Wine Review Online

In any category that includes lots of different things, those falling in the middle often get overlooked, simply because they don’t stand out like those situated at the extremes. For example, in the category of political opinions, the most strident views tend to get the most attention, whether they lean left or right, whereas moderate views just don’t seem “loud” enough to draw much media coverage.

Similarly, in wine, the biggest wines hogged the limelight from the late 1980s until about six or seven years ago, though now the publicity pendulum is swinging toward counter-revolutionary wines with strikingly high acidity and notably low alcohol. Such shifts are to be expected, but still, savvy consumers should never neglect moderate middleweights: These are precisely the wines that appeal to the widest spectrum of personal taste, and the reds that work best with grilled meats during summer—when nobody in their right mind would fire up an indoor oven or broiler.

Here are some red varieties that are particularly successful with grilled meats in summer—though they should always be up on your wine radar screen because of their versatility. They are profiled below in alphabetical order. I’m leaving out Sangiovese and Tempranillo, the most famous red varieties from Italy and Spain, respectively, simply on account of their fame—to avoid belaboring the obvious:

Cabernet Franc: This grape variety has never really gotten its due, but my strong sense is that this is changing…and changing fast. It has long been valued by vintners in Bordeaux, but never gained traction because it is submerged in blends with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (which is actually its offspring). To the north in France, in the Loire Valley, it plays the lead role in the wines of Chinon and Bourgueil. However, wines from those appellations have swung wildly from excellent to undrinkable over the decades, doing very well in warm years but turning out green and weedy in cool or wet ones. Climate change has altered this markedly during the past decade, and today, Chinon and Bourgueil have become two of the best appellations in all of Europe in their ability to offer very high ratios of complexity to selling price.

With that said, there’s excellent reason to believe that the true breakthrough zone for this grape will be South America. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are all turning out superb renditions, and dong so at all price levels. Some vintners in California and Washington state are also getting very good results from the variety, though my impression is that South American producers are quicker on the uptake, perhaps for the simple reason that they are less hardened in their presumptions…and more likely to go ahead and bottle excellent Cab Franc rather than blend it. Of all North American locations where this potentially great grape is being given its due, Virginia is actually in the lead. The top wines are not easily found outside of the Commonwealth or nearby Washington, D.C., but they are worth a search…or a shipping charge.

Grenache / Garnacha: Although this is the most widely planted variety in the Southern Rhône, and the main grape responsible for famous wines such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it still languishes in relative obscurity. This is predominantly because wines from that region are almost all labeled by reference to the appellation rather than the principal variety, and also because the wines usually incorporate smaller portions of Syrah, Mourvedre, or other varieties. Millions of vines are also planted in Spain, but the sad fact is that many consumers don’t know that “Garnacha” is the same variety (and indeed, odds are that they French got it from Spain rather than the other way around). As in France, lots of Garnacha gets blended (as in Rioja) or--where it predominates, as in Aragón--it is labeled by reference to the appellation (most notably, Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Calatayud).

But enough of the sob story. Generations of smart consumers have known that even moderately priced bottles of Côtes-du-Rhône is among the most delicious and versatile wines in the world. The fact that many of them didn’t know that they were drinking Grenache doesn’t matter all that much. Nor does it matter much that most people who open a $12 bottle of Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Calatayud are in for an eye-popping experience when they discover how much quality they’ve just gotten for their money. If you can just remember these three Spanish regions and ask the sales consultant in your wine shop to point you toward the southern Rhône section, you’re ready to improve your life…by drinking better wine that tastes better with your food and costs less money…than almost anything else you’ve been drinking.

Merlot: We don’t need to spend a lot of time explaining why Merlot remains under-valued, as we can distill this down to a single word: “Sideways.” The movie bearing that title crushed the variety’s reputation, and at the time of the movie’s release, most Merlots had it coming, as it had been in vogue for a decade…with the predictable result that lots of it was being made from very young vines that were being over-cropped.

Well, funny how things turn out. “Sideways” famously praised Pinot Noir, which was then over-planted and over-cropped (or blended with Syrah or dosed with Mega Purple), quickly deserving thereby the derision that the movie had heaped upon Merlot. By contrast, those then-young Merlot vines have now matured, and are making much better wines in California and Washington, while also making lovely middleweight wines in New York and Virginia. Merlot remains the most widely planted variety in Bordeaux, and is the predominant player in the appellation of Pomerol as well as many bottlings of Saint-Émilion and its satellite appellations. The variety makes superb wines along the coast of Tuscany, but savvy Italian wine lovers know to look to Friuli for excellent renditions that are much more affordable and often labeled by the grape’s name. A last point regarding value is this: Just as all investors know, the mantra is, “buy low.” Merlot won’t stay down forever, simply because of its inherent potential, so start buying now…while the “Sideways” hangover is wearing off.

Nebbiolo: The grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco can make very expensive wines that are worth every penny asked for them, but that’s not the end of the story with this variety. For one thing, it is still possible to buy very good renditions of Barolo and Barbaresco that don’t carry the name of a particular growing site or “cru.” Climate change has made these wines much more consistent, though it is still important to buy from the best producers.

For even less money, you can also find very good wines made in the same district from younger vines. These are labeled as Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d’Alba, and again, buying from reliable producers is important simply because Nebbiolo is challenging to grow and make well. Nebbiolo is also the variety used to make the DOCG wines of Roero, Gattinara and Ghemme, and though these aren’t so easy to find in many locations, the good news is that most of the ones that get exported were purchased by exporters for good reason.

Nebbiolo usually shows color of a light-bodied wine but also packs the tannic punch associated with full-bodied wines. Add those two up and you’ve got a middleweight, but one that is always better with food--especially food with at least some dietary fat. That may seem confining to some consumers who are accustomed to drinking their reds cocktail-style before sitting down to eat. Granting that point, I’d still insist that Nebbiolo is among the greatest of all red wines at the table. By the way, almost nobody in Italy drinks red wine like a cocktail, and the Italians know a thing or two about how to enjoy wine.

Northern Rhône Syrah: Syrah is almost always a full-bodied wine when grown in the Western or Southern Hemispheres, and Aussie renditions of Shiraz are about as “full” as full-bodied gets. Nevertheless, the variety makes highly complex, wonderfully versatile wines in a middleweight style in the relatively cool climate of France’s northern Rhône Valley. Fully ten times as much wine is made in the Southern Rhône as in the north, so these wines are nowhere near as famous as southerly cousins like Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas. However, I find them more complex, less obviously fruity, more “individuated” one from another, and more age-worthy.

Another great thing about Northern Rhône Syrah is that it can be enjoyed at prices as low as $22 but—from there—you can work your way up to some of the world’s most majestic wines (priced at $300 or more) as your interest increases. Almost all of what you’ll find comes from just five appellations, which are priced roughly in this (ascending) order: Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas, Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.

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At the risk of repeating myself, you should keep these wines in mind year-round, as their moderate weight provides them with enough versatility to hold their own with a steak but also pair up nicely with a weeknight rotisserie chicken. However, during summer months when indoor roasting or broiling is the last thing you want to do, these are the reds you’ll most want to enjoy with a grilled meat dinner.