Midway through what’s shaping up to be the hottest year on record, you’ve likely succumbed to a certain sweat-stained lethargy this summer. As temperatures continue to soar, you might ask, what’s the perfect wine to weather the dog days ahead?
Given rosé’s meteoric rise these past two decades, you might think pink. Indeed, while the delirium of “rosé all day” has passed, those blush-hued sips are still a welcome escape. And it’s hard to beat the refreshment of a salt-struck, zippy white when you’re melting faster than an ice cube. But the plot twist this summer? After years of simmering under the radar, chilled reds as a category have catapulted into the mainstream, emerging as this summer’s most fashionable pour.
To be clear, drinking red wine chilled is nothing new. While most Americans habitually serve red wine at room temperature, wine professionals have long advocated for cooler serving temperatures closer to cellar conditions around 55 to 60 degrees.
A delicate balance
Served too warm, red wine can seem flabby, boozy or muddled by flavors that seem jammy or stewed. Regardless of grape variety, style or climate, a slight chill can lend focus to nearly any red wine, brightening fruit flavors and counteracting the weightiness of alcohol.
“In terms of texture and weight, reds become a bit more streamlined on the palate when chilled”, says Tenzing Palden, wine director and sommelier at Bonyeon, the newly opened West Loop restaurant where beef takes center stage in an omakase-style tasting menu. There’s an added perception of lightness, he suggests, “that makes the wine more quaffable, more easily drinkable.”
At Hawksmoor, River North’s new outpost of the British steakhouse, sommelier Miranda Gustafson recommends serving all red wines slightly below room temperature. But temperature can be a delicate balance, and Palden and Gustafson advise against over-chilling very structured reds — big, high-alcoholic Napa Cabs, a tannic Barolo or a complex Bordeaux with extended oak aging, for example.
“Wines with a lot of complexity, higher alcohol or time in oak lose a lot of nuance when they’re chilled too low,” Palden explains. And excessively low temperatures can accentuate tannins, increasing the perception of astringency in a wine, Gustafson says.
But some red wines are particularly suited for chilling. And more than just cool, they’re the kind of thirst-quenching, crowd-pleasing reds that might easily be served as cold as a white or rosé. The French describe these irresistible wines as glou glou, wines such as gamay from Beaujolais, cabernet franc from the Loire, or blends of poulsard or trousseau from the Jura. But this summer, you’ve likely encountered entire sections of “chillable reds” at your local wine bar or wine shop. Many are less familiar in name — trollinger from Germany (also known as schiava in Northern Italy), dolcetto from Piedmont in Italy, or pais, also known as the mission grape, found in Chile or California, for example.
Typically light-bodied and moderate in alcohol, they’re bright, fruity wines with crisp acidity and harmonious tannins. Approachable in both style and price point, they mirror a global shift, particularly among younger consumers, “away from richer, more extracted, fuller-bodied wines,” Palden suggests.
Tailor-made for cool
This shift in consumer taste profiles has been at the forefront of the minds of Thibault and Benoit Brotte, fifth-generation vintners who joined the helm of Maison Brotte, their family’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery in 2015. Faced with the challenge of global declines in red wine consumption, the brothers developed a new model of Côtes-du-Rhône red — a light-bodied, expressively fruity wine designed specifically to be served cold.
In 2021 when the brothers began exploring the idea, whites, rosés, beer and cocktails — all products meant to be enjoyed cold — were trending upward, Thibault Brotte says. A chillable red would better align with consumers looking for easy-drinking aperitifs or the kind of wine suitable to drink outdoors on a hot summer day, he says.
They initially tried serving their classic Côtes-du-Rhône red chilled, but “it didn’t work,” Thibault Brotte says. “Cold (temperatures) masked the aromas and brought out the tannins,” he says. So they formulated a new cuvée made with “grapes picked ripe, but not overripe” and fermented with up to 25% white grapes such as grenache blanc and clairette to accentuate the freshness, perfume and acidity of grenache and syrah.
Their Signature Thibault Brotte Côtes-du-Rhône has seen a 50% increase in sales from 2023 to 2024, Thibault Brotte says.
Cool reds make for versatile dining companions
Beyond sheer refreshment, a properly chilled red can be versatile too. Like a rosé, but perhaps with a bit more panache, a cool red can bridge the gap between white and red wines, standing up to hearty meat dishes without overwhelming lighter fare such aas salads or seafood.
At Hawksmoor, Gustafson suggests wines of different weight, body and temperature depending on the cut of steak and sauce a guest chooses. A leaner cut of steak such as filet mignon or Chateaubriand paired with “a lighter, brighter sauce like our anchovy hollandaise gives you a bit of salinity that plays really well with a crisp red,” she says.
Adjustments in wine temperature are also a carefully considered element of the sommelier’s playbook at Bonyeon, where it’s not unusual to have four or five distinct reds lined up with successive beef pairings, Palden says. Variations in temperature create “a roller coaster effect that can break up the monotony” of the experience, he says.
How to chill your reds
A brief stint in the refrigerator — 20 to 30 minutes — can substantially cool a bottle of wine. As will 10 to 15 minutes in an ice bath. In a pinch, the freezer can do the job too, but set a timer for no longer than 10 minutes to avoid over-chilling.
Straight from the fridge, reds might initially seem flat and frigid. But an added benefit of serving your wine cool is that you can participate in its evolution as it warms to room temperature, observing how its aromas unfurl and its weight and texture transform.
For those who opt to chill their reds with ice cubes, Palden takes a diplomatic stance. It’s your wine, enjoy it as you like, he says. “And frankly, there are wines that might benefit from some ice cubes,” he says with a chuckle, “but at that point, you’re probably trying to not taste the wine at all, so you might just reach for a beer instead.”
10 chillable reds to beat the summer heat
Tenuta delle Terre Nerre 2020 Etna Rosso ($23 at Verve Wine)
From frappato and nero d’avola to nerello mascalese, Sicily boasts a wealth of delicately tannic, bright-fruited reds ideal for serving chilled, Palden says. This subtly saline, pomegranate-tinged nerello mascalese (augmented with a small proportion of nerello cappuccino) and sourced from the high-altitude, volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, is “particularly fantastic,” he says.
Language of Yes 2021 Central Coast Syrah ($42 at wine.com)
Syrah, blended with the aromatic white grape, viognier, is a northern Rhône staple. This vibrant California rendition made by winemaker Randall Graham “isn’t one of those rich, meaty northern Rhône syrah,” says Palden, making it ideal served lightly chilled. At Bonyeon, it’s paired with a honeycomb cut of galbi (beef short ribs) in a lettuce wrap topped with ssamjang, or Korean chili paste, he says.
Maloof 2022 Wax on Wax Soif Applegate Valley Red Blend ($23 at Vin Chicago)
Gustafson fell in love with the wines of Ross and Bee Maloof, a husband-and-wife winery based in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, while working with Jonas Bittencourt, the general manager and beverage director at John’s Food & Wine. “They do a lot of interesting things with field blends and lighter reds that are so bright and complex. With a bit of a chill, they play really well with seafood and other lighter dishes,” she says.
Jean Foillard 2021 Beaujolais Villages ($24 at Binny’s)
“Gamay from Beaujolais, and more specifically, Beaujolais Villages, shows beautifully at lower temperatures without being dulled down,” Gustafson says. An added benefit is that it’s still really easy to find high-quality bottles at decent price points, she suggests. At Hawksmoor, Gustafson serves this bottling from Jean Foillard, “one of her favorite producers.”
Catherine and Pierre Breton 2017 Avis de Vin Fort Loire Cabernet Franc ($33 at Verve Wine)
Served chilled, Catherine and Pierre Breton’s Avis de Vin Fort “falls somewhere between a really light red and a dark rosé,” Gustafson says. “I’ve done tastings with it and people are obsessed with it,” she says, “it just becomes their favorite summer red.”
Pecchenino 2022 San Luigi Dogliani Dolcetto ($20 at wine.com)
Dolcetto is nebbiolo’s more precocious, fruit-forward sibling, a few shades softer in acidity but with a characteristically spicy edge of tannins. Lightly chilled, this bright, plummy red from Piedmont is mouthwatering and juicy yet structured enough to stand up to pizza or barbecue.
Brotte 2021 Signature Thibault Brotte Côtes-du-Rhône Red Blend ($13 at Saratoga Wine Exchange)
A vibrantly fruity, aromatic wine with delicate tannins and a diminutive 12% to 13% ABV, the sprightly Signature Thibault Brotte is a surprising pivot from a region best known for its big, often brawny, reds. Chilled in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving, it’s a zesty red that’s invigorating as a summer aperitif.
Weingut Beurer Württemberg Trollinger Trocken 2023 ($54 for a 1.5 L bottle at Red & White)
Germany’s white wines typically steal the spotlight, but their reds are stellar too. Trollinger, particularly, might be their most unsung hero. Aromatic and spry, this is an electrifying sip from Württemberg in southwestern Germany, packed with crunchy berry and cherry flavors and marked by a crystalline mineral edge. A party-perfect 1.5-liter magnum punches well above its price point.
Meinklang 2022 Burgenland Red Blend ($21 at Vas Foremost Liquor)
Tongue-twisting names such as blaufränkisch and zweigelt can be daunting to remember, but these briskly balanced, often vividly pure-fruited reds are among the best values in wine today. Produced by a mixed-use family farm on Austria’s border with Hungary, this succulent yet subtly earthen, blackberried blend of zweigelt, blaufränkisch and sankt laurent grapes is invigorating served chilled.
Roberto Henriquez 2021 Rivera del Notro Tinto Bio Bio Valley Pais ($25 at 57th Street Wines)
Carried by Catholic missionaries from Spain to Mexico in the 16th century, pais holds a distinctive heritage throughout the Americas as the continent’s first vitis vinifera, or European grape variety. Pais is a knockout for unabashedly fruity, forward enjoyment, especially served cold, but this bottling, sourced from 200-year-old vines is brim with bold cherry and raspberry flavors elevated by streaks of mint and stony minerality.
Anna Lee Iijima is a freelance writer.
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