Wine tips for the beach

Summer at the beach; sun, sea, sand dunes, salty air… what’s not to love? If only there was a drop of savvy b or shiraz in your hand to complete the picture. Here’s how you can make that happen for yourself. Who even needs bottle service on a beach in Cannes?

Skip glass bottles…

Glass bottles may come in handy if you’re marooned on a desert island without a post-office, but they aren’t ideal for taking to the beach; heavy, rigid, capable of shattering when dropped - if you’d rather feel sand between your toes then pass on glass. Others in thongs will thank you too - glass is often banned on most public beaches.

Fear not though, mofo. Before you head out decant at home into an insulated cooler - think thermos or similar (if you’re planning to be a regular beach sipper, consider grabbing a purpose designed insulated wine flask). Lighter than glass, they also offer the benefit of keeping your wine at a cool and at a consistent temperature.

… the only glassware you’ll need is your sunnies

Instead of reaching for the Riedel, opt for some recyclable BPA free plastic wine glasses. There’s the aesthetic (and important) consideration that you don’t want to get your best crystal all battered, scratched or smashed, but glassware will also retain heat. A warm glass leaves you less time to savour each pour, and makes each glass progressively less enjoyable too. Yeah, nah. 

Cover up

Unless you’re looking to fly a kite, wind is as welcome at the beach as a slug in a salad. When you don’t want your sandwiches to be sandblasted, you cover them up - apply the same principle to your wine, or else the next rogue gust could leave you with a mouthful of sand in the next sip of shiraz. And speaking of covering up, when you're slip-slop-slapping yourself keep an eye on that sun and your wine glass. Only thing worse than a sunburn is a sunbaked wine - try and keep it shaded as much as possible.

Keep it cool (even the reds)

If you’ve not followed our thermos tip and have a need for a glass bottle, then get an esky with ice on hand to keep your vino nice and chill. And instead of adding ice to your pour to keep the wine cool, freeze some grapes at home to take along. They’ll keep your wine colder for longer, without diluting the flavour.

If you’re taking a red to the beach then bear in mind that if the serving temp specifies room temperature, they mean 16-19 degrees; not the heat of the beach in summer. Keep them shaded and wrapped in a wet towel or cooler sleeve (pssst… some reds can be even better chilled, see our guide). 

Keep it fresh(water)

Sound the obvious klaxon, but it’s worth a reminder; the salt air and sun are going to dehydrate you quicker than drinking over dinner at home. Dehydration also shuts down your senses of smell and taste, which means not enjoying the wine to its fullest - and we’re all about making the most of wine here. Anything else is sacrilege.

Drink water regularly, and keep your pours smaller than you would usually to make sure you’re enjoy your hard earned wine at a more even temperature, rather than having to struggle through the last few sips of warm chardonnay *shudder*. 

Most importantly, we don’t want to see you do the old Harold Holt or feature on the highlight reel of Bondi Rescue, mofo; keep it responsible and never mix drinking and swimming.

Need to stock up before hitting the sand? Head over here.