21 hours ago
11
Image source, Getty Images
On Wednesday evening, red wine lovers gathered in south Manchester for a tasting.
But the sell-out event, which cost £44 a ticket, shunned the long-standing belief that red wine is only properly served when at room temperature.
Instead, all the wines offered during the two-hour session in Didsbury came straight from the fridge.
Henry Alassane, the owner of Cru Manchester, has been drinking chilled red wine for years.
But he says it is only recently that he has noticed more customers wanting to do the same - and there has been a "massive increase" this year.
Image source, Henry Alassane
All the red wines served at Henry Alassane's tasting at Cru Manchester this week were chilled
"It's something that we see guests actively asking for," agrees Holly Willcocks, owner of Half Cut wine bar in Kentish Town, London.
"I think it's definitely, slowly become something that people are really keen on."
She adds that it is specifically younger drinkers asking for chilled reds. "It's the [same] guests that were asking for an orange wine last year."
As well as cropping up on bar menus, people are popping red wine in the fridge at home.
Searches for chilled red wine on Ocado have soared compared to last year and, in April, Aldi released a red wine with a label that changes colour once it's properly chilled.
"This summer has seen a surge in the popularity of chilling red wine," says Miles Beale, CEO of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.
"This is partly down to the heatwave and partly down to breaking down old school wine myths."
Younger shoppers are driving demand for the drink, according to an Ocado survey, external in June, with 56% of Gen Z and young millennial respondents saying they've had a red wine chilled or served with ice during summer months.
Image source, Holly Willcocks
Holly Willcocks says an increasing number of her customers at Half Cut want chilled red wine
It was in trendy London wine bars where Dominic Lee, 26, first encountered a chilled red. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to start putting bottles of it in the fridge at home.
It "takes the edge off" the drink and makes it less heavy, says Dominic, who usually prefers white wine.
For Emma Moore, chilling red wine makes it taste more refreshing and accentuates its fruitiness.
"I love a chilled red and have done for quite a while," she says, calling it "rosé for grown-ups".
Moore runs wine tastings in York and makes sure she always includes a chilled red option, much to the surprise of many of her clients.
Image source, Emma Moore
Emma Moore says attendees of her wine tastings are often surprised with a chilled red
As temperatures in Britain soar, people say the option of a chilled red wine becomes all the more appealing.
"With weather like we're having at the moment, it's the only way you can handle a red wine," says Willcocks. Many of her patrons at Half Cut agree.
Alassane says it's all he drinks in Manchester's hot weather. While many customers opt for a chilled white or rosé when it gets warm, he thinks a chilled red has more flavour and character.
He thinks its rise in popularity is also partly down to Brits enjoying chilled reds on holiday, where he says "it's much more common" during the warmer months.
"They come back from holiday and want to keep drinking them here," he says.
This was the case for Sam Colenutt, 29, who first tried a chilled sparkling red wine at a vineyard in Australia.
"Initially I was a little apprehensive but it was very smooth and much less heavy when chilled," he says. "It's the only way to drink red wine in the heat."
But alcohol can also cause dehydration. Dietitian Kate Hilton previously told BBC News she recommends drinking alcohol in moderation during hot weather and alternating it with non-alcoholic drinks.
Image source, Getty
Experts recommend placing red wine in the fridge between 20 minutes and an hour before serving
To serve an optimal chilled red wine, you shouldn't keep the bottle in the fridge overnight.
Instead, wine experts recommend placing it in there for between 20 minutes and an hour before serving.
If it does get too cold, don't worry - your body heat will help bring it up, says wine connoisseur Filippo Bartolotta. But if it's too hot, there's "no comeback".
Though he does have one quick fix to bring the temperature of red wine down by a few degrees - dropping in a big ice cube for about a minute and then fishing it out with a spoon.
Sommeliers may tell you that you're going to ruin your drink but "actually you're just going to get the wine to the right temperature," says Bartolotta.
When selecting a red to chill, the consensus is to go for something lighter-bodied and fruity that's low in tannins and has a lower alcohol content.
Red wine varieties that Moore, the wine tasting host, suggests chilling include Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Gamay. "I've got a bottle of Beaujolais in the fridge at the moment," she adds.
Image source, Dominic Lee
Dominic Lee suggests chilling red wine produced in countries with cooler climates
Dominic typically opts for reds from cooler climates like Austria or Germany. English and organic red wines, which he says can taste tarter, are among his favourites to drink chilled.
In contrast, big-bodied red wines taste bitter and metallic when they're served lower than 16C, says Bartolotta.
But that doesn't mean you should always serve them straight from the kitchen cupboard - it depends on how hot your house is.
The notion that red wine must be served at room temperature is an outdated concept based on it being kept in the much cooler conditions of a cellar, says Bartolotta. Temperatures over 18C are a "killer for any fine wine", he explains.
To counter this, Willcocks recommends popping all red wines in the fridge for 10 minutes before serving.
"Temperature is one of the most misunderstood variables in wine service," adds Michael Sager, founder of Sager + Wilde wine bar in London. "Most reds are served too warm."
Chilling red wine is not so much a trend, he says, "it's just correct service for the right wine."
