Of course, many people will disagree with the statement that red wine is the best outdoor beverage. Yet there’s some truth in it, as you will see. Red wine is quite versatile, and it isn’t difficult to keep when you are camping, hunting, fishing, or hiking. Great wine is great at any location and for any occasion. If you don’t know where to start your search on fine red wine, maybe start with this Naked Wine review.
Never Demanding
Red wine may seem like a fancier drink than beer, but the truth is that it is one of the most practical beverages ever conceived of. It is as undemanding as any drink can possibly be. You don’t need to refrigerate it like you do beer. It is more flavorful than most gin and vodka.
If you open a bottle at home, you just cork it and leave it on the counter. That’s perfect in a hunting cabin where you may be short on refrigerator space. On a camping trip where your cooler is packed with necessities, the bottles of red California wine can just hang out in the tent. If you are firing up the grill, it matches up well with hamburgers, fish, chicken, or pork.
It’s logical for hiking when you want to travel light. Certainly, that’s when you don’t want to be worrying about keeping things on the ice. If you want a picnic on your hike, red wine is likely to pair well with beef jerky, nuts, chocolate, and whatever else you might bring.
Avoid the Light
Red wine is perfectly fine tucked away in some dark corner of your car, cabin, or kit. If you keep it out of the light, especially the sun, the wine maintains its flavor better. Since you won’t spend too much time packing it and drinking it, this guideline is easy to follow.
Taking the Heat
Most beer is undrinkable if left out of the cooler on a hot day. Red wine does not need refrigeration or to be kept on ice. It is made to be drunk at room temperature. If the heat is strong, you can tuck it under a bush in deep shade.
If you are fishing or swimming, you can tie the wine to a cord just as you might with a six-pack. Then when you want it, the wine will be cool, but not cold. That’s the way red wines are meant to be drunk.
No Wine Glasses
Red wine does not demand a special glass. Any plastic cup will do. You don’t need a big one. A five-ounce glass of red wine has a higher alcohol content than a can of beer.
Unlike beer, you can shake it up a bit, and it won’t come fizzing out when you open it. Plus, don’t feel like it needs to be kept on its side. That’s only if you are saving it for 50 years.
Easy to Open
While there are many wines that have corks, there is an increasing number of good wines that have screw tops. So, if the objection to wine is really an objection to carrying a corkscrew, then that objection is overruled.
Of course, many of us carry pocket knives, and there’s usually a perfectly good corkscrew there. Today’s synthetic corks are much less likely to break. That’s definitely an improvement over real cork which could break in half. For that matter, you can pour it in a bota box or pouch.
Red wine likes to travel. It will handle the day’s activities well enough and be ready for whatever the night brings.
