The world of wine is full of preconceived ideas that I propose to dust off. Who has never heard: “with cheese the best pairing is red wine”, “red wine is served at room temperature, no need to cool the bottle” “in summer we should drink white wine and rosé, red is too strong”… Does this sound familiar? Let’s stop on this last remark: what happens if during a barbecue in the middle of summer, we suddenly feel like drinking a bottle of red wine? Will we have to wait for the end of the summer, the drop in temperature to do it? Of course not! And that’s good! I suggest you to discover how to optimize this tasting experience to enjoy red wine in summer when it is hot.

In this article we will see together :

• Some main principles to choose a red wine that adapts to high temperatures;
• Tips for serving red wine in summer;
• Some recommendations of Spanish wines suitable for drinking in hot weather.

PRINCIPLES OF RED WINE CHOICE IN SUMMER

To get the most out of the experience, I recommend choosing a red wine with the following characteristics:

• A young red wine (without aging in wood, “Sin crianza”): this generally gives wines with fruit that will be very pleasant in summer.
• A red wine with a certain refreshing acidity (the acidity depends on the variety of grapes used: in Spain, for example, Bobal, Mencía… Some wines made from grapes grown at high altitudes will also be less alcoholic and with a higher acidity).
• A light and well-balanced red wine: in hot weather, drinking a red wine that is too alcoholic or too tannic (astringent) would not be very pleasant.

TIPS FOR SERVING RED WINES IN SUMMER

Who said that you can’t refresh a red wine? Drinking a red wine at room temperature when it is hot is not at all appropriate. This preconceived notion of “red wine at room temperature” comes from a time when houses were not heated. So leaving your red wine in a room at 16 degrees was quite appropriate.
In order to bring out the fruity aromas and to neutralize the sensation of alcohol, I advise you to serve the red wine between 12 and 14 degrees. You can put the bottle in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or in an ice bucket with ice cubes.

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS OF SPANISH RED WINES IN SUMMER

Here is a selection of Spanish red wines perfect to enjoy in summer (list obviously not exhaustive):

Amona Tempranillo, Rosario Vera, DOCa Rioja. Grape variety: 100% tempranillo
Pago de Valdoneje: El valao Mencía, Vinos Valtuille. DO Bierzo, 100% Mencía
Estay Prieto picudo, Dominio Dostares. VT Castilla y León, 100% Prieto picudo
TN (Tinto Natural), Partida Creus, DO Penedès. Grapes: Tempranillo, Bobal, Sumoll
Matilda Nieves Mencía, Rectoral de Amandi. Riberia Sacra. Grapes: Mencía
Sin blanca Juan García, El hato y el Garabato, Arribes. Grapes: Juan Garcia, Bruñal, Bastardillo, rufete.

And you, which red wine do you enjoy drinking when it’s hot?

Don’t hesitate to share in the comments your summer red wine bottles!