Top or pop: when in summer a red wine, even Nero di Troia, can be drunk?

Who said summer is only for white wine? And who said you can’t enjoy a good red chilled? In fact, you can. And you should. Because anyone visiting Puglia once a year, even in the height of the hot season, can’t afford to leave the fruits of the local vineyards, which make this region one of Italy’s top wine producers, in the cellar.
But it’s hard to imagine sipping a full-bodied Primitivo or a “muscular” Nero di Troia at its classic serving temperature during a scorching August. And how do you pair it with seasonal dishes? There’s a solution, and it’s worth trying to not miss out on a true gem of Puglian food and wine.
The common belief, perhaps “educational” or perhaps “retro,” that great red wines are top in winter with hearty, juicy dishes, is increasingly crumbling. Of course, there’s a technical reason for it, but with careful study of the right balances, these same wines can become pop even in summer if chilled a bit before serving and paired with lighter dishes. New trends speak volumes about this, but know that not all reds can be treated the same way, thinking you can just chill them a bit to serve them in summer. When it’s really necessary to forgo, we suggest taking the much-desired Puglian label home and enjoying its contents when the weather permits.
Returning to the “top” reds that can be served a few degrees cooler for a more carefree “pop” look, here are two necessary premises.
First, it’s clear that “pop” here doesn’t just mean “popular” but “less formal,” with a new approach that breaks the mold. Young, creative. The concept of “top & pop wine” has taken on a philosophical meaning and conception in the wine world for some years now. It was Giacomo Mojoli, a pillar of Slow Food for years, who thought it wise to introduce the concept of “poppizing” wine by organizing a series of events dedicated to young people and beyond.
Then we need to clarify how the pairing of red wines with rich, juicy dishes from cold climates came about, and especially why the serving temperature of a red is always higher than that of a rosé or white.
In the first case, just rely on the sense of taste that makes us realize that a robust, warm, aged wine with woody or leathery and spicy notes certainly doesn’t pair with a plate of raw seafood, nor with a bluefish in crazy water. Nor with a triumph of vegetables or orecchiette with Puglian cherry tomatoes, or even lean meat, let alone a summer menu’s revisited eggplant parmigiana. If we don’t want to shock our taste buds, this is the rule.
But a younger, less complex, fresher red, but especially less tannic, can find its place alongside seasonal dishes. And it’s precisely on the tannins that much of the game is played. For experts, these are the polyphenolic compounds released during maceration from the grape seeds, stems, and skins, and the longer they coexist with the must, the more they impart astringency, tannicity. For laypeople, it’s enough to know that tannins equate to that dryness sensation the wine leaves in the mouth after tasting. This aspect makes the pairing of tannic wine and succulent dish a certainty. Moreover, the astringency sensation increases at low temperatures: that’s why wines with more tannins, and generally all reds, should be served at higher temperatures. The more tannic they are, the higher the temperature they should be served at. To be clear, a pure red around 13-14°, like Nero di Troia, Primitivo, Negroamaro, should be served at about 18°.
But where the softer tannins of a Primitivo, or the higher acidity of a Negramaro, allow it to be served after leaving it in ice for a few minutes, when it comes to Nero di Troia, you’re walking a tightrope. And there are some precautions to take to avoid getting cut. Here they are.
One: if you want to chill, and let’s be clear, chill and not freeze (3-6 degrees less) a Nero di Troia, the advice is to choose a blend softened by other grape varieties.
Among Crifo reds, we highlight: a blend with some native grape varieties, namely Terre del Crifo Castel del Monte Dop (serving temperature on the label 16°C, alcohol content 12.5% vol.); the Grifone Castel del Monte Dop, softened by a varying amount of Montepulciano depending on the vintage (serving temperature on the label 18°C, alcohol content 12.5% vol.).
Two: the pairings cannot be wrong, or you’ll end up with an “incomprehensible” if not downright disappointing meal. A wine with pronounced tannins, as they are enhanced by the cold, can be a good solution in summer on oily rather than fatty dishes: if we’re talking about an eggplant parmigiana, let the eggplants be fried; if we’re having a barbecue, let it be of only fatty meats or succulent cuts/preparations like the typical Puglian bombette, pork capon, lamb chops. All dishes that are very Puglia and for many are indispensable even in summer.
For the more daring, perhaps in the coolness of the high hinterland, serving even a challenging Squarcione Appassimento Rosso Igp Crifo one or two degrees cooler won’t send you to hell. But it only applies to the mixed Puglian-style meat grill.