John Wilson: What are the best wines to drink in summer?

Leaving aside jokes about the Irish summer, the arrival of warmer, sunnier weather means that it is time to start drinking lighter wines with higher acidity and lower alcohol. As soon as the temperature rises, our diet switches to more salads, more spring and summer vegetables and lighter foods generally. It makes perfect sense to adapt our wine choices too.

Instead of the warmth provided by a rich turbocharged 15 per cent red wine, start looking for wines with less oomph that will keep you cool. An abv of 13.5 per cent is probably the maximum, and between 12-13 per cent is ideal. Check the alcohol levels before you buy; every wine label must include it. Below I include a few well-known names, but with the current preference for lighter wines, there are plenty of other regions producing lighter wines too.

Lighter refreshing white wines with more acidity include sauvignon blanc, albariño and verdejo from Spain; riesling, grüner veltliner from Austria, pinot grigio from Italy, and unoaked chardonnay.

[ How to pick a good bottle of rosé – darker wines will not necessarily be sweeter ]

Consumption of rosé wines rises once summer comes. As well as being a stylish poolside drink, rosé is a great food wine, perfect with all sorts of salad, grilled fish and chicken. Provence or Provence-style rosé is the most popular at the moment. It is pale in colour with light red fruits (almost like a white wine) and most wine shops and supermarkets carry a range, including plenty of less expensive wines.

Could I grow my own grapes and make my own wine?

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It may not be the largest producer, but Austria turns out world-class wines

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Two Italian wines at reduced prices to try — a classic Chianti and dry white

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John Wilson’s top 20 summer wines to quench your thirst

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Don’t forget about red wine either. Pinot noir from France, Chile, New Zealand and Germany is usually light in fruit and alcohol, as is cabernet franc from the Loire Valley, and Beaujolais.

If you are drinking al fresco remember to drink plenty of water, and don’t be afraid to add a cube of ice and/or some sparkling water to your wine. It will bring the alcohol level down and make the wine taste even more refreshing. You can do this with white, rosé and red wines too.