Summer wine: a slender pleasure for your customers

From June onwards, it is worthwhile for specialist wine retailers and food retailers in the northern hemisphere to have a special sales area dedicated to summer wine. The southern hemisphere usually starts a few months later. A clever selection of summer wines - including an attractive presentation, of course - can help to cushion the sales slump that comes with the vacation season and high temperatures - or even significantly reduce it.

To get straight to the point: There is no single definition of what a summer wine is. But there are certain product categories that have proven themselves as summer wines for many years. And it is precisely these that we will now take a closer look at.

Terrace wines: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Co.

Uncomplicated wines that are easy to enjoy and love probably make up the majority of all summer wines. These easy-drinking wines are also known as terrace wines because they are perfect for enjoying on a Sunday afternoon on the terrace or during a sunset on the balcony. Pinot Gris in all its varieties is ideal for this due to its mild acidity and fruity character. Especially as a slender Pinot Grigio from Friuli-Venezia Giulia or as a juicy Pinot Gris from the Palatinate. If you want something a little fresher, then a Soave is just as suitable as a Prosecco Frizzante and other sparkling wines.

Summer wines with exotic nuances are no less popular in such situations. Sauvignon Blanc is, of course, at the forefront here. Especially in the very fruity version from New Zealand. However, the grassy-green Sauvignon Blancs, such as those found in Sancerre in the Loire, also have many fans. However, this is usually no longer easy drinking. If you want to push this in your store, you can also offer a Scheurebe from Germany or a Muskateller from Austria as an alternative. Both are ideal summer wines.

Rosé: From swimming pool wine to summer wine

When it comes to summer wines, one color is of course a must. Rosé. Until a few years ago, this was often dismissed as a swimming pool wine. What was meant as a pejorative at the time is now a compliment. Nothing symbolizes enjoyable serenity more than a rosé wine. Especially when it comes as a pale pink beauty from Provence. However, there is now an enormous variety of rosé wines from all over the world. As a result, these wines are virtually predestined as summer wines.

You can choose from the full range in specialist shops: whether it's a mineral and delicate Provence rosé, a fruity variant from Lombardy in Italy or from Baden in Germany. A Sancerre rosé or a variant from Tavel is also a good choice if you want to focus specifically on France. To support sales, it is also very worthwhile to put the different rosé wines in context. Are there perhaps certain dishes that you would recommend with a rosé? Or moments of pleasure? Here you can offer your customers real added value with recommendations in written or verbal form.

Barbecue wines for the summer

Of course, the same applies to the barbecue season. It can be very worthwhile to specifically promote the right wine for different barbecue dishes. This starts with sparkling wines such as Champagne, Crémant or Cava with fish or sausages, continues with Silvaner, Pinot Gris or Müller-Thurgau with pork and ends with Chardonnay with grilled poultry. A Chenin Blanc from the Loire or South Africa can also be a big seller here. And when it comes to grilled vegetables, a crisp rosé can once again be the trump card.

Incidentally, summer wines for barbecues can also be excellently marketed online in newsletter campaigns. As a specialist wine merchant, you can create additional added value here, for example by explaining the order of enjoyment (start with the lowest-alcohol wines) or giving tips on how to keep summer wines pleasantly cool throughout the barbecue evening. Let your customers benefit from your practical wine knowledge. This not only sells wine, but also creates trust, which in turn results in greater loyalty.

And what about red summer wines?

In our opinion, the specialist wine trade does not need to shy away from breaking with clichés. For example, that you should only drink white wines in summer. We all know better than that. Unfortunately, customers often don't. That's why it's always important to put red summer wines in context. This is also best achieved with the culinary theme.

Let's stick to the barbecue theme. For example, if a steak is being grilled, you can recommend a Bordeaux blend or a Cabernet Sauvignon from California. If you know that your customers also like to buy rich red wines, you can also bring a Primitivo or a Zinfandel into play at this point. It is also worth promoting slender red wines from Gamay (for example from Beaujolais) or Vernatsch (South Tyrol) or Trollinger, as the grape variety is called in the German Württemberg region. These can either be recommended with grilled vegetables or used specifically as a “rule breaker”, as these wines are best enjoyed slightly chilled.

Boosting sales with summer wines

As you can see: Even in summer, you can boost sales if you present your portfolio thematically as a summer wine and put it into context. Between you and me: it is precisely the context that enables you to promote pretty much any wine from your range as a summer wine. Even the heaviest wines. If you offer your customers the right occasion to enjoy a wine via a consultation, in the newsletter or during a targeted online or offline campaign. There are no limits to your creativity. Make the most of it!