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

Why Gen Z chilling red wine is socially acceptable, especially in the summer heatImage source, Getty ImagesByGrace DeanPublished8 minutes agoOn 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 AlassaneImage 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 mon...