Summer wine: What makes it special
- and which one suits your occasion

Summer wine must be light. At 30 °C outside, a bottle with 14.5 % alcohol is not a pleasure, but a burden. We concentrate on wines between 10.5 and 13 % vol. - light enough for an afternoon in the shade, strong enough for a glass more.

In summer, acidity is what creates freshness. It makes the wine easy to drink, stimulates salivation and keeps the wine lively even at higher temperatures. Acidity levels between 6 and 8 g/l are ideal for white wines - present on the palate, but not sharp.

What you smell in the glass should match the season. Bright, fresh flavours - citrus zest, gooseberry, peach, white pepper, lime blossom - work better in warm weather than the heavy tones of vanilla, tobacco or dried fruit. The latter are in season in autumn.

Barrique ageing gives wines depth and ageing potential - both characteristics that a summer wine does not need. For the summer selection, we favour wines that have been matured in stainless steel or in large, neutral wooden barrels. Freshness comes before fullness.

Summer wine is drinking wine, not storage wine. Most of our recommendations are from the current or previous vintage. They are at their peak today and should be drunk today - not in ten years' time.

Some wines that taste great at 14 °C lose all contour at 8 °C. Summer wines should be drunk chilled - and still have something to say. This is more demanding than it sounds. We deliberately tasted our selection when it was chilled.

A summer wine is a light, fresh wine with a low to medium alcohol content (10.5 to 13% vol.), present acidity and flavours of citrus, stone fruit, herbs or white flowers. Classic examples are Riesling Kabinett, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Vinho Verde and Provence-Rosé. Light red wines such as Beaujolais or chilled Pinot Noir are also included.

Between 10.5 and 13 % vol. Wines with a higher alcohol content have a heavy and quickly tiring effect in warm weather. German Rieslings from the Kabinett segment are often only 9 to 11 % vol. - these wines are particularly easy to drink at the height of summer.

For white wines, these are mainly Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Silvaner and Scheurebe. For rosés, Provence classics (Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre) and German Saigner rosés made from Pinot Noir or Pinot Noir. For red wines, light, low-tannin varieties such as Gamay (Beaujolais), Pinot Noir, Frappato and young Sangiovese.

Yes, if you choose the right variety and serve it correctly. Light, low-tannin red wines such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir or Frappato also work excellently in summer - provided they are served slightly chilled, at around 12 to 16 °C instead of the usual 18 °C. Heavy, tannic wines such as Bordeaux Rive Gauche or Barolo, on the other hand, are better left in the cellar.

White wine and rosé are ideally served at 8 to 10 °C, light red wines at 12 to 16 °C. Sparkling wine and champagne should be served slightly cooler at 6 to 8 °C. Important: It's better to pour a little too cold - the wine warms up in the glass within a few minutes anyway.

It takes around two to three hours for a bottle of wine to reach drinking temperature in the fridge. It's quicker in an ice water bath with a handful of salt - white wine is chilled in 15 to 20 minutes. A cooling sleeve from the freezer keeps the temperature stable for several hours, even in warm outside temperatures.

Fresh white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner or a bone-dry rosé go well with grilled fish and poultry. Grilled beef goes well with light, low-tannin red wines such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais - served chilled. A stronger rosé or a young Sangiovese works well with marinated sausages and grilled vegetables. Wines to go with barbecues.

Silvaner, Pinot Blanc and dry Rieslings from the Palatinate or Rheinhessen go well with classic white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. For green asparagus with olive oil or vinaigrette, we recommend Sauvignon Blanc or Grüner Veltliner. You can find a detailed selection on our "Wines for the asparagus season" page .

Acidity meets acidity - it works. Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and Vinho Verde are classic vinaigrette companions. It is important that the wine itself has a clear acidity structure so that it can stand up to the dressing.

In the fridge, sealed with a stopper, three to five days without any significant loss of quality. A little longer with a vacuum pump. Sparkling wines, however, lose their perlage more quickly - they should be drunk within one to two days, ideally sealed with a champagne stopper.