Chillable Red Wine For Summertime

I love a good red wine and they go so well with summer grilling. But sometimes they are just too much on a beastly hot day. Thankfully chillable red wine for summertime is blowing up in popularity this season.

Temperature is a big deal when it comes to enjoying wine. When a typical red wine is served too warm it becomes harsh, and the predominant flavors are the alcohol rather than the fruit.

Chillable reds as a hot new category are a little different in style that more producers are embracing. These wines have most of the characteristics red wine drinkers love, they are just a little lighter, fresher and cooler.

Chill Ya Jolo is a new from Badia a Coltibuono, one of Tuscany’s most iconic estates. It's made with Ciliegiolo, an indigenous Tuscan grape variety that is an essential component in Chianti Classico. However, you rarely find it bottled on its own.

In a fun twist, the name of the wine, Chill Ya Jolo, is also the phonetic spelling of the grape. In addition, it hints to serving instructions. Chill. This is such a fun wine, full of bright red fruit like cherry.

It was still fresh two days later when I realized there was some left in the bottle. I had it with grilled fish and also some charcuterie. $19

This is a delightful red wine comes from the Alentejo region of Portugal. I participated in a virtual tasting with winemaker Pedro Ribeiro who takes great pride in using only indigenous grapes from Portugal.

This wine is also aged in an Amphora, or clay pot. The result is a wine he calls "great for summer." He also said some people would've called him crazy for making a chillable red wine but that this one is to be taken seriously.

It is light in color but has a lot of character. there are flavors of pomegranate, raspberry and cranberry. In the $20 range.

This summer, I have been on a Lambrusco kick thanks to the folks from Cleto Chiarli who sent me the three following bottles free, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lambrusco is a wine that confuses many Americans. I've enjoyed showing up to dinner functions and parties with these bottles and seeing the reaction.

Lambrusco is one of the oldest wines made in Italy. There are about 60 Lambrusco grapes that can be used to make this fizzy red. So, you might imagine there can be quite a range in flavor profiles. However, they are all typically lower in alcohol, fruity and more fizzy than sparkly.

Cleto Chiarli's Organic Lambrusco is made with organically grown Grasparossa grapes. For wine geeks, the bubbles come from a single fermentation under pressure.

This was such a great way to start a dinner party I recently attended. Everyone there went back for more. It is fresh, on the drier side and went well with the salty appetizers, meats and cheeses that were on the table. $16

This wine is said to be a modern interpretation of the wine founder Cleto Chiarli once poured at his trattoria in the 1800s. It's made with 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara grapes. It has nice fruit rather than sugar and went great with a both a spicy pepperoni and a BBQ chicken pizza.

For wine geeks, it's made in the so-called ancestral method. The wine is only half-fermented before getting bottled. The fermentation finishes in the bottle and is not disgorged. Carbon dioxide is trapped creating that fun fizz. Science lesson complete. $21

This one is off-dry, meaning it has a little sweetness, but not too much. Centenario is made with dark, thick-skinned, acidic Lambrusco di Grasparossa grapes. It's a beautiful color and was popped at a birthday brunch. The wine was fantastic with the dark chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries on the cake. $15

Riunite is arguably one of the most recognizable names when it comes to Lambrusco. Fun fact, from 1976 to 2000 it was the #1 imported wine in America.

Today, the company is revamping it's original tagline to "On Ice...STILL Nice!" for a contemporary feel and to appeal to younger wine drinkers.

Riunite is on the sweet side of Lambrusco. For more balance and to follow the lower alcohol trend, the brand has this fresh spritz recipe for summer.

Riunite Lambrusco Spritz

Pour ingredients into a glass or pitcher. Serve the drink over ice and garnish it with a lemon wheel.

Cheers.

*Drink Responsibly

*Prices listed may vary