Times article you are referring to, but only because a gentleman I know (let’s call him Bill Van Dieppen from Shelter Island) produced it to support his view that it is perfectly acceptable to put several ice cubes directly into an expensive glass of Turley zinfandel (which he does with regularity). I gently pointed out to him that “chilling” a red wine, as described in the Times, calls for putting the bottle in the fridge or on ice. He responded by scratching his privates, blowing cigar smoke in my face, and urinating in my flower box.

  2. Assuming that The NY Times has any claim to be the paper of record, you are correct that the technique was not dumping ice cubes (probably made with crappy well water or hard town water) into great reds. Perhaps he meant to use ice cubes in anything made in France, in which case it is appropriate and, in most cases, will improve the quality of the wine. Just make sure that the Turleys and Taits and Montelenas (alas, soon to be French) are safely locked away from your micterating friend. Perhaps you should suggest that he refrain from spilling his precious bodily fluids in other people’s flowers.

  3. These were ice cubes made from Shelter Island well water, and therefore ridden with E Coli. I asked him to cease micturating and all he said was “purity of essence”,

    I was at Loolapalooza this weekend (I was supposed to have VIP tickets but I got screwed) and the only beer served throughout the “festival” was, you guessed it, Bud, Bud Light, and something called Bud Select. I found a “wine bar” that sold bottles of a fairly bad CA red and a very mediocre CA pinot grigio (can’t remember the name of the winery). Not just glasses, but the whole damn bottle. Since it was 95 degrees and oppressively humid, I went with the bottle of white…they poured it into a large plastic bottle (with the winery’s name on it), followed by about 30 ice cubes. Wasn’t bad at all.

  4. In that case I will give you special dispensation.

    I drank Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA on tap. Almost identical to Budweiser Select, except for the taste, color, carbonation, alcohol content and aroma.

  5. Late to this discussion, but I’m with you; I’m such a red drinker, and I just don’t want wine in warm weather. My sub for the last couple of years is a stunning South African rose, which I highly recommend…Mulderbosch Cab Rose. Don’t pay more than $12 or so; Bottle King often has it for 9.99.

    TRUST ME. I can be trusted in this department. 😉

  6. That’s a good point. I find myself drinking more G&Ts and other cold drinks instead of a glass of wine. As for the Mulderbosch; I think I have a bottle of their Chardonnay in my cellar. I just haven’t gotten around to drinking it. But on your recommendation I will try both the Chard and the Rose.

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