On hot days, we often reach for a cool drink, but you don’t have to wait for the leaves to change colour to enjoy a good red. Red wine can be a great match on a balmy summer night or for those countless BBQ’s with friends.
Here are our top tips for enjoying red wine in summer.
- Avoid big, bold wines that are high in alcohol. Heavily oaked wines with high tannin are not as enjoyable as lighter bodied wines in warm weather. Save the robust red for a rich, winter dish.
- Lightweight clothes work in warm weather, just like lighter bodied red wines. Our favourite red varieties to enjoy in warmer months include Nebbiolo, Grenache and cool-climate Shiraz. Rosé is also a hit (especially with Nancy). Made from red grapes in the style of a white wine, Rosé that is bright, flavourful and textured is delicious. Rosé is best enjoyed within two years of bottling.
- Chill it. Red wine should be served at 15 – 18C which is cooler than Australian-summer room temperature. Place your bottle of red wine in the fridge for about 15 – 20 minutes before serving. Before pouring, touch the side of the wine bottle. The wine should feel cool to the touch, but not cold. Rosé should be chilled and removed from the fridge 15 minutes before sharing.
- If your wine starts to warm-up as you drink it, pop it back in the fridge for five minutes, but don’t let it get too cold. Serving a red wine too cold masks aromas and flavours. Serving red wine too warm makes it unbalanced. The alcohol gets its party shoes on and leaps out of the glass.
So the secret sauce, wine selection and wine temperature. Cheers to more red wine on summer days!
Adam’s favourite summer red: Cool climate shiraz. Try our 2018 SubRosa Grampians Shiraz.
