5 hacks for drinking wine in a heatwave
We’re set for another hot week and there’s nothing worse than drinking warm wine. These are my top 5 hacks to keep your wine (and yourself) as cool as a cucumber.
1. Chill your reds.
Chilled red wine is 100% a thing. You won’t get put into wine prison for trying this and it is actually recommended by experts. Just think of it in the same way as you do about iced coffee.
Now, this isn’t to say that all red wine should be chilled. Some naturally lend themselves to being served cooler and those that don’t are best left for winter. Anything that has been oak-aged won’t work so well and it’s best to go for fruit-driven and simpler red wines. You’ll notice that chilled reds have a more pronounced acidity and a fresher aroma profile. The best way to chill a red would be to pop it in the fridge for 40 minutes. (Or, use the method in tip number 4 which only takes about 10 minutes!
Here are some recommendations for red wines which I think should be sat in your fridge right now.
Beaujolais
Pinot Noir
St Laurent
Malbec - yes, really!
Lambrusco
Dolcetto
We have some great chillable reds in the can shop at the moment. I’ll link a couple of them below.
2. Ice ice, baby.
This is without a doubt, the most effortless hack on the list.
I will admit, it takes a little bit of forward planning but it’s an absolute GAME CHANGER.
Everybody likes a cool glass of wine but nobody likes a cool, watered-down, diluted glass of wine. But this is exactly what happens when you add regular ice cubes to your drink.
The answer?
It’s so simple.
Fill an ice cube tray with the wine you’re going to drink.
Leave the cubes to freeze then add to your glass of wine.
Yep, it really is that easy. You can thank me later.
3. Spritz it.
For the ultimate thirst quencher, there’s nothing quite like a wine spritzer. My personal go-to is a chilled sauvy b with soda water and loads of ice. Cool, crisp and dry. Perfection.
You can make them by eye but the recommended ratios are 3:1 wine to soda water. There are a few variations on the spritzer - if you’ve got a sweet tooth then try with lemonade. You can get fancy with them and add sliced fruit, too. The best wines to spritz are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Reisling and Grenache but it’s all down to personal taste.
Wine spritzers are also a handy way of using up a particular wine that you might not like….
4. The quickest way to chill a bottle
Spoiler, it’s nothing to do with a freezer!
Whilst that method can and does work, it’s not the fastest and there’s always a risk that you’ll forget about the bottle and ruin it. (I actually did this last week. R.I.P. lovely bottle of English sparkling wine.)
People have gone to great lengths to test the different methods of getting a room temp. bottle to 10 degrees and this is the clear winner.
Cold water + ice + salt + metal bucket + some bottle wriggling.
This method will have your wine perfectly chilled in 15 minutes. To put this in perspective, it can take over an hour to chill a bottle of wine in the fridge. This method is unbelievably fast and perfect for those times when you need a chilled vino asap.
If you don’t have a metal bucket, a metal sink or even a large vase could do the trick.
5. The humble Brixton Wine Club cool bag
Last but by no means least, I present to you the BWC cool bag. The ultimate picnic accessory for Summer 2022 and beyond. It’s made from 100% cotton and printed in hot pink. You can fit around 6 cans in here and each bag comes with a set of colourful cool blocks. The whole world will know you’re in the coolest wine club, pun intended. It also doubles up as a handy lunch-bag for work, too.
