ONBOARD Magazine summer 2019

FOOD & DRINK
Rosso Alfresco...get
the ice bucket ready
Our regular wine
guru Tom Harrow
recommends his
favourite chilled reds
which would make
perfect partners for the
BBQ this season
The wine world is forever shifting
boundaries and breaking down
barriers, and drinks choices are
less black and white (or red and white).’
Even leaving aside orange and pink wines,
styles of lighter, fresher, more digestible
reds, with less extraction, crunchier fruit,
softer tannins and more toothsome acidity
are becoming increasingly voguish, and the
only thing cooler is cooling them.’With the
temperature rising outside, as alternative
aperitifs, versatile food wines, or as a
last vivifying glass before retiring to your
cabin, below is a hand-picked selection of
the most interesting chillable reds from
off the beaten track. ’
Biddenden Vineyards Gamay 2018
Most producers in England have
grubbed up the neutral teutonic
varieties like Reichensteiner and
Dornfelder, that sound like World
War Fighter Aces, in favour of
nobler grapes Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir especially.’Whilst the
majority of plantings are dedicated
to sparkling wines there is a
growing production of still wines,
white and red.’The long and blissfully warm,
dry summer of 2018 produced an abundant
and exceptional quality harvest and the
first red wines are just starting to hit the
market, among them is this fantastic Gamay
from Biddenden in Kent:’juicy, fresh, and
herbaceous-edged, this is British Beaujolais
and perfect summer drinking.
Schiava (various)’
A humble but satisfying lunch-time
red from the hills of the South
Tyrol in North Italy, Schiava comes
from the Latin for ‘slave’ so has no
pretensions but better examples
exceed expectation.’ Called Vernatch
to the German-speaking locals (and
in Germany known as Trollinger),
the characters of raspberries,
grapefruit peel, rose petals and a
whiff of smoke are common. Elena Walch in
Termeno (Tramin) and slightly further north
Mannincor in Caldaro (Kaltern) make two
particularly commendable examples, which
are well worth seeking out and popping in
the fridge or ice bucket alongside a plate
of cold smoked meats, fish and cheeses.
Domaine Tissot Poulsard Vielles Vignes
The Jura region of France, between
Burgundy and Switzerland, is one
of the country’s least well-known
but has a long history of viticulture
and indigenous grapes which make
distinctive wines with less familiar
but still engaging flavour profiles.’
Poulsard is a thin-skinned variety
that makes anaemic-looking but
nevertheless elegantly perfumed
and flavoursome reds full of woodland fruits
and earthy, herbal tones. Bénédicte and
Stéphane Tissot make a particularly nice
example, farmed biodynamically, and from
old vines, giving extra complexity and a
little more structure than most.
Douloufakis Winery Liatiko ’
Liatiko is a native variety of Crete
and the Douloufakis Winery in
Dafnes, now run by third generation,
Italian-trained winemaker Nikolas,
is definitely an estate whose
wines are worth looking out for
when mooring up in Elounda.’The
Dafnios red has a light, almost
tawny colour, but is medium-bodied
with rich, stewed plum and red
fruits and soft, spicy tannins - a gentle
Cretan Cote du Rhone.’ Trailed through
the water off the back of the tender for
twenty minutes at a safe and moderate
speed, will clarify the aromas and flavours
and add a touch more freshness to this
very attractive summer red.’
Ochota Barrels The Fugazi Vineyard
Grenache 2017
A brilliant, new-wave Aussie red
from surfers and punk enthusiasts
Taras and Amber Ochota, the
limpid Fugazi Grenache is all about
perfume, texture and bite and a
world away from the opaque, jammy,
oaky cherry-bombs that litter the
region.’ Wafts of cloves, clay, pot
pourri, and dried cranberry assail
the nostrils and the vibrant, acid-led
palate riffs around hedgerow strawberries,
smoked thyme and Turkish Delight. Best
served at cellar temperature or just below,
this versatile, pungent red is a beaut with
fat, soy-marinated tuna steaks or spicy
game sausages fresh off the BBQ on a
quiet beach with the sun going down.
ONBOARD | SUMMER 2019 | 95