FRUITY RED WINE
FRUITY RED WINE |
The most famous light red of all is Beaujolais, a wine which at best is joyfully summery, scented and fruity, packed with soft, tangy strawberries, but which all too often tastes tart and characterless. Yes, bad Beaujolais is a serious turn-off, especially in these days of reliable, juicy, warm-climate wines. Recently it seems heavyweight wines have swept us off our feet - think Chateauneuf-du-Pape or California Cabernet - with the unfortunate result that some delightfully seductive and subtle reds described on the next few pages have become overlooked.
Don't
make this mistake. There are certain key wine-drinking moments when a
light and/or smooth red is the better choice by far, just as long as
you select wisely.
For
example, do you really want a big, blockbuster Aussie Shiraz or
spicy, full-on Rhone red when you're sitting outside in hot weather,
eating delicate summer dishes? I didn't think so. This is decidedly
the occasion for a more restrained smoothie like Pinot Noir or a
cool-climate Cabernet Franc. If your palate is fatigued from
ultra-ripe fruit and heavy tannins, they are exactly what you should
turn to.
FRUITY RED WINE |
Gamay,
the Beaujolais grape, often produces trite, weakling wines, like
Beaujolais Nouveau, but the finest Beaujolais crus ('growths') from
the best sites have an admirable depth of flavour, plushy and
lingering, rather than tough and tannic. So think refreshing and
mellow in the case of the most tempting wines that follow. Not
necessary featherweight, but with a certain lightness of touch.
FRUITY RED WINE |
Think
soft and juicy,silky
and mellow, without the heavy tannins of richer reds. The lightest,
leanest wines taste insubstantial, jammy, even thin, while a fine
burgundy should be velvet-smooth, ripe and rounded.
AROMA. OF FRUITY RED WINE
A
high-summer perfume of fresh red berries is often found, especially
strawberries, although sniff for raspberries, red cherries,
cranberries and plums, too. Loire reds have a leafy character and
perhaps a hint of green capsicum. Beaujolais can have an estery .of
pear-drops or banana chews; underripe wines sometimes smell of green
beans and mown grass.
FLAVOR. OF FRUITY RED WINE
Those
red-berry fruits again, fresh and squishily ripe. There are sometimes
hints of earth, game and spice in older burgundies, some say even
stables and horse manure! Look out for layers of chocolate, coffee
and toasted nuts, too.
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