Chilled red wines to drink in summer

Should red wine be chilled?

In short, it depends on the type of red wine you’re drinking. Believe it or not, some softer styles of red wine actually benefit from a small amount of chilling, becoming more expressive than they’d be if served at room temperature. To test the theory, you need to find a bottle of super-light, low tannin, elegant red wine, preferably one that’s designed to be drunk young (with minimal oak) rather than stored on a wine rack for years.

You will, no doubt, want to be drinking red wine in this way at the height of summer, so another good place to start is to consider wines that you’d want to pair with light summer dishes and salads (a heavy, high-alcohol red with lashings of grippy tannins and smoky oak nuances, for instance, would completely overwhelm shellfish, chicken or a crunchy green salad!).

In summary, a young, light, uncomplicated red that’s also food-friendly will tick all the boxes for serving cool on a hot day.

Which red wines can be chilled?

France offers a huge variety of wine styles, including lighter reds that can be chilled. We’re talking the likes of Beaujolais (which is famous for being a young and fresh style of red wine) and other wines made from the Gamay grape variety. Burgundy generally produces wines with naturally high acidity, light body and low alcohol, making them ideal for this as it brings out their natural freshness.

Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley region is another style you can sip cold, typically described as soft and refreshing with perfumed aromas and hints of green pepper (you’d be forgiven for mistaking its tasting notes for that of a white wine!). Pinot Noir also makes the cut for joining the ‘chilled red wine club’ if it’s from Alsace or other cool areas in northern France or Germany.

Cooler climate regions across the world can produce red wines that are light enough to serve this way. A Cinsault from cooler parts of Chilean, for instance, is another fabulous option for enjoying cold. Even the Veneto region in northeast Italy has a moderate enough climate to produce Corvina – a soft red that’s light in structure and tannins, offering bright, sour red fruit flavours. Its high acidity and gentle character make it one of the few Italian reds that benefits from chilling.

All of these types of red wine have one major factor in common – they are wines that are lighter in colour and appearance, often slightly transparent when held against a light source. So, if you’re ever in doubt about a wine’s suitability to be served cold, this is a good way to make an educated guess.

How should you chill red wine?

Unlike sparkling wine, rosé and white wine, your usual go-to methods of popping your bottle in an ice bucket or the freezer won’t work with these delicate reds. They need only a subtle temperature drop, so being plunged into ice is not the approach to take this time!

Put your bottle in the fridge for 30 minutes to lower the temperature ever-so-slightly to around 12°C, and you’ll see that your light-bodied red takes on a whole new persona when gently chilled. Choose the right type of wine and get the temperature just right, and you’ll experience a refreshing mouthfeel without altering the wine’s core flavours or character at all!

(For reference, white wines. rosés and sparkling wines are generally cooled right down to 7°C-10°C.)

Summer red wines to chill

We all want to make the most of being outdoors throughout the summer months, and, for red wine lovers, the thought of still being able to enjoy a glass or two of red in the blazing sunshine is a magical one. Well, you now know that this is totally possible given that there are cool climate, lighter styles of red out there that become even more expressive with a subtle temperature drop.

We’ve got the best red wines to chill for you below, so you can have a go at serving red wine a little differently this summer and see what all the fuss is about!

You can’t have a list of top red wines to served chilled without starting with Beaujolais! Offering lifted aromas of violets and red berries on the nose, followed by mineral freshness and mouth-coating red fruit flavours on the palate, this is a quintessential example a red wine that deserves to be chilled.

Beaujolais Villages Lantignie Alexandre Burgaud 2020 – £13.99

Next up, we have a Beaujolais / Burgundian-style Pinot Noir from Germany’s Pfalz region. The acidity keeps this Pinot Noir exceptionally fresh, so it’s a prime candidate for cooling down to make a thirst-quenching wine for a warm day. Expect a crisp body and a bright palate of freshly picked strawberries and redcurrants.

Lergenmuller Pinot Noir Trocken 2019 – £13.99

Italian reds made from the Corvina grape are a classic choice for serving slightly cold. Pure, clean, lightweight, and possessing that trademark acidity we all love in Italian reds, this Bardolino has been skilfully crafted to create a very well-structured, light-bodied wine. You’ll find notes of bright red cherry that dance on the palate and linger, leaving you wanting more.

Ca’ Vegar Bardolino DOC 2020 – £13.99

Loire Valley Cabernet Franc is light and elegant enough to qualify for this exclusive club of chillable reds, and this is a fine example. Crunchy in texture, yet soft in style, this graceful French red wine is brimming with racy redcurrants and raspberries, offering a palate that complements the summer months perfectly.

Le Vendangeoir Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil 2020 – £11.99

This is another lovely crisp, acidic Cabernet Franc from the Loire region. It’s soft and juicy with plenty of red fruit flavours and pairs wonderfully with an array of summer dishes. Smooth and easy-drinking, this one is definitely a good one to pop in the fridge before enjoying!

Pierre Sourdais Chinon Tradition 2019 – £12.99

Finally, we have a light and bright Pinot Noir from cool climate Alsace. Displaying bramble and black cherry flavours, along with a touch of spice, this French Pinot Noir will give you a slightly different palate to any of the other wines in this list. We absolutely love this one chilled, and we know you will too!

Trimbach Pinot Noir Reserve 2020 – £18.99