As summer heats up and we all come out of hibernation, it’s time for a get-together with good friends. But it’s difficult to know what to bring to the party or to have open for your guests when it’s your turn to host. Here are six summer party wines that fit the bill.
And keep reading for a true tried and tested hangover cure.
When you think about it, there’s quite a specific set of criteria you’re looking to meet when you’re hunting for that perfect summer party wine.
Perhaps without even knowing it, as you look at the bottleshop shelves or scroll through your online wine shop, you’re mentally going through these criteria to look for a suitable drop.
The wine has to be:
– Delicious (obviously)
– Light – you don’t want to drink anything too heavy in the heat of summer
– Easy on the eye – like it or not, we judge wine by its cover. A good-looking label will go a long way
– Easy on the wallet – if you’re buying for your own party, having plenty of wine for the table can get expensive
But either when you arrive at your friend’s front door or when you’re setting the table at your place, you want to know the wine you’ve chosen is going to please the crowd. The only trouble is bringing a wine you haven’t tried before is a bit of a risk.
Here are six summer party wines that tick all the boxes and – believe me – they’re risk-free when it comes to how good they taste.
Our guide to summer party wines
Neon Jungle Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is often an easy choice for summer parties. It’s light, bright and inoffensive. Zesty citrus, slightly sweet floral notes and a crisp finish from stainless steel fermentation make this a perfect hot-weather wine.
The bright graffiti-inspired label is striking and memorable – and if the party goes on into the night, you’ll get to enjoy the special effects of its glow-in-the-dark ink!
At $20 RRP, this wine fits the bill for a friendly budget, available at Liquorland stores across Australia.
McWilliams McW Alternis Vermentino
Vermentino (pronounced ‘ver-men-TEE-no”) is a grape from Sardinia in Italy and is a little more complex than Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris – though it also has lots of similar characteristics. Balanced acidity, floral notes and a good dose of citrus, it’s an easy-drinker. However, it also tends to have a slight nutty savoury note to it as well.
McWilliams Wines are trying new varietals from around the world, challenging Australian wine norms by introducing grapes like Vermentino to the market. The McW Alternis range is one to watch.
At $18 from Dan Murphy’s, this wine is well worth a punt this summer.
McWilliams McW 480 Rosé
Rosé is really coming into its own at the moment. Its lean, crisp flavours that have more body than most whites without getting to bogged down in the reds makes pink wine an easy summer party wine favourite.
The McWilliams McW Estate 480 Tumbarumba Rosé is that perfect pink blush of a high-altitude cold-climate Provençal style of rosé that mixes the slightest sweetness with a herby savoury taste and a minerally acidic texture. As for its label, this wine has the topographical markings of its origins 480m above sea level in the NSW countryside.
For $20 a bottle, this is a great value wine with quality you’d expect from a higher price bracket.
Kim Crawford Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is one of the lightest bodied reds on the market and easily fits into summer parties. You can even pop the bottle on ice for a while before you open it.
This Pinot, from New Zealand, ranges in fruit flavours from bright strawberry and plum through to black cherry. There’s a hint of spice to it too, making sure you’re paying attention to Pinot’s reputation for complexity.
The Kim Crawford Pinot Noir is a good-looking bottle with a simple sophisticated design, and at $19 from Dan Murphy’s it looks a lot more than its price.
Neon Jungle Tempranillo
If your party is in the mood for a richer, fuller-bodied wine, Tempranillo (pronounced “tem-pra-neeyo”) is a great option. Still light-medium-bodied, the juicy, spicy liveliness of this Neon Jungle wine will keep the party going.
This bottle, with its eye-catching urban-inspired ‘paint job’ label is fun to pour from and represents its younger target market.
This wine’s $20 price tag from Liquorland means there’s less at stake in risk-reward terms, though I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this number.
McWilliams Stolen Colt Cabernet Sauvignon
Light, bright wines at summer soirees are all well and good, but sometimes you just want to bring some grunt to the party. The Stolen Colt Cab Sauv is definitely that. Deep dark crimson and purple, notes of dark chocolate, coffee and ripe dark fruits, this wine is a force of nature.
Apart from its excellent name, the Stolen Colt comes with a bit of history. The winery’s founding father, Samuel McWilliams, and his experiences with firearms and bushrangers in 1850s NSW before he planted his first vines. This is all in the stylish yet masculine label on an expensive feeling tapered bottle with a deep punt.
Price wise, however, the Stolen Colt is a steal at $15.99 from major retailers and independents nationally.
How to beat your hangover – Recoverthol
Before you take your first sip at this summer party you’re having, think about what you’ve got on the next morning. If you have time to wallow in self-loathing in a darkened room with servants bringing you snacks and hot chips regularly, go right ahead and start your engines.
However, if you need to be bright-eyed tomorrow, 2ml of magic might just save you.
Recoverthol – an Australian-made formula – delivers a small but mighty supplement of naturally-occurring cofactors into your system that protect you from the effects of alcohol.
Read on for a 30% discount on your first order.
Simply squeeze the clear liquid from the single-serve teardrop containers into your first drink before you imbibe. It’s flavourless, odourless and undetectable in your drink.
And as they say, prevention is better than cure.
The liquid is a formulated dose of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Cofactor (ADH), which you already have in your body. But you only naturally create enough ADH to process one to two drinks. After that, it’s the road to suffering!
Recoverthol gives you an extra zap of ADH to help metabolise the alcohol and prevent the build-up of Acetaldehyde – a by-product of your body metabolising booze and the cause of hangovers.
We’ve tried Recoverthol a few times now and it really does work. You feel less sluggish the next day and recovery to 100% seems to happen quicker too.
Buy Recoverthol online here and you’ll get 30% off your order – or use the code ‘ROMANCE30’ at the checkout.
It’s important to note that Recoverthol does not lessen or change the immediate effects of alcohol and that you should drink responsibly regardless of how well Recoverthol works.
You can purchase Recoverthol online here and get 30% off or buy from many pharmacies across Australia.
