Ever wanted to make your own wine popsicles and wine slushies at home? Look no further. We asked our Wine Guides how they’re keeping their wine extra chill this summer, and they had amazing tips and recipes that might just become your new go-to for summer wining. Here’s what they said …
Chill Your Reds Longer in Summer
Typically, we follow the standard rule for chilling reds, which means refrigerating your reds for 20 minutes immediately before serving so that your wine reaches the ideal temperature of about 62 to 68 degrees. But, when it’s a scorcher outside, you might want to chill red wines a bit longer, especially if your red is on the fruitier, less dry side.
Wine Guide Samantha Bloch says she loves her reds chilled in the summer, and will chill them as though they were a white wine, meaning to get that serving temperature down to between 45 and 60 degrees. Our Sky Blossom Red Wine is her current favorite red wine to enjoy in the sun. “I have been chilling it like a white, and it is the most amazing sipper!” she says.
Keep in mind this important tip from Wine Guide Nancy Kollhoff when it comes to a quick-chill in the freezer: “If you’re going to put a bottle of wine in the freezer for quick chilling, set a timer!” If not, you might end up wiping up wine from your freezer as opposed to sipping it poolside. And that’s no fun at all.
Wine Guide Kim Kunchick has the right idea when it comes to achieving the perfect chill for her evening glass of wine on the patio. “I keep a few wine glasses in the freezer to pour my reds in and keep them from getting too warm too fast, as well as using the stainless steel ice cubes.” Our Stainless Steel Wine Cubes are just the thing for a quick, and lasting chill on your reds—and whites.
Refreshing white wines of all sweetness levels are perfect for enjoying in the summertime. Place your bottles in an ice bath or bucket for 20 minutes until they reach that delicious serving temperature of 45 to 60 degrees. Keep your bottle cool outside with our Arctic Pole Wine Chiller.
Try Making Wine Slushies
Slushies aren’t just for kids. In fact, a wine slushie is a fun way to enjoy fruity red wines, sweet and dry rosé wines, and all types of white wines.
Our uber-popular sweet rosé Double Date was made for mixing and chilling. Wine Guide Cassie Fercodini suggests blending a bottle of Double Date with fresh or frozen strawberries, honey to taste, and loads of ice to create wine slushies for your backyard BBQs.
Out in sunny California, Wine Guide Niqui Douglas has really gotten into experimenting with frozen wine cocktails and slushies of all kinds. “I’m really enjoying making frozen drinks in this heat with wine! In this case, the recipe called for water with liquor and fruit, but I replaced water with Fissata Blonde and used frozen fruit for boozy slushies!” Niqui says.
Wine Guide Julie House starts with a bottle of red wine and fills two ice cube trays. When they’re nice and frozen, she adds the cubes to a blender with a cup of frozen berries along with some simple syrup for sweetness. “Best wine slushies ever!”
One of our favorite wine slushie recipes comes from Wine Guide Kiersten Ray-Kuhn. It’s a delicious and beautiful combination of margarita and sangria—in one glass. Her recipe is inspired by this one on Delish.com, and requires red wine, tequila, frozen limeade, limes, oranges, and ice.
You can’t go wrong with the right fruit combination and sorbet, according to Wine Guide Cindy Hughes. “Blend one bottle of wine with one pint of sorbet—think strawberry/blackberry with reds, and mango/lemon with whites. I have tried so many combos and it’s delicious every time!”
Freeze Your Own Wine Popsicles
The beauty of the winesicle, as we like to call it, is that any of the recipes we’ve shared for wine slushies will make perfect wine popsicles. The key is having the right materials on hand, and following best practices for freezing.
You can use popsicle molds or purchase freezer pop bags on Amazon to get started! Wine Guide Janessa Webb says the “easiest ever is to pour Double Date Sweet American Rosé by itself into any of these popsicle bags and freeze. Two things I learned to do with them … put them in a glass standing up to freeze or they’ll leak everywhere and put them in a gallon freezer bag all together once they’re frozen.” She says be sure to label the bag ADULTS ONLY!
Wine Guide Kisha Dlugos is also a freezer pop fan when it comes to summer wine. She says, “I have made them where they fell apart, but noticed when I filled the mold all the way to the top they were more sturdy. Freeze for at least one entire day because alcohol will slow the freezing process and tends to make a more slush-like texture as opposed to non-alcoholic popsicles.
Stock up on summer reds and whites now and get free shipping on purchases of six or more bottles.
You can also use store-bought ice pops and just add wine to the already sweet flavored water. Wine Guide Gretchen Hess Miller says, “Carefully cut off the tops, dump out some juice, refill with the wine of your choice, and then reseal them with your hair straightener! It works, and they are delicious! I used Lulo Grüner Veltliner.”
Are you ready to take your wine to the chilliest level? Try our tips and let us know how it goes. We always love to see how you’re enjoying our wines, so tag us all summer long in your Instagram pics with @travelingvineyard! Cheers to chilled wine and summertime.