FRUITY RED WINE

 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.

FRUITY RED WINE

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

Don't be afraid to chill these wines a little, either; a touch of cold emphasises their refreshing, cherry-berry succulence. Strictly speaking, not all the wines discussed here are 'light'. Pinot Noir gives a certain impression of being light, as it is soft and gentle as a baby's skin. But it can also be concentrated in its fruitiness, and have beguiling, intense layers of chocolate, nuts and even cream. So 'smooth' is the adjective that applies here, rather than light.

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.

APPEARANCE

FRUITY RED WINE

Less concentrated and densely coloured than the rich, tannic reds. Expect a bright red-garnet colour, not the black-purple intensity of heftier wines. Very young bottles sometimes have a bluish tinge; older ones are more brick-coloured.

TEXTURE OF 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.