On weeks like this with the mercury soaring the principle quality required of any drink is to be cold and refreshing. Many will turn to beer or cider, others to gin and tonic. Wine lovers will mostly switch to refreshing acidic unoaked whites. And if you are ever going to drink rosé now is the time.

There are though plenty out there who simply prefer red wine. So what can they do? Can you chill your red and still have an enjoyable drink? Well, yes and no is the answer. It depends on the wine style and grape variety.

The ones to avoid are those with much oak use or tannins. Chilling tends to emphasize these characters and increase the perception of bitterness. So smart Bordeaux and cabernet sauvignon are out. In fact less expensive wines designed to be consumed young are a much better bet as oak is expensive and tannins help a wine age.

The go to grape is probably gamay, the variety used to make Beaujolais in Southern Burgundy and that includes the village wines such as Fleurie and Brouilly. The fermentation technique they employ, carbonic maceration, is designed to extract colour and not tannin. They can taste almost like a purple rosé and are refreshing when chilled. The other more famous Burgundian grape is pinot noir and that tends to be low on tannin so takes well to chilling. Don’t waste a fancy expensive Burgundy though go for the fruity cheaper versions from Chile and the best are from Casablanca and Leyda. M & S has a few and the new wine from Carmen, the Wave Series Pinot Noir is on special currently at €10 from Dunnes.

Others to try include the Australian Brown Brothers Tarrango, cabernet francs from the Loire, eg Chinon and Anjou, cheaper lighter grenache based wines and from Spain joven or young tempranillos. The Spanish have always mixed red wine with soft drinks and Sangria (various recipes but mostly involve for citrus fruit juice and lemonade) is the best know but they also mix cola and wine and call it kalimotxo and 7-up or lemon lime soda with red and call it tinto de verano.

North-Eastern Italy has a tradition too of light reds that can be chilled. Best known would be Bardolino and Valpolicella. Again go for the lower levels and not reserve wines or Amarones. Less well known are light reds from the Trentino and Alto Adige. You may find a lagrein, called dunkel if made as red or kretzner if made rosé, the schiava also called vernatsch and then there’s teroldego which we’ll try today as Tesco sell one.

Wine Tasted on the Show

• Aldi Exquisite Range Fleurie 2013, €9.49.

A bargain price for a Fleurie and the style is just right with plenty of raspberry and cherry fruit and a twist of pepper. Improved by chilling.

• Tesco Finest Teroldego, Vigneti delle Dolomiti, 2012, €10.49.

An attractive mix of plum and blackberry fruit and low on tannin. Great summer drink lightly chilled.

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