A Wine Taboo Exposed!

Let’s commit bold heresy this month and delve into the most taboo wine subject of all (shhh!): wine over ice—yes, even red wine! For summer, the idea of an ice-cold red wine would be wildly popular. But what mortal could take the stings and ridicule of wine aficionados, wine snobs, or smarmy wait staffers flailing their arms, or dropping to the floor in a dead faint at your asking for some ice for your juice of the vine?

True, once in a while one reads about chilling a Beaujolais, or even a merlot. But why beat around the vine? Wine over ice—yes, as in cubes—is refreshing when the weather’s hot. And a lot of people would find real taste joy if they put red wine over the rocks with BBQ. Delicious! Refreshing! Soothing! Elegant! More, please! Red wine sales would soar (higher). So would one’s spirits.

Instead of just following this good advice, check out what I found when I was looking for thoughts about what wine to have with barbeque. The posting concluded with: “. . . virtually all red wines go well with hamburgers and hot dogs. When it comes to barbeque-wine pairing, red wines are the easiest. If you want to play it safe, both zinfandel and merlot are good all-around red wine–barbeque pairings. Zinfandel goes with anything with lots of barbecue sauce.” Oh, puleeeeze!

A big zin with a spicy barbeque-sauced meat is most likely to leave one’s mouth feeling as if fire ants are doing the mambo on one’s tongue. Heat on heat; spice on spice—bad idea! What an entirely different taste joy awaits the person who takes that glass of wine and drops four ice-cubes in it. Not one ice cube, but many! Be assertive when you are committing heresy! Your mouth will love you.

Ice with your zin will not only tame the spicy edges, but also chill out the tannins, allowing the food to shine, as it should. And someone who can recommend any red with a hot dog slathered in mustard and onions is either mad, or owns a winery, or both. If you love hot dogs, you already know about the taste joys of pairing it with a great beer. If you must drink red wine with a hot dog, my advice is to take a nice, easy, inexpensive wine—toss it over some ice cubes, and there you have it.

Now that we’ve taken care of the big kahuna wine taboo, let’s move into some smoother waters and explore cold drinks that include wine. An old and neglected classic is claret lemonade. It is delicious and beautiful, and easy: 4 ounces of a nice red wine; ³/4 ounce fresh lemon juice; 1 ounce simple syrup. Shake well and pour into a tall glass full of ice. Refreshingly rejuvenating!

Once you dip into the wine and fruit juice idea, then you are into the delicious territory of sangria. There are hundreds of good sangria recipes. The one I like starts with pouring a bottle of red wine into a big pitcher, adding splashes of fresh lemon or orange juice, various thinly sliced fruits, and a good dollop of brandy. Then, let it “come together” for about an hour or so before the party. On serving, pour the mixture into a tall ice-filled glass to the halfway mark; fill the rest with ginger ale, 7Up, or even club soda with a little sugar syrup, for sweetness and fizz. Be prepared to make more! You can use gin or rum instead of brandy. Experiment. Become a mixologist. Amaze your friends! At my favorite bar in Sayulita, Mexico, the bartender floats the wine over the lemon juice; it’s lovely to look at and delightful to mix and sip.

White wines make lovely spritzers (from the German spritzen, to spray). Take a nice white, such as a pinot grigio. Cut up some lemons, limes, and/or oranges. Squeeze a little fruit juice in the glass. Alternate ice cubes and fruit slices, pour in 4 ounces of wine and 2 ounces of lemon or lime soda—7Up will do nicely. Stir and enjoy. Or, crush some strawberries in a glass, add ice, fill 2/3 of the way with a nice rosé, then finish with club soda.

And a Bellini! Be still my heart. Take 2 ounces of chilled peach juice or peach purée (white is best) and pour into a Champagne flute. Add chilled prosecco. You just took a big step towards Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy, where this drink was born.

Sometime in the summer, you might just want a sophisticated, cooling drink without alcohol. I have always loved Navarro’s three Verjus offerings: juice from early harvested chardonnay grapes, pinot noir, and, especially, its gewürtztraminer. Also wonderful is VinJus, also made from early harvest chardonnay grapes. All of these juices offer a complexity beyond regular fresh squeezed without the concern of overindulging. Note, these are not de-alcoholized wines, such as Ariel and Vandalia. They are pure varietal juices.

Also refreshing is Martinelli’s Apple Cider in a glass full of ice and a twist of lemon. The pure apple flavor will delight. I always have this around for young kids at Thanksgiving, so they can enjoy something fizzy and festive. If you make the effort to notice, you’ll see that I usually have a glass or two for myself. After all, why should kids have all the fun?

Ed Schwartz has been involved in many aspects of fine wine for 30 years and has worked with top wineries in California, Italy and France. His writings on wine, food and travel have appeared in the SF Chronicle, LA Times and Image magazine.