08-08-2025
Refreshing red wines for lighter summer sipping
The Loire is great hunting ground for the vibrant red wines that suit summer so well. Cabernet Franc in Chinon and neighbouring Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny offer piquant red fruits seasoned by leafy, woody herbs and stony minerality thanks to the limestone-rich soils of this stretch of riverbank, where cellars are carved into the soft, chalky local limestone known as tuffeau. Besides today's wine of the week from Saumur-Champigny, O'Briens has a fine expression from the Bollinger-owned Chateau Langlois (€21.95).
Other juicy Loire reds feature floral Gamay and elegant Pinot Noir, grapes that star further south east in Beaujolais and Burgundy respectively (more of which next week).
One commonality of these three regions is their relatively cool climates. Lower temperatures naturally slow the ripening of the grapes' sugars, which allows time to ripen the phenols that create complex aromas in the resulting wines. Cool climates also preserve the grapes' natural acidity, allowing for lighter-bodied, lower alcohol wines with vibrant fruit and lively freshness.
Beyond France, many cool-climate regions produce similarly fresh and fragrant wines. In the hilly stretch that hugs its north-western coast, 'Green Spain' regions like Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei and Valdeorras stand out for their Pinot-like Mencia. Further inland, the heat soars, but the coolnees of high-altitude pockets like Sierra de Gredos outside Madrid allows for elegant, restrained expressions of bush-vine Garnacha that balances all that juicy fruit with fine freshness.
Italy's Alpine regions of Alto Adige and the Dolomites produce nervy reds with local Lagrein, Schiava and Teroldego, while the high acidity of Chianti's Sangiovese and Piedmont's Barbera make tangy options. Austria's answer to Pinot Noir, Blaufrankisch, turns up as Kekfrankos in Hungary and Frankovka in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia. New Zealand's Pinot Noir are lighter than Burgundy's, while Chile's Cinsault and Pais from cool-climate Itata Valley are great summer calls.
Wines of the week
Domaine Filliatreau Chateau Fouquet Saumur 2021, Loire, France, 13.5pc, €25
Cool Cabernet Franc from one of Saumur's best regarded producers, this is pale and light in appearance, with fragrant aromas of forest floor, papery bark, hints of eucalyptus, rosemary and other woody herbs meeting wild strawberry, cherry and raspberry notes. Sour cranberry and rosehip dominate at first on the very fresh palate, but then pretty strawberry notes unfurl, making for refreshing, moreish, medium-to-light-bodied drinking with lots of freshness. Whelehans Wines, Loughlinstown;
La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo, Spain, 13.5pc, €17.50-€20
A wild mountain wine from Vintae's Projecto Garnacha series, which explores the potential of old bush vine Garnacha along the Ebro Valley in northeastern Spain. Expect energy, purity, herbal lift and generous red fruits that are sweet without being cloying. Independents including Pinto Wine, Whelehans Wines,
A Pie De Tierra, Gre2 Garnacha, Sierra de Gredos, Spain, 13.5pc, €21-€22
A natural red wine with notes of dried flowers, rosehip, orange zest, pomegranate and sour purple fruit, carefully crafted from old, dry-farmed Garnacha vines grown at 600 metres above sea level west of Madrid, in a mix of granite rock, granitic sand, schist and other soils. Fíon Eile, Neighbourhood Wine, Green Man Wines,
Domaine Sérol Eclat de Granite 2023, Côte Roannaise, France, 12.5pc, €28
If you love Beaujolais from the granitic soiled cru of Brouilly, this Gamay St Romain from the Loire Valley foothills of the Massif Central strikes a wonderful balance of ripe richness with lively tart freshness, with peppery raspberry, cherry and violet fragrance. Whelehans Wines and other independents, Mitchell & Son;
Pour Ma Gueule Clos des Fous, Itata Valley, Chile, 13.5pc, €20-€21
A delicious blend of dry-farmed, old-vine Cinsault and Pais from renowned winemaker and soil specialist Pedro Parra, this is juicy and bright with smoky bacon notes for a fun barbecue pairing. Or Pedro Parra 'Vinista' (€26, is an ethereal expression of pure Pais. Pinto Wines,
