Netscape Forum Poll: Is red wine seasonal?

[Robin Garr]

You might not believe it from looking at the thermometer here, but autumn is here in the Northern Hemisphere (and spring in the Southern). If you've put away your robust red wines for the season, it's time to start thinking about pulling them back out. Or did you ever put them away? This week's poll invites you to tell us whether you consider red wine seasonal, keep drinking it year-round, or even if you don't drink much red wine at all.

<b>Click here to vote</b>!

I voted for year round since we consume it inside in the AC all the time. But for us, it is seasonal as to whether we'll drink it when outside. Heat and humidity just seem to kill the nose and palate of reds.

Crisp, cold roses' or sauvignon blanc hold up better for outdoor summers than any red.

Richard

I voted year round. BUT...
1) I drink proportionately less red in summer (winter is probably 59red:40white:1rose, summer is probably 35R:53W:12pink - I love pulling numbers out of my.....).
2) the reds I drink in summer tend to be lighter than winter. I occasionally open Bordeaux or CdP in summer (especially if dining inside in AC), but my percentage of lighter lightly chilled reds (Loire, Beaujolais, Freisa, etc) is higher in summer.

I sell wine in retail here in Oregon. Reds still go very well with BBQ even in the heat of summer. I tell my customers that the best way to enjoy the reds is to pop them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. They will be great at 60 degrees instead of 80. That is more real cellar temperature.

No seasonal variation away from reds whatsoever for me - especially not during summer, as that is particularly the time when I grill a lot of steaks and other goodies for which reds - even robust, full reds - are de rigueur... I drink a fair bit of white wines during the winter as well, so there is no correlation there either.

But there is with beer. Once the days get chilly, beer just doesn't taste good to me anymore. I usually close out my beer season with a few bottles of oatmeal stout or the like around the time of Oktoberfest. After that, it's bye-bye beer until about June of the next year.

Voted for year round for a couple of reasons. First we select wine based of food rather than season. Second as others have mentioned, with AC and BBQing the arguments for not drinking red wine in summer evaporate.

Year round for us. I tend to prefer reds, although lately I have found some whites and even rosés (Hi, Steve!) that I am really liking.

But my default is red.

I voted year round. BUT...
1) I drink proportionately less red in summer (winter is probably 59red:40white:1rose, summer is probably 35R:53W:12pink - I love pulling numbers out of my.....).
2) the reds I drink in summer tend to be lighter than winter. I occasionally open Bordeaux or CdP in summer (especially if dining inside in AC), but my percentage of lighter lightly chilled reds (Loire, Beaujolais, Freisa, etc) is higher in summer.

I agree with Dale 100% but this is why I voted for "seasonal". Drink more whites in the summer and lighter reds. Who ever heard of someone not drinking ANY reds during the summer. What do you serve with a hamburger or grilled lamb chops?
Walt

But there is with beer. Once the days get chilly, beer just doesn't taste good to me anymore. I usually close out my beer season with a few bottles of oatmeal stout or the like around the time of Oktoberfest. After that, it's bye-bye beer until about June of the next year.

Paul, don't you like dark, winter-warmer type of beers?

Most of the wine I taste tends to be red (formal tastings rarely happen around white themes for some reason) but most of what I open at home to actually drink is white (Riesling mostly). I don't think I open significantly more reds during winter, but I won't deny that on really cold days a warming glass of Port is very pleasant.

-O-

But there is with beer. Once the days get chilly, beer just doesn't taste good to me anymore. I usually close out my beer season with a few bottles of oatmeal stout or the like around the time of Oktoberfest. After that, it's bye-bye beer until about June of the next year.

Paul, don't you like dark, winter-warmer type of beers?

Most of the wine I taste tends to be red (formal tastings rarely happen around white themes for some reason) but most of what I open at home to actually drink is white (Riesling mostly). I don't think I open significantly more reds during winter, but I won't deny that on really cold days a warming glass of Port is very pleasant.

-O-

Otto,
I agree. I drink my favorite beers in the winter, dark Belgium ales. Keep them in the cellar, drink them at 55 degrees (13C), and never drink them in the summer. I am not a pilsner guy so the hot weather beer, "after mowing the lawn" is not a beer style I purchase.
Walt

I voted year round. BUT...
1) I drink proportionately less red in summer (winter is probably 59red:40white:1rose, summer is probably 35R:53W:12pink - I love pulling numbers out of my.....).
2) the reds I drink in summer tend to be lighter than winter. I occasionally open Bordeaux or CdP in summer (especially if dining inside in AC), but my percentage of lighter lightly chilled reds (Loire, Beaujolais, Freisa, etc) is higher in summer.

I voted seasonal, but my consumption is close to Dale's. In the hot months, white and rosé constitutes 75% or so of our wine consumption, but we still drink a fair amount of Beaujolais and Pinot Noir in the summer months. Heavier reds occasionally come out for a late evening dinner of red meat, but that's a rare event, as we eat lighter in the hot months, too.

Mark Lipton

We definitely go seasonal with brews. Summer Ale, Autumn Ale (including Octoberfest brew), Winter Ale, etc. Haven't run across a Springtime brew yet!

I drink what seems right for the moment. Hot weather does seem to encourage the spritzy, light whites and rosés for sure. And since in the summer I tend not to eat those hearty foods which suggest red wines, I guess red wines do indeed take a back seat. Given the appropriate food complement, however, I'd go red in summer, too. It's not a matter of principle, just one of pairing. Ditto during cooler weather weather where the situation is reversed to an extent. The difference is that I am prone to eat summery foods in winter, too, at times so the whites in winter have a better chance at being consumed than the reds in summer.

By the way, any beer any season. And, of course, if you're buying I'll drink (almost) whatever wine you select. Courtesy trumps all!

[Jenise]

Maybe if we'd had a warm summer with two months/no rain like last year, I'd have said seasonal...naah. You know what, we're just far enough north that the seasonal considerations are more subtle. Though it's true that we drink more white wine in summer, maybe overall more wine period, those warm summer nights mean we can enjoy drinking red wine outside. Once the cooler, tannin-hardening temps of autumn come along, and likewise in spring, we still sit out but we drink white. Inside the house, come winter we merely drink some of the heavier reds more often.

Red wine is our go to wine, probably 80 to 90% of the time. Whites are special, when they go especially well with a particular dish, fish especially, or when a sparkler is called for.

I suppose we drink slightly more white in the summer, when lazing in the pool, or as an aperitif.

But red is year around -- and best for my health I'm told.

I virtually only drink Reds nowadays - I think I overdosed on cheap German white wines when I was younger.

I will buy and drink white wine for outdoor Summer events - but that's about it. Maybe even a Rose or two.

Cheers, Dave C

I drink my favorite beers in the winter, dark Belgium ales. Keep them in the cellar, drink them at 55 degrees (13C), and never drink them in the summer. I am not a pilsner guy so the hot weather beer, "after mowing the lawn" is not a beer style I purchase.
Walt

Walt, I guess it's logical for me since I love minerally, high acid whites, that I also tend to go for non-dark ales with lots of hops when I like beer or then the funky stuff like proper Lambic (not the soda-pop stuff like Lindemans). Have you tried stuff like De Ranke's XX Bitter or Saison Dupont? Very complex, but also very refreshing beers that are just right also after mowing the lawn in hot weather (but are great on the table - very versatile food beers).

-O-

Although when I first got into wine I drank big tannic reds most often, the only red wines I really BUY these days are from Burgundy, the Loire, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Northern Italy and Alsace with an occasional Swiss mixed in there. Most often it's white wine even in the winter (65%). Rose drinking for me is almost null in the winter -except if I stumble upon a bottle that needs drinking before the new vintage is released. Or if fondue is for dinner. Or if I've wisely bought too much Marsannay Rose. Or if I'm on vacation. Or...CHAMPAGNE!!!

The crazy thing about the Bay Area is that these non-insulated houses get so cold in the winter, I find it is often difficult to keep the red wine warm enough in the winter, at which point my consumption of white wine probably increases.

Or maybe I just keep drinking red wine and complaining.

I can't remember.

Will see what happens over the next few months.

The crazy thing about the Bay Area is that these non-insulated houses get so cold in the winter, I find it is often difficult to keep the red wine warm enough in the winter, at which point my consumption of white wine probably increases.

Or maybe I just keep drinking red wine and complaining.

I can't remember.

Will see what happens over the next few months.

I hear ya about the coldness of Bay Area homes: I didn't realize that my bedroom had a furnace register until I was in high school, so most winter mornings I would wake up and be able to see my breath in my bedroom. But that's no excuse for drinking whites, Rahsaan: the higher alcohol of the red wines will serve as a vasodilator and help you feel warmer... right up to the moment that you succumb to hypothermia. Ah, but what a way to go, with a smile on your lips and a purple tongue.

Mark Lipton