Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic?

Raising a glass in the great outdoors doesn’t mean abandoning the rules of serving temperature. Independent Wine Club guru Tom Harrow shares his tips for keeping wine cool while you’re out and about

It’s picnic season baby (Getty/iStock)

Summer is on the horizon, which means it’s almost the season for al fresco dining, beer gardens and picnics (weather permitting, of course).

But raising a glass in the great outdoors doesn’t mean abandoning the rules of serving temperature, though.

Here’s how to keep your wine cool while out and about.

Q. How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic?

A. With sunny days and warm weather finally forecast for the UK, it’s time we start thinking about the important stuff. What park are we going to, and what are we drinking when we’re there? It’s picnic weather people and we need our baskets, our very favourite sarnies and most of all, bottles of crisp and chilled wine!

We all know, though, that the best things in life do not come easily and with that we can shine a light on this most painful paradox of wanting our cool cool wine to stay that way in the hot, hot summer heat.

There are obvious strategies, a cool bag, an ice pack… you know the drill. But what if you don’t want to be trapsing about in the sun with what is essentially luggage? You want a bottle (or two) of your favourite vino, in your tote and slung over your shoulder. So may I recommend a couple great hacks?

Keep your bottles in the fridge right until the second you leave the house and also put a bottle of water in there with them – make sure you pack them with a few paper napkins. When you get to the park, soak the paper napkins in the cold water and wrap them around your wine. Instant cooler.

The next idea could be considered sacrilegious, though it is incredibly successful. Decant your chilled wine into a thermos – it’ll stay cold for hours and may even come with its own cup?

There are also delicious wines that are perfect for the summer and don’t need to be that chilled at all – Gamay, a light red from Beaujolais in France, is a great example of a perfect summer wine that is at its best when room temp. A bottle of that, some gorgeous cheese and ripe grapes? That’s a picnic.

And if all else fails, there is the best wine trick of all – drink fast!

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Got a question for the wine gurus? Send it to hannah.twiggs1@independent.co.uk or tweet @hannah_twiggs.