When the sunny days come, wine lovers tend to abandon red wine in favor of fresher and lighter wines, such as white wine or rosé wine. However, if the high alcohol content of certain red wines and the heat of summer do not always go well together, there are alternatives to avoid depriving yourself of drinking red wine in summer .
Opt for light red wines
In summer, we naturally turn to a lighter and fresher diet, which allows us to cool down, hydrate ourselves, and facilitate digestion, a process which requires energy and can sometimes make us hot. The same goes for red wine. If you want an alternative to rosé wines and summer white wines, it is better to turn to a bottle of low-tannin red wine , with a low alcohol content.
We therefore recommend that you select red wines based on Pinot Noir , which are light and fruity. Wines from Beaujolais or the Loire Valley are also excellent choices.
Serve a young, fresh red wine
Generally speaking, the older a red wine gets, the more it develops its aromas and becomes a little too complex for a small summer wine. Furthermore, an old wine always has more difficulty adapting to high temperatures. It is then recommended to choose young red wines , which will have beautiful freshness and pleasant acidity.
And if you are used to serving red wine at room temperature in winter, when it is cold, as oenologists recommend, in summer, it is better to serve red wine a little cooler than usual . It will thus be more pleasant in the mouth, and with the ambient heat, it will have a little more room for warming before being definitively too hot and heavy in the mouth.
How to keep a red wine at the correct serving temperature?
The problem in summer is that the wine heats up quickly, and becomes less pleasant. This is even more true for red wine, which doesn't really like heat. So, if you plan to open a nice bottle of red wine in the middle of summer, here are some tips to prevent it from heating up too quickly .
- Chill the bottle of wine a few hours before serving, by placing it in the fridge, in an ice bucket or in a very cool wine cellar. Remember that if the tradition is to serve red wine at room temperature, this custom was especially applicable at the time when houses were not heated;
- Consider chilling the wine glasses . This way the wine will be in contact with a cool surface, which will slow down the process of warming the wine a little. Furthermore, drinking from a cool glass is always very pleasant in the heat;
- Serve in narrow chalice glasses to keep the wine fresh as long as possible. Furthermore, by serving half glasses, you also delay the warming of the wine.
Our best red wines for summer 2023
Don't want to deprive yourself of a good glass of red wine this summer? Here is a selection of red wines that will be easily enjoyed, even in hot weather.
- The Grande Cuvée rouge du Château de Berne - 2019 - AOP Côtes de Provence : this iconic vintage from the Domaine de Berne is an expressive red wine which reveals aromas of black fruits and spices, as well as floral notes;
- Le Pigeonnier rouge - 2016 - AOP Côtes de Provence : this organic red wine from Château Saint-Roux is balanced and structured. It offers aromas of red fruits, with a hint of licorice, pepper and woody spices;
- La Grande Récolte rouge - 2018 - AOP Côtes de Provence : with its notes of black fruits, pepper and licorice, this red wine cuvée from Château de Berne is supple and expressive on the palate;
- The Inspiration rouge cuvée - 2016 - AOP Côtes de Provence : this expressive red wine with woody notes of red fruits and spices perfectly reveals the richness of the Côtes-de-Provence terroirs;
- Terres de Berne rouge - 2019 - AOP Côtes de Provence : this exceptional red wine from the Berne estate is round and supple, and offers aromas of black fruits and spices, as well as a touch of menthol.
Do you prefer red wines to white wines and rosé wines? When summer comes, don't deprive yourself of enjoying a good bottle of red wine , by choosing wines from our selection.
