What sort of red wine is best for summer drinking?
10 of my top recommendations
Confession time. I’m less of a red wine drinker than I used to be, particularly at this time of year when I tend to eat fish and salads rather than hot meat dishes.
What about barbecues though? Don’t they need full-bodied reds?
Well, not necessarily and besides it’s a question of temperature.
I recently went to a tasting of pinotage, South Africa’s signature grape variety (a cross between pinot noir and cinsault) where all the wines were served cool and it really helped to reduce the sensation of alcohol.
My usual go-tos though are light reds like Beaujolais, pinot noir and cabernet franc-based wines from the Loire region of France but follow the ‘chill it down’ rule and it massively increases your options.
You can even - if your wine’s not too grand - pop an ice cube in your glass.
Even what I refer to as ‘jammy’ reds - wines with a comparatively high level of residual sugar - taste better when they’re cooled down a bit.
Other good value for money reds that tick the summer drinking box are Mencia from northern Spain, Austria’s Zweigelt and Frappato, Marzemino and Refosco from Italy - many Italian reds are made in a lighter style. Or - slightly pricier - Etna reds, Poulsard and Trousseau from the Jura and, of course, English reds,
What you want to avoid, I would suggest, are mature oaky wines like old Bordeaux or gran reserva riojas as they lack the freshness to go with summer food.
I’ll be giving you more tips at our online tasting at 7pm this coming Sunday, July 6th. If you’d like to join me and are not yet a paid subscriber you can sign up for as little as £5 which I hope you’ll agree isn’t a bad rate for a wine tasting!
Plus you get all my moneysaving wine recommendations, recipes and the chance to go in for my monthly cookbook giveaway. You can sign up here.
10 of the best value summer reds