Make your summer holidays unforgettable with Italian Wine Cellars. Explore expert wine pairing tips, perfect gift ideas, and storage solutions.
Summer is the season for enjoying sunshine, family, friends, and creating unforgettable moments. But while food may take centre stage, the right wine can elevate any gathering, turning an ordinary event into something truly memorable. From pairing wines with festive dishes to surprising your guests with unique selections, to bringing the perfect gift. Vintec’s partner Italian Wine Cellars have provided their top tips on how to make your summer entertaining a hit with wines that complement every moment.
How to Choose Your Wine?
When choosing wines for a gathering, you don’t need to opt for something overly complex. Italian Wine Cellars recommend choosing wine that is not overly structured while being easy to drink to allow for conversation and laughter. Start with a few well-chosen options that cater to different tastes without overwhelming your guests. A Trento DOC, for example, is a great sparkling alternative to Champagne, whilst a Gavi di Gavi makes for a wonderful white, providing a crisp, clean flavour that won’t overpower the palate. For red wine lovers, Negro Amaro or Lagrein are fantastic reds that offer just the right balance of flavour.
Enjoying Summer Holidays with Wine
Warm weather brings the desire for wine that is light, refreshing, and served chilled. A great option is Lambrusco—specifically varieties like Salamino, Grasparossa, or Sorbara, which are slightly fizzy, fruity, and incredibly refreshing. Summertime also calls for chilled reds — opt for varieties with low tannins, refreshing acidity, and a fruity body, which make them perfect for serving chilled.
Wine also makes a great gift to bring along as a guest. Choose approachable wines similar to Australian varieties, such as Puglia reds like Negro Amaro, Primitivo, and Nero di Troia. For the wine connoisseur in your life, Metodo Classico sparkling wines and Prosecco are trending and sure to level up your gift giving.
Summer Holiday Table Decorated with a Glass of Wine
How to Perfectly Pair Wine with and Food?
When selecting wine for entertaining, it’s important to consider the food menu to enhance both the flavours of the dishes and the wine. For a well-rounded experience, choose fruit-driven wines with low tannins, which pair well with a variety of foods without overpowering them. Sparkling wines can balance creamy appetisers, while a light red like Dolcetto complements more elaborate starters.
For unique Australian dishes, Italian Wine Cellars offers specific wine pairing recommendations to elevate the dining experience.
- Prawns & Seafood — compliment the delicate seafood flavours with wines offering freshness and acidity, such as a Soave or Falanghina
- BBQ’d Meats — select wines that will add structure and balance to the richness of the meat, such as Sangiovese or Nebbiolo
- Pavlova — Due to the sweet, airy texture pair dessert with a wine with light, fruit notes, such as a Moscato d'Asti
How to Store and Serve Your Wine?
Once you've selected your wines, proper storage is crucial to ensuring they are in perfect condition for your event. A Vintec wine cabinet is the ideal solution, offering unparalleled protection for your collection. They are designed to replicate the optimal storage conditions found in the finest underground wine cellars. Adhering to ‘The 5 Pillars of Wine Storage’ Lour wine cabinets are expertly designed to maintain a constant temperature, high hygrometry levels (above 50%) to preserve corks and are UV-Proof to prevent UV light from affecting your wine— keeping them at their best and allowing them to mature steadily.
Additionally, Vintec wine cabinets are designed to minimise vibrations by suspending all moving parts, preserving the integrity of your wines. An efficient air circulation system ensures a constant, slow flow of filtered air, preventing odours from seeping in and protecting your labels and corks from mould and degradation.
Perfect Cellaring and Serving Temperatures
On the day of your event, adjust the temperature of your Vintec wine cabinet to bring your wines to their ideal serving temperature. The 50-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cabinet (VWD050SBB) is perfect for keeping red, white, and sparkling wines at their respective optimal temperatures. Set one independent zone between 6-13°C for sparkling or white wines, and the other between 15-18°C for reds, or refer to the provided chart for specific recommendations based on wine varieties.
Serving wine at the right temperature is essential for unlocking its full spectrum of flavours and aromas. When wines are at their ideal temperature, their balance of acidity, sweetness, tannins, and alcohol is perfectly harmonised. This not only enhances the wine experience but also elevates the enjoyment of food and company, which is what the summer holidays are all about.
