How chilling red wine in summer can increase sales

Taylors Wines says the key to selling more red wine in summer is to educate customers about the benefits of chilling it. 

While it’s widely believed that red wine should be served at room temperature, Taylors says popping a red in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving can make all the difference to experiencing at its best. 

Leading wine critic Jancis Robinson MW agrees: “It is impossible to over-estimate the effect of serving temperatures on how a wine will taste. Serving a wine at the most flattering temperature may seem absurdly high-falutin' and precious as an activity, but it really can transform ink into velvet and, conversely, zest into flab.”

The myth that red wines are best served at room temperature actually comes from the medieval drawing rooms of French châteaux, which maintained a chilly temperature of 14°C.

Australia’s tropical and Mediterranean climate can average from 26°-30°C in summer – much warmer than what is traditionally considered ‘room temperature’ by wine standards. 

According to Taylors, the impact temperature has on red wines in particular is drastic when it comes to aromas and flavours.

"A red served too warm is flabby, dominated by alcohol and tannins, and lacking its balance of fruit and oak characteristics," the winemaker notes. "Served too cold and the acid dominates, overpowering the delicate complexities that make a red wine enjoyable. Served at the optimum drinking temperature, a red wine sings in perfect balance with fruit, oak, tannin and alcohol shining across the palate. 

In a blind tasting at the Sydney Wine Academy, conducted by Taylors Wines, 100 consumers tasted the exact same wine side by side. One was served at room temperature and the other slightly chilled to 17°C. The results showed that not a single person on the panel could recognise the two wines shown side by side were exactly the same.

When asked how much they would pay for each wine, 71% responded they would pay substantially more for the shiraz served slightly chilled. 

According to Taylors, the opportunity for trade in this space is significant. On average, a bottle of red wine sells for $2.20 more than white wine, and red wine’s contribution to value growth in the table wine category is far greater at $54.8 million versus $7.1 million for whites. 

“This is a massive category opportunity for retailers," said Taylors Wines MD Mitchell Taylor. "Through education and engagement, it is possible to help consumers discover how enjoyable and refreshing red wines can be, especially during the summer months, by educating them about the importance of serving temperature.”

Taylors is bringing temperature to the forefront in a new campaign called "Taylor the Temperature", which aims to reinforce the message that the key to a refreshing red is only a few degrees difference.

The campaign focuses on Taylors’ optimum drinking temperature sensors featured on its Estate and Promised Land wines, first launched in 2015.

For the fourth year running, Taylors will bring its temperature campaign to retailers across Australia with a series of consumer touchpoints across digital, social, in-store displays, video content and catalogue communications, along with a world-first consumer experiential launching in Sydney at the start of summer.

Temperature will be a feature of Taylors trade promotions with its ‘Chill to Win’ national trade activation. The entry mechanism incentivises consumers to understand the importance of temperature as a pathway to entry.

The Taylors Estate range of wines are available for RRP $20. The Taylors Promised Land range are available for RRP $15. Both ranges feature Optimum Drinking Temperature sensors and are available at all good liquor retailers throughout Australia and online at www.taylorswines.com.au.

For more information about serving wine at the optimum temperature visit www.taylorswines.com.au/temperature.