The Spanish Summer Wine Hack Australians Need To Learn ASAP

There’s a sneaky Spanish summer wine hack every Australian really ought to know about, but don’t. That hack? Putting your red wine in the fridge.

Now, before you throw your decanter at me and call me a heathen – hear me out. I know reds are supposed to be drunk at room temperature, while whites are the ones you bung in the fridge door.

However, after visiting Spain some years ago – a country known for its vino prowess – I noticed many people put their red wine in the fridge before drinking it.

This bugged me. Why, if they are all so knowledgeable about wine in Spain, do they commit this heinous sin? Why do they put red wine in the fridge? Don’t they know anything?

As it turns out, I was the one who knew nada – according to the experts, some red wines taste better cooled. On top of that, Australia’s high temperatures in summer mean our room temperatures can be unnaturally high even for big ‘room temperature’ reds like Shiraz.

DMARGE spoke to sommelier Sean McManus, who is a representative at Real Wines, to better understand which red wines can be cooled, and why refrigerating red wine is less common in Australia than Spain.

“As for chilled reds, I imagine you saw a lot of this in Spain due to Grenache being a grape that loves being chilled,” Sean told DMARGE.

“Grenache is a grape that is relatively low in tannin making it smashable when chilled.”

Sean then explained that because Australia is a land of punchy reds – which aren’t really suitable for chilling – we aren’t used to putting red wine in the fridge.

“Australia is known for big tannic reds – Barross Shiraz, Coonawarra Cab, etc. If it has tannin, it is no bueno for being chilled!”

However, Sean adds, “You can find great examples in Southern Rhône (France) of red wines that go well cool. Look towards a region called Tavel. Technically a Rosé but that a more like a light red. Pinot is also great with a little chill.”

“In Australia, look for lightweight grenache from producers out of the Barossa such as Alkina ‘KIN’ Grenache. Biodynamic, wild fermented. It’s the perfect combo of juicy and elegant.”

Mount Ophir Estate winemaker Nick Brown told DMARGE a lot of people are “over the big, juicy, soupy, overripe styles” of wine anyway, and “want to have a few glasses and not fall asleep at the table.”

He said that Australians “are seeking softer, medium wines, particularly red wines,” and industry is now “leaning towards a lighter euro style of winemaking,” in part because a lot of winemakers, due to COVID-19 (as well as technology improving), are now a lot more au fait with technology and can interact with customers online, and are listening to them more than they used to in the past.

Video: TikTok User @legallywined reveals which red wines can be put in the fridge.

@legallywined This also depends on personal preference so feel free to experiment! #winetiktok #winetok #sommlife #wineeducation101 #pinotnoir ♬ Spongebob Tomfoolery – Dante9k Remix – David Snell

Even when it comes to big, heavy reds like Shiraz, which experts agree are supposed to be served at room temperature, in the height of Aussie summer you might even be able to get away with putting them in the fridge, because your room temperature may be quite high.

“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,” Gwyn Olsen, head winemaker at Pepper Tree Wines once told SBS.

RELATED: Our Expert’s Scoop On The Best Australian Wines To Buy Right Now

Olsen told SBS that most room temperatures in the Australian summer are significantly above the ‘room temperature’ instruction for red-wine storage and consumption from Europe.

“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.”

This could even rob your precious big red of some of its flavour (not to mention being quite unrefreshing).

There you have it. Yet another excuse for you to avoid white wine and stick to reds this Christmas and New Year… Just make sure you keep them cool.

Read Next

• Why Spaniards Will Never Understand Australia’s Obsession With Wellness
• Important Eating Rules You Need To Know Before Visiting Spain

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