Chilling red wine is essential in summer – especially in South Africa! The ideal temperature for drinking red wines varies between 15 and 18 ºC, with mature reds at the upper end of this scale, and younger, fruitier wines (like Dusty Road) at the lower end.

Chilling Dusty Road red wines accentuates their fruitiness, which makes them more refreshing. Especially on a warm evening (this picture was taken at Bacini’s restaurant in Cape Town, where Cloof goes down extremely well with pizza). Several Dusty Road fans even add a couple of cubes of ice to their glass. The extreme concentration of our wines means that the flavour dilution is minimal.

Warm red wine (i.e. above 20 ºC) is not a pleasant drinking experience. The fruitiness of the wine is dissipated; one is overwhelmed by the sensation of evaporating alcohol, and tannins (especially oak tannins) are accentuated. Chilling the wine slightly focuses the fruit flavours, producing a completely different drinking experience.