A trend towards chilled red wine is gathering pace, according to retailers, as consumers increasingly opt for fresher and lighter or lower abv styles of wine.
The UK market is now "ripe" to embrace chilled red wine; a style that has traditionally been enjoyed in the South of France or Spain, said Sainsbury's senior wine buyer Julian Dyer. Consumers have become more savvy about seasonal wine drinking, and are increasingly buying lower-alcohol wines between 10% and 12% abv and showing interest in lighter styles of red wine that suit being served chilled, he said.
This spring E & J Gallo is launching 10.5% Summer Red, a wine it claims is the first red variety from a major wine brand designed to be served cold and not at room temperature.
Although producers of lighter red wine styles such as Beaujolais and Bardolino have made reds suitable for chilling for a long time, Gallo is the first to market and brand a product specifically for chilling, said Tesco product development manager James Griswood, who added that consumers looking for lighter whites were now considering chilled reds.
In Sainsbury's, meal deals have "pushed the envelope" towards chilled red wine consumption, as red wines are stored in the chiller alongside the food on offer, said Dyer. "It's a category that's going to do more, particularly when you consider the explosion that has taken place in lighter aromatic white wine styles," he added.
"Consumers have got more trend and seasonal-savvy. Stuff that's tailored to occasion, like reds for summer, has a more willing audience than previously."
The UK market is now "ripe" to embrace chilled red wine; a style that has traditionally been enjoyed in the South of France or Spain, said Sainsbury's senior wine buyer Julian Dyer. Consumers have become more savvy about seasonal wine drinking, and are increasingly buying lower-alcohol wines between 10% and 12% abv and showing interest in lighter styles of red wine that suit being served chilled, he said.
This spring E & J Gallo is launching 10.5% Summer Red, a wine it claims is the first red variety from a major wine brand designed to be served cold and not at room temperature.
Although producers of lighter red wine styles such as Beaujolais and Bardolino have made reds suitable for chilling for a long time, Gallo is the first to market and brand a product specifically for chilling, said Tesco product development manager James Griswood, who added that consumers looking for lighter whites were now considering chilled reds.
In Sainsbury's, meal deals have "pushed the envelope" towards chilled red wine consumption, as red wines are stored in the chiller alongside the food on offer, said Dyer. "It's a category that's going to do more, particularly when you consider the explosion that has taken place in lighter aromatic white wine styles," he added.
"Consumers have got more trend and seasonal-savvy. Stuff that's tailored to occasion, like reds for summer, has a more willing audience than previously."
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