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When the days get longer – and hotter – it can be tempting to reach for a refreshing glass of chilled white or rosé wine. As a default cooling go-to, you can’t go wrong with these wines, yet don’t overlook the summery vibes that fresh, light red wine also brings to lazy, hazy days.
While reds traditionally come into their own during the winter months – all log fires and comfort food – brighter summer months offer an excellent occasion for indulging in a light red wine. Not only is the variety of light red wines appealing, but when served lightly chilled, they are wonderfully refreshing, too.
The best light red wines to enjoy this summer
Summertime and light red wines rich in fruit flavours go hand in hand. Light reds, popping with red berry notes, pair wonderfully with vibrant seasonal fruits, salads, grilled veggies and overloaded picnic baskets that dominate the season. Whether you’re setting up with friends on the beach, firing up the barbecue in your back garden or enjoying those golden summer rays, there’s an array of light red wine types waiting to satisfy every taste.
Light red wines can make a refreshing and delightful alternative to their heavier counterparts, especially during the summer season. Here are some of the best light red wines to enjoy this summer:
Pinot Noir
Looking for an elegant wine to enjoy with a midweek summer salad or something you can pour for family and friends at your next barbecue? Enter Pinot Noir.
This cool-climate grape is a safe and delicious bet for warm-weather drinking – and a sure-fire crowd pleaser – with a vast array of Pinot Noir styles available. Fruitier Pinot Noirs from warmer regions such as California, Baden in Germany, and Australia’s Adelaide Hills are a good bet for summer vibes in a bottle, but check out Chile and New Zealand for similar, if slightly riper, styles.
What goes well with Pinot Noir? It’s more a case of what doesn’t go with its cherry and raspberry flavours.
It makes for stellar pairings with sweeter summer meat dishes such as barbecued pork, chicken and glazed duck. Pinot Noir distinguishes itself as one of the few reds that go well with fattier fishes like salmon, tuna and trout.
Shop our selection of Pinot Noir from around the world.
Gamay
Looking to pick the perfect picnic wine for lazy days with friends? Gamay is the ideal party-in-the-park material with lower alcohol levels, juicy fruit flavours and low tannins.
Coupled with Gamay’s medium to medium-high acidity, the result is a somewhat laid-back wine perfect for sipping. One of Pinot Noir’s many offspring, this French grape shares some of its parent’s vibrant red berry and earthy notes.
That makes it an easy-going food pairing partner for summer foods. Step forward, chicken pasta salad, quiche Lorraine, or even a simple sandwich. This is another red you can pour with fatty fish – try a glass of lightly chilled Gamay with salmon pâté.
Beaujolais is the world’s premier region for this lovely grape variety, growing 75% of the world’s total. Pick up entry-level Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, and lighter crus such as Chiroubles or the romantically named Saint-Amour for summer drinking – all of these work beautifully served lightly chilled.
Shop our selection of Gamay
Light-to-medium red wines
Light-to-medium-bodied red wines such as Barbera and Grenache are excellent choices for summer sipping – their juicy red fruit flavours pair wonderfully with barbecue meats and grilled vegetables.
Barbera
Think summer, and you’d be forgiven for conjuring up images of Italian lakes, charming villages, fashionable beaches and sweltering cities.
Barbera is Piedmont’s classic lighter Italian red wine – a well-rounded, easy-drinking wine you can serve with an impressive variety of summer dishes.
As you might expect, Barbera is a natural choice to pair with Italian food. Soft, fruity sips of Barbera balance meat-laden classic pizzas and sauce-rich pasta, but don’t stop there. Prosciutto-wrapped figs? Tick. A steak drizzled with a zesty chimichurri sauce? Oh yes. The secret to its versatility is Barbera’s relatively low tannins and high acidity, making it exceptionally food-friendly.
Barbera’s tart cherry, blackberry and baking spice notes make it a crowd-pleaser – great to uncork mid-week. While available in both oaked and unoaked styles, stick to unoaked styles for a refreshing glass. The oaked versions are likely to be more serious wines, with tannins and worthy of ageing.
Explore our selection of Barbera wine.
Frappato
This grape may be harder to find, but worth the endeavour. It’s largely grown in Sicily, but makes a lightly coloured red offering pure charm with its bright strawberry fruit with a touch of floral spice. It’s low in tannins, with freshness and delicious serve cooled or chilled.
Check out w/o Frappato packed in 100% recycled glass – a winner at your next barbecue.
Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara reds, also known as Valpolicella and Bardolino
The best-known wines made from northern Italy’s classic Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes are Valpolicella and Bardolino. In recent years, with global warming, they may have added an extra degree of ripeness to their style, but they generally provide a bright, silky and crunchy style of fresh fruit flavours in their wines thanks to the cool northerly climate of the Veneto.
Take note, that Valpolicella Ripasso, Recioto and Amarone styles are bigger, heavier and richer styles of reds. Only Valpolicella DOC and Valpolicella Classico DOCG offer the juicy, bright style.
Serving light red wine
Serve these light red wines slightly cooler than room temperature – between 12°C and 14°C – or even lightly chilled. This allows their bright fruit flavours and aromas to shine, making them a more refreshing choice for warmer weather or for those who prefer a lighter wine experience.
Pop your bottle of light red in the fridge for 20 or 30 minutes before serving, but a quick dunk in an ice bucket will do the trick too.
About the author
Steve Rumble
When Steve first started writing for Laithwaites, dry rosé wasn’t a thing in the UK, the only Malbec we stocked was French and hardly any Brits could pronounce Rioja. Things have changed but Steve still loves telling the great stories behind our wines. He holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma and loves a good Provence pink or an oaky Chardonnay. Steve has sports writing experience and is our go-to writer for all things Laithwaites and England Cricket.
