Jane Parkinson selects a variety of fresh, vibrant wines for drinking right now

With so many cellaring insights in this issue, Jane Parkinson has gone another way. Here’s to the wines that are not only ready to drink now, but are also intended for immediate enjoyment.

WHEN WINES are made with longevity in mind, they seem to join an elite group of minority bottles that are automatically considered to be of better quality simply because they cost more and are expected to last longer.

But we should never presume that a wine crafted with a dusty cellar in mind would represent the best quality, because not all wines are made for this purpose. In fact, the majority of wines around the world are made for consumption as soon as they’re bought. This doesn’t necessarily render them any worse in quality; they’re simply fulfilling a different type of demand.

Call them what you like – everyday, easygoing, less challenging – there’s nothing to say that these ‘drink-now bottles’ (that’s my name for them) can’t also age. Many of them could do so very nicely indeed.

Take nebbiolo in Piedmont, for example. This variety makes some of Italy’s most revered wines that need ageing – Barolo and Barbaresco – but ‘Baby Barolo’, also known as Langhe nebbiolo, is delicious when young.

Across the border in Lombardy, freezing winter temperatures and baking hot summers in Valtellina produce nebbiolo (known locally as chiavennasca) with precision yet opulence and a discernably different flavour profile to that of Langhe nebbiolo. Lombardy’s chiavennascas, just like those of its neighbour, can also come in early- to mid-drinking styles that can easily be revisited without disappointment after, say, a decade of ageing or more.

Further east in Europe, there’s a whole cluster of lesser-known varieties that can produce reds with robust juiciness in youth and elegant savouriness after a few years on the clock. Austria is lucky enough to have three of these up its sleeve. While blaufrankisch and zweigelt take the lion’s share of exposure and praise, Saint Laurent is on the rise in terms of both its popularity and plantings. Cherry-flavoured but with smooth tannins and the ability to show well when very young or more mature, it should be on any must-try list for those wanting something that’s not too dissimilar to pinot noir.

Syrah can easily seduce palates in infancy as well as when mature. As a single variety in Chile, for example, the proximity to the coast plays an intrinsic role in its earlydrinking freshness. It leads to a style of syrah that tastes peppery without being hot, and herbal without being green.

Most of these bottles benefit from a stint on ice before serving to maximise the inherent crispness when consumed young. That said, the best of today’s Chilean syrahs could certainly be left in the cellar for a good five to seven years, and in some cases even longer.

Whether you’re a fan of pinot grigio or pinot gris, both incarnations of this chameleon variety make refreshing youthful drinking. Even so, it’s generally only the gris version – with its weightier body and fuller flavour – that can cross into ageing territory. As a very general rule, the

clue is in the name – if it’s grigio, go young, if it’s gris, young or old.

One emerging variety that is unequivocally in the ‘drink now’ camp is Japan’s native grape koshu, although the urgency of drinking is more a reflection of its delicate nature than any question of quality. Beautifully delicate, aromatic, floral, dry young koshus make a scintillating match with sushi and sashimi. But for all its daintiness, this grape can also withstand the rigours of traditional fermentation. Even so, whether still or sparkling, koshu’s trademark delicacy makes it an undeniable wine for consumption sooner rather than later.

And to end on something closer to home – for me, at least – the improvement of English fizz with every vintage has been well documented. In many cases, the quality has improved thanks to the incremental building of reserve wine stock to achieve greater complexity and age-worthiness. When released, the best display razor-sharp freshness with greenapple crunchiness laced with biscuity autolysis. This makes them very deserving candidates for youthful drinking, even if they can, and will, improve in the cellar with time.