Wines to drink during a heatwave

Get out the deck chairs and tie on the knotted hankies – the hot weather is here!

Whether your remedy to beat the heat is a cool pool, a shade tree, or a blasting air conditioner, it always helps to have a relaxing beverage to help ease the intense heat.

On the white side

If you are looking for a white wine look for a wine that sets of a bit of sweetness. Don’t fear! I’m not talking about  semi-sweet wine. Think Riesling. Even better, think Cape Riesling from the Tulbagh wine region. Rieslings are also one of the most versatile wines to matching with food. They are especially great with light summer fare such as a salad, fish or fruit.

Try white wines that’s low in alcohol and high in acidity. Alcohol is dehydrating so wines with high alcohol are going to make you thirstier. Wines with high acidity will make you salivate more and to some extent help to quench your thirst. Robertson Winery has recently launch a whole range of wines for you to pick and choose from.

Red Hot!

On the red side I will suggest you go for a light in colour red, like a Grenache. It’s not so easy to find in South Africa but once you’ve stumbled upon the right one, that suits your taste-buds, you won’t look back. It’s the perfect red wine for summer when served chilled and I would suggest that you pre-order a few boxes from Lynx Wines outside Franschhoek.

A bit of blush

Some snobs will never put their lips to a Rose but I love it on a hot summers day. If you like a sweet Rose, by all means drink it. I prefer a dry Rose made from Shiraz grape’s and my personal favourite comes from Haut Espoir in Franschhoek.

A Hot Mix

If you are looking for something different you can always get creative and shake up a few wine cocktails. They’re not difficult to make and the best part is that you can add ice to the wine which no wine snobs can fault!