The Best Wines for Relaxing (And What to Avoid)

Written by: Melissa Fiorenza

For some of us, nothing compares to a glass of wine when you need to detach from a stressful day. Not a freshly brewed cup of chamomile tea. Not a mug of steaming hot chocolate. Uncork a bottle of aromatic vino and we’re golden. 

But have you ever wondered, what are the best wines for relaxing? Could changing up your go-to grapes make your unwind sessions even more satisfying?

We posed this question and more to Melissa L. Smith, a certified sommelier and founder of Enotrias Elite Sommelier Services. She’s also known as “The Sommelier to the Silicon Valley Stars”—so if anyone knows what it takes to help SUPER busy people decompress with wine, it’s her.

Here’s what she said. 

What are the best wines for relaxing?

Before we get into specific bottles, Smith reminds us that “relaxing with wine” can take on a few meanings. “First, the most important thing is to pick a wine that is made using sustainable practices in the vineyard, and minimal intervention in the cellar. No additives or contaminants that will not agree with my overall health and wellbeing,” she explains.

Next, choose a wine “you can meditate on.” Say what? Okay, here’s what she means: “Something with complexity. A wine with nuance. Something that I can sip and try to coax out memories through. A sip might remind me of picking raspberries in my grandparents’ backyard, a touch of sandalwood from a sound bath ceremony, the peel of an orange in the dead of winter.” 

And during these times of Covid? Intentionally selecting a wine she’s familiar with is even more special; it’s a small act, she says, that allows her to travel back to that time and place when she discovered that wine. “Enjoying them at home might not be the same, but it brings back those memories of pivotal moments in my life. They're a sign that things were once good, and they'll be good again. I can transport myself one glass at a time to those memories.”

So what specific wines does “The Sommelier to the Silicon Valley Stars” reach for? 

For Smith, personally, that could be the inexpensive Chianti that she drank on a picnic while riding horses through the Tuscan countryside—or a Gamay made by a friend that was so good she immediately asked for a second bottle. “Or a rose that I associate with happier times and gathering with family over a simple summer meal. And my failsafe? A glass of champagne where I can lose myself in the bubbles.”

Speaking of champagne, Smith adds that before Covid, champagne (or cava, for the price-conscious) was her favorite way to relax and celebrate life. “For some people observing their breath coming in and out of their body centers them. It doesn't work for me. Watching beads of tiny bubbles ascend in a champagne flute is what does the trick. A good champagne is incredibly complex, but in extremely subtle ways. Where a good pinot noir might have berries and spices and terroir exploding from the glass, that same varietal made into champagne whispers hints to you with each sip.”

How should we best serve our most relaxing wines?

When she’s looking to just take the edge off her day, Smith likes to start most of the wines that she enjoys chilled. Not cold, she says, but closer to cellar temperature (56 degrees). Why? “This allows nuances to come out slowly, and in some cases allows the fruit to really shine through.”

Memories and meditation aside, does wine really help you relax?

Ever heard of resveratrol? There have been studies, she says, that show that resveratrol in red wine helps to block enzymes linked to stress and anxiety. (There are also some animal and lab studies that have shown that resveratrol may have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects.)

And of course, the alcohol itself is a natural relaxant—but like any wine drinker knows, it can be a slippery slope. Alcohol is a fantastic accompaniment to life, but as soon as it becomes a solution to stress, it will cause far more harm than good, explains Smith. Everything in moderation. “I stick with low alcohol wines (12%-13%), unless I am enjoying them with food. On their own, high alcohol wines can go straight to your head, and might lead you to overindulging and going to bed early.” 

Are there any kinds of wine you might avoid if you're looking to relax?

You really have to take a holistic approach when putting anything in your body, and wine is no exception, advises Smith. “Legally there are something like 77 additives that can be added to wine, and while I'm not a diehard supporter of ‘natural wines,’ I do seek out wines that have been made with minimal intervention, and are made using organic or biodynamic vineyard practices.”

And get this: Smith says that most people assume that they are allergic to sulphites, because that is the only ingredient that is necessary to list on the label. Her theory? That it's decades of chemical sprays that are concentrated in the soil, in addition to the additives in the wines that cause "allergic" reactions. “They do not wash grapes before turning them into wine, so anything that is sprayed on them will end up in the bottle. This is why I avoid chain stores when buying wine. A small retailer is more likely to know the winemakers, the grape growers, and what their practices are,” she says. 

How To Find New Wines

Whether you choose your wines based on recommendations from friends or because you like the label, there are a lot of ways to experiment. Here at PHL we’ve fallen in love with wine clubs. There’s a lot to enjoy about a wine subscription, like regular home deliveries, but we’re also big fans of the personalization, the input from sommeliers, and the relationships these groups develop with winemakers.

Winc typically offers bottles from smaller batches to curate wines with distinct character, while Bright Cellars sources wine from around the world and it’s sampled by an in-house team of sommeliers. Another advantage of wine clubs is that if you don’t like a bottle, they’ll replace it and the more feedback you give, the more customized your shipments become. So whether you need a new wine to unwind or you want to try some of these fun wine cocktails you’ll get a great pick to sip or mix.

Best of luck in finding your perfect pour!

---

More Article You Might Like