I do drink more whites and rosés, but like some others more than 90% of my stock is red so…
I try to drink “lighter” reds like Pinot Noirs or some of the light Grenaches that many vignerons are now growing around Madrid and other areas of Spain.
One other thing I find very important is to keep your reds at the right temperature. I believe a big part of the problem with reds during Summer is that people tend to drink them too hot. Most times unknowingly. The problem is not that you cannot drink red wines when the weather is hot; the problem is you cannot drink red wines at 25 degrees Celsius. Or over!
So it is critical to pour smaller quantities of wine in the glass and put the bottle back into the fridge. In my experience, if you manage to maintain and drink the wine in your glass at 16-18 Celsius then drinking red wine during Summer can still be a very pleasant experience.
I thoroughly enjoy drinking reds in the summer. I don’t open full-bodied Bordeaux, but any wines from Margaux with age, especially lighter vintages, are delicious. Most of the reds however are from the Loire, which work well. Summer is the perfect time for leaner vintages like 2012, or crisp ones like 2014.
With the rise in temperatures over the last decade I have however changed how I drink them. It’s possible with a meal, using a terracotta thing to keep them cool, but my favourite time is after the sun has gone down, straight from the cellar. As Juan rightly says, the drinking temperature is absolutely critical.
My consumption is 90% red wine year-round. Then again, I’ve been known to drink hot coffee while walking outside in 90-degree weather, so I realize I’m a bit of an outlier.
I definitely rule out any heavy reds. And my white/champ consumption goes up. But still enjoy quality lower ABV reds in the summer. Especially when in the comfort of a nice air conditioned condo. If I had to sit outside that would be a whole other story.
Back when I used to drink Napa cabs and such, I was the same. I just find the classics to still be interesting. But to me the biggest key is the AC. I put it down to around 67 before I have people over for a tasting/dinner. And don’t let it go above 72.
I think if it was 85-95 where I was still dining outside sometimes, my red consumption might go down more. But here in North Texas at 95-105, although I still grill outside, I’m basically never eating outside anyway so since its nice and 70-72 inside, I just keep on downing all kinds of Bordeaux, Napa and other reds!
That being said, I think I do open more whites in the summer, especially if I’m outside or while I’m actually grilling. So maybe I just drink more wine total in the summer
Living in Las Vegas, my red wine consumption definitely slows down between June and October. Notice that I said, “slowed down.” We definitely still drink red wines, but with a little bit of chill during the hot season. We drink Gamay, Cinsault, Counnoise, and an occasional Grenache. But we mostly drink Rose!
Arizona - doesn’t get hotter than here. It’s not a matter of not drinking Reds it’s where I drink reds. The AC in Arizona is probably the best anywhere as we have next to zero humidity so restaurants and homes are pretty cold. So instead of drinking Reds outside like we do in the non-summer months, we drink them indoors.
The one change is probably more Champagne as that can sit and stay on ice Vs white burg, etc.
It’s so hot in Mérida I rarely drink anything but lager & Mezcal. Had one Cuba Libre last night with fish dinner. Wife still drinks reds but I really can’t unless restaurant is meat locker cold, and that doesn’t happen too often here.
There are days where afternoon storms will come thru and temp drops 20 or more degrees quickly. Those can be red nights.
Since moving here full time in March I’ve lost 18# effortlessly, more than 7% of my body weight. So hot I eat smaller portions and sometimes the heat fatigues you so much you just say eff it and skip meals.
I know how you feel. As I mentioned above, even with a temperature controlled home here in Manila, one can’t just stay home or in the office the entire time. One does go out and about. During summer, a round of golf is punishing. Even when in an air conditioned venue, after a round, it’s cold beer or ice laden G+Ts for me (or icy highballs on occasion).
Yes, I too tend to eat much lighter fare during summers - sushi, sashimi, tenzaru soba are summer go-to favourites. Heavy steak and the like dinners with red are maybe just once or twice (at most) a week.
I have posted about this before as someone who moved from Texas to Colorado. There were about 100 days a year in Texas where heavier reds and oaky whites had no appeal to me. Even with air conditioning to drink the wine in, I just find any day where I sweat walking to my car is not a day where those wines have much appeal to me. I now consume a Cabernet or Bordeaux weekly.
I have family in Texas who drink Cab sitting in a hot tub in August and think there is nothing better. I can’t imagine doing that and if I did I’d probably be sick.
I know this is a red wine topic but thought this was interesting. … we have a wedding in Texas next month where the bride works for a local high end hotel. She is serving zero Chardonnay at her wedding because no one buys its this time of year.
Summer drinking, in approximate order, consists of Roses, Whites, lightweight reds (mostly Pinots), craft beer. The reds get served at cellar temp (~60F) and I’ll put the bottle in and out of the fridge to maintain that.
If it’s not too hot and I’m grilling big chunks of red meat, I will go to bigger reds. For some reason Zins and Southern Rhones seem less hot and tiring to me than Cabs on those occasions.
One of the perks of having ventured deep into the “natural wine” world is that I’ve been exposed to a lot of reds that are light, transparent, low in tannin with a high acidity and low abv (11-13%).
I honestly enjoy those more than many full body whites during summer.
This is not to start yet another discussion on low sulfites wines. Just to say that a lot of winemakers inspired by the movement tend to aim at lighter reds and they work well during warmer periods.
