Lighten up and take a break from hearty winter reds

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This article was published 01/03/2025 (552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With February in the rear-view mirror and temps seeming to be safely in the single digits, over here at Uncorked HQ we’ve taken a break from heartier winter reds … at least for now.

This week’s wines are decidedly lighter and come in a range of styles, with one uniting factor — they’re all meant to be chilled. Yes, even the reds.

The Teliani Valley 2022 Kakhuri No. 8 Vin D’Orange (Georgia — $23.99, Liquor Marts and beyond) is the lightest in colour of this lot. Coming from Georgia (the country, not the state) it’s what’s called an orange wine. No, it’s not made from oranges — rather, instead of separating the juice from the skins right away, like you would when making a typical white wine, everything’s left together for days or weeks, like you would with a red. The result is a wine with an orange tinge, slightly oxidative flavours and, in some cases, a touch of tannin. The grapes used to make this particular orange wine are (deep breath) Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Khikhvi and Kisi, all native Georgian white grape varieties. The wine is pale gold-orange in appearance and aromatically brings lovely peach skin, saline, herbal and dried apricot aromas. It’s dry, light-plus bodied and lean, with saline and oxidative notes almost akin to a dry sherry, plus peach and apple skin flavours that come with subtle spice, tangerine and chalky notes and just a hint of tannin before the modest finish. The label says to serve this wine between 13 and 15 C, which means just a slight chill is in order (around 15-20 minutes). Intriguing and delicious — adventurous palates (and natural wine fans) take note. 4/5

The Tasca 2023 Regaleali Le Rosé (Sicily, Italy — around $22, private wine stores) is a pink wine made in Sicily from the Pinot Noir-ish Nerello Mascalese grape, but for a rosé is a bold deep pink colour. Aromatically it offers fresh peach, watermelon, raspberry and strawberry notes as well as hints of red candies; on the dry, medium-bodied palate the ripe red berry and watermelon flavours come with almost a hint of sweetness, showing great depth of flavour and intensity. Delicious on its own but would stand up to salmon dishes, pork tenderloin and all manner of salads and mild cheeses. Excellent stuff — chill for 25 minutes before serving. Available at most private wine stores. 4.5/5

The Michel Chapoutier 2023 Clair & Frais Rouge (France — $22.99, Liquor Marts and beyond) is an 80-20 blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes sourced from the Montagne Noir region of France, and is made to be chilled — in fact the word “frais” on the front label gets bright red when the wine reaches the winery’s suggested temperature of 10 C. It’s raspberry red in colour and brings fresh cranberry, cherry, floral and plum aromas; the dry and light-bodied palate is brimming with red berry and cherry flavours along with medium acidity, hints of tannin, no oak and a modest finish (it’s 12.5 per cent alcohol). A crunchy, fresh and delicious light red. 4/5

While it’s slightly darker than the Chapoutier, the Radford Dale 2021 Thirst Cinsault (Stellenbosch, South Africa — around $27, private wine stores) is another candidate to be served around 10 C. It’s a minimal-intervention (read: natural) red wine that’s pale garnet in colour and offers mocha, plum, blackberry, earth and dried cherry notes on the nose. On the dry, light-bodied palate comes tart cherry, pepper, blackberry, blueberry and earthy flavours before a modest 12 per cent finish. A newer vintage would ramp up the freshness here; as is, chill for 15-20 and enjoy. Available at The Winehouse and Ellement Wine + Spirits. 3.5/5

Many Okanagan Valley wineries have had to take drastic steps in response to two consecutive years where winter deep freezes decimated vines. While some have simply skipped making wines in those vintages, others have looked abroad, temporarily making wines from grapes grown in the U.S.

Quails’ Gate’s Field & Flight line (Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon) is the first of these wines to enter our market — they’re sourced from grapes grown in California, Oregon and Washington. (Interestingly, at the Liquor Mart where I found the wines, they were shelved alongside the regular Quails’ Gate VQA wines made from Okanagan Valley fruit, rather than the “bottled and blended in Canada” section, where the cheaper “Canadian” wines live, or the U.S. section.)

The Quails’ Gate 2023 Field & Flight Pinot Noir (Oregon — $25.99, Liquor Marts and beyond) is pale cranberry in colour and aromatically brings ripe cherry, herbal, floral and plum notes with a hint of earth/forest floor. It’s light-bodied and dry, with ripe cherry and raspberry flavours coming with earthy, pine and forest floor notes, light tannins and, at 13 per cent, a modest finish. It’s tasty, but not nearly as engaging or complex as Quails’ Gate’s Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir. 3/5

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