Why Gen Z chilling red wine is socially acceptable, especially in the summer heat

Image source, Getty Images By Grace Dean Published 21 minutes ago On Wednesday evening, red wine lovers gathered in south Manchester for a tasting. But the sell-out event, which cost £44 a ticket, shunned the long-standing belief that red wine is only properly served when at room temperature. Instead, all the wines offered during the two-hour session in Didsbury came straight from the fridge. Henry Alassane, the owner of Cru Manchester, has been drinking chilled red wine for years. But he says it is only recently that he has noticed more customers wanting to do the same - and there has been a "massive increase" this year. Image source, Henry Alassane Image caption, All the red wines served at Henry Alassane's tasting at Cru Manchester this week were chilled "It's something that we see guests actively asking for," agrees Holly Willcocks, owner of Half Cut wine bar in Kentish Town, London. "I think it's definitely, slowly become something that people are really keen on." She adds that it is specifically younger drinkers asking for chilled reds. "It's the [same] guests that were asking for an orange wine last year." As well as cropping up on bar menus, people are popping red wine in the fridge at home. Searches for chilled red wine on Ocado have soared compared to last year and, in April, Aldi released a red wine with a label that changes colour once it's properly chilled. "This summer has seen a surge in the popularity of chilling red wine," says Miles Beale, CEO of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. "This is partly down to the heatwave and partly down to breaking down old school wine myths." Younger shoppers are driving demand for the drink, according to an Ocado survey , external in June, with 56% of Gen Z and young millennial respondents saying they've had a red wine chilled or served with ice during summer months. Image source, Holly Willcocks Image caption, Holly Willcocks says an increasing number of her customers at Half Cut want chilled red wine It was in trendy London wine bars where Dominic Lee, 26, first encountered a chilled red. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to start putting bottles of it in the fridge at home. It "takes the edge off" the drink and makes it less heavy, says Dominic, who usually prefers white wine. For Emma Moore, chilling red wine makes it taste more refreshing and accentuates its fruitiness. "I love a chilled red and have done for quite a while," she says, calling it "rosé for grown-ups". Moore runs wine tastings in York and makes sure she always includes a chilled red option, much to the surprise of many of her clients. Image source, Emma Moore Image caption, Emma Moore says attendees of her wine tastings are often surprised with a chilled red Perfect for hot weather As temperatures in Britain soar , people say the option of a chilled red wine becomes all the more appealing. "With weather like we're having at the moment, it's the only way you can handle a red wine," says Willcocks. Many of her patrons a