A Rhône That Tastes Nice on Ice

In the mood for chilled red wine? Try Côtes du Rhône, Les Abeilles, Jean-Luc Colombo 2007

By Nick Passmore

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People look aghast when they see me putting an ice cube into my glass of wine. Shock! Horror! What a barbarian!

Now admittedly this doesn't happen often, but on a hot summer's evening with the temperature and humidity inching towards triple digits, and my glass of California chardonnay is getting unpleasantly warm and syrupy, why not? It instantly cools the wine, makes the effect of the oak less unctuous, and so what if it reduces the alcohol level? Do I really need more of that stuff?

But what really astonishes people is when I put ice cubes in my red wine.

Please note that I am not recommending such a course for a great claret or an old Barolo or Rioja, but with a light, everyday summer red, like the Côtes du Rhône, Les Abeilles, Jean-Luc Colombo 2007 ($12) why not? Or even better, start out with it a little chilled.

It's a fresh and zesty wine brimming with the flavors of dark cherries and blackberries. Light and lively, it's far less portentous than most Rhône reds, and at 13.5% it's also low in alcohol, at least by today's elevated standards.

The grenache/syrah/mourvèdre combination works extremely well here: the grenache bringing fresh, lively fruit, the syrah a peppery spiciness and the mourvèdre structure and elegance to a blend that's surprisingly interesting and complex in a wine at this price. It is also eminently food-friendly.

This all makes it the perfect summer red to serve chilled with a steak off the grill on a sultry evening when even the thought of a "room temperature" red is enough to make you reach for a cold beer.

So open a bottle, and let it breath in the fridge for an hour—you'll be surprised how pleasant it is to drink.

P.S.

This is the first of two light reds that make for perfect chilled summer sipping, so be sure not to miss next week's offering too, this time from Italy.

To find this wine near you try www.wine-searcher.com.

WOW Rating:

When to Drink: Now Breathing/Decanting: Let it breath for one hour if possible.

Food Pairing: Mediterranean food, meat, or chicken from the grill.

Grapes: 50% grenache, 30% syrah, 20% mourvèdre .

Appellation: Côtes du Rhône

Region: Rhône Valley

Country: France

Price: $12

Availability: Moderate

Web Site: www.palmbay.com

See more wines at www.nickonwine.com >.

Nick Passmore is an independent wine writer and consultant based in New York. For five years he contributed a widely read monthly wine column to Forbes.com, in addition to which his work has appeared in such publications as Forbes, Discover, Town & Country, the Robb Report, the Wine Enthusiast, Saveur, Sky, and Golf Connoisseur. He is currently Artisanal Editor for Four Seasons magazine and contributes the Nick Passmore: Wine of the Week column to BusinessWeek.com. He is also a judge at the widely respected annual Critics' Challenge wine competition.

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