There’s nothing quite like the heat of an Aussie summer. The sweltering temperatures see many of us swapping turkey - that northern hemisphere Christmas staple - with seafood, and replacing red wine for chilled glasses of white.
But as it turns out, Aussies wanting a cool alcoholic beverage this season shouldn’t abandon shiraz or pinot noir as an option – in fact, wine experts are advising us to continue drinking red wine, but to drink it cold.
“They say red wine should be served at room temperature, but that means at room temperature in a dungeon, wine cellar or a cave in France,” explains Gwyn Olsen, head winemaker at .
“And having a cool, underground wine cellar is not a luxury many of us can afford.”
Olsen explains that most room temperatures in the Australian summer are way higher than the ‘room temperature’ instruction for red-wine storage and consumption from Europe.
Turns out some red wines should actually be chilled. Source: PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images
“Take, for example, the Hunter Valley (NSW), where you can have a summer day of around 40-odd degrees. If you are drinking that wine at room temperature, you are drinking wine at 40°C. Now that’s not enjoyable by any stretch of the imagination.”
A shows that 80 per cent of Australians drink red wine at room temperature – and in summer, this could mean red wine is being consumed at a temperature that robs the liquor of its true flavours.
“As wine gets warmer, the alcohol and tannins tend to show a bit more, so they come across as hard, hot and usually unattractive – they are not that delicious to drink warm.”
So what is the temperature we are supposed to be storing and serving red wine at?
A research paper from in the USA shows that the ideal cellar temperature to store wines is 10-16°C. Any temperature higher than this can cause the wine to age faster than desired and change its flavour profile.
They say red wine should be served at room temperature, but that means at room temperature in a dungeon, wine cellar or a cave in France.
should also be served chilled, at around 10 to 13°C, although Australian culture sees most during summer, if not for the majority of the year.
Sommelier and wholesale wine distributor, Mira Arocha from , says red wine – no matter the variety – should not be drunk or stored above 24°C.
“But even 24°C is really hot. I actually see people put their red wine in the sun and then leave it there for a while, still drinking it while it is getting hotter – but this is not the right thing to do to enjoy the wine.”
Arocha clarifies that although all red wines should be served slightly cooled to avoid the beverage overheating in summer, like pinot noir and zinfandel will taste better this season if served with a chill.
"My advice for Australians in summer is to drink a pinot noir and lighter varieties that are not too heavy to drink. But I will still drink shiraz in summer."
While the idea of putting a shiraz in the fridge might raise an eyebrow, many of us already our - especially in summer.
Arocha’s only caveat regarding chilling red wine applies to restaurants. As a restaurant wine consultant, she explains that many establishments are off the hook and may not need to chill their wine in summer because they “might have a cellar or a cooler area where they store their wine”.
Some kinds of wine will taste better if slight cool, while others will produce a great impact when seriously chilled. Source: Pixabay
So in the absence of a cool room or a European cave beneath our home to store our red wines, how should we approach enjoying a temperate glass of red this summer?
Olsen advises Australians to store their bottles of red away from the sun and when it comes time for drinking, put the red wine in the fridge for a short period of time prior to serving.
“Have your red wine in the fridge for around one and a half hours to take the wine back down to 20 or 18°C,” says Olsen. “That will help the alcohol and tannins come back into line and allow the fruit flavours in the wine to come out.
“I know it sounds really odd to be putting a cab sav in the fridge but it really helps bring that fruitfulness into life and boosts the expression of the wine.”
