Go Ahead, Chill That Red Wine
In addition to being delicious, chilled red wines can help you transition from summer to fall. Here are 15 from around the world to discover.
If you’re someone who loves a big, bold, tannic red wine like a Left Bank Bordeaux or hefty Napa Cab, the idea of drinking a glass of icy wine might seem a bit asinine. But chilling red wine, especially in warmer weather — or transitioning from summer temps into fall, like now — can offer a delightful and, dare I say, refreshing approach to drinking.
As you likely surmised from the two examples above, you want to steer away from over-chilling more tannic reds. Sure, having a slight chill on those is nice (like, slightly cooler than room temp), but getting them too cold can accentuate — or even mute — the tannins, making them taste somewhat harsh or bland, masking their true taste alone and with food.
So when it comes to chillable red wines, seek out lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol, more fruit-driven wines of a younger vintage whose juice has spent less time in contact with grape skins. Think: frappato, schiava, lighter-bodied gamay like Beaujolais, cool-climate pinot noir and cabernet franc, cinsault, Austrian zweigelt, dolcetto and lighter barbera, pais, and red wines produced with carbonic maceration.
I recently spent five days touring Alto Adige, Italy’s stunningly breathtakingly beautiful northern-most wine region. Set at the base of the towering Dolomites in South Tyrol region, Alto Adige once was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Being there feels like you’re in Switzerland. Or Bavaria. But you’re in Italy. The charming homes and buildings evoke an Alpine spirit and German is the primary language (although everyone speaks Italian). Even the Sudtirolians say they’re going to Italy on holiday, as if they’re in a different country.
Alto Adige is known for its crisp, mineral-driven white wines like pinot bianco, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, and gewurtztraminer. And I didn’t taste a single wine I didn’t fall for.
While I thoroughly enjoy those white wines, the red wines of this region, often the underdogs, also shine. Indigenous schiava, which I discovered a few years ago while visiting Elena Walch’s Alto Adige winery, quickly became a go-to for me. Ditto for pinot nero from Alto Adige. Why? They’re lighter bodied, have lower alcohol, are fruit driven with great acid and body.
Like frappato from Sicily (if you aren’t familiar, the time is now), schiava is wonderful with a wee chill. And I’ve been drinking both all summer and will continue to enjoy these wines deep into fall (especially as Chicago continues to experience LA-like weather). If fuller-bodied reds give you a headache, try these. I can’t guarantee anything, but I have found them to be easier on the body, too.
So how to chill your red wine? Cool down your bottle in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes (wrapped with a damp paper towel), in an ice bucket, or in the fridge for 30 to 40 minutes or so before you want to drink it. This can also help to bring out more of the fruit flavors while muting some of the tannins (again, chilling a bigger, bolder red too much can completely mute the tannins, negating why you want to drink that type of red wine).
15 chillable red wines to discover
2022 Rottensteiner Schiava — Alto Adige, Italy ($19)
This is a very light bodied wine both in weight and color that’s super easy to drink, especially chilled down. It opens up as air hits it in the glass to add more depth. Raspberry, violet, cherry, lightly fragrant.
2021 Planeta Frappato — Vittoria, Sicily, Italy ($25)
The color in the glass is a light ruby red. It shows bright red fruit, fantastic acid, cherry, and soft tannins — imagine having fresh cherry juice with a boozy kick. It has some herbal character as it opens in the glass, some aromatic tea, and a hint of smokiness.
2021 Finca de los Padrillos Pinot Noir — Mendoza, Argentina ($16)
I popped this one — a pinot from Mendoza and not a malbec — into the freezer for about 20 minutes and it was perfect. Color of cherry cola that has been slightly watered down — or raspberry cola even. Light bodied, but with decent tannins and some acid. It’s a very easy drinker with notes of cherry, some light pipe tobacco or potpourri. According to winemaker Ernesto Catena this apparently is a perfect wine to eat with grilled sausages.
2022 Paul Achs Zweigelt — Burgenland, Austria ($25)
I loved this wine and didn’t want the bottle to end. It has a darker body with a fuller nose with some blue and red fruit. Yet even with the darker hue, it still felt super light in the mouth and was very easily drinkable. It’s clean, Alpine herbal fresh, and has blueberry with a tannic finish yet it’s still super smooth.We had burgers and fries and it was a perfect match.
2023 Alta Colina Carbonic Grenache — Paso Robles, CA ($38)
How can you argue with a winery that specifically says to chill a wine? And they call this their most chillable red. With its lighter red hue and soft texture it offers raspberry, some pepper, and a bit of earth. It’s like you went digging in the cold dirt and found this just waiting for you.
2020 Donnafugata Floramundi — Sicily, Italy ($21)
This frappato/nero d'avola blend is quintessential Sicily from one of the island’s most prominent producers. It’s has a really lovely light body that shows red fruit — a hint of cherry, raspberry, strawberry — with some spice and floral notes like lavender. It makes sense it's made on an island in the Mediterranean where it’s hot and you want delicious chilled juicy wine to cool you down.
2022 Day Wines Vin de Days Rouge — Willamette Valley, OR ($27)
I first got turned on to Brianne Day’s wines a few years ago with her Lemonade rosé and have since enjoyed a few others, including this one. It’s a lighter bodied red blend of pinot meunier and pinot noir that shows off red fruits — cranberry, cherry, raspberry. But you also get herbs and hibiscus.
Loimer non-vintage Gluegglich Rot Zweigelt — Austria ($19)
If you like your wine with a little funk, look for this one. Add to that a little raspberry, some smokiness, cherry, and orange peel with good acid and medium tannin.
2021 Red Tail Ridge Sans Oak Blau Franc Blend Earl’s Place — Finger Lakes, NY ($25)
This 50/50 cabernet franc/blaufrankisch blend is aged entirely in stainless steel that truly lets the flavors of these grapes shine. It is steely and has gorgeous blue fruit, a lighter body, and is good match for a variety of food.
2023 Abbazia di Novacella Schiava — Alto Adige, Italy ($17)
If you ever find yourself in this region, make sure you visit this property. Set on the grounds of a monastery at the base of a hill with vineyards on the slopes, it is a stunning setting to explore wine. Its light red color leads to a light body and a roundness on the nose with raspberry and some floral notes. In the mouth, you’ll find light red fruit, a hint of herbs, a bit of cherry, acid and a slightly dry long finish. It’s definitely a juicy and a bit crunchy wine.
2022 Stranger Wine Co. Cabernet Franc — Buchanan, MI ($34)
I merely had a taste of this wine — one that I have long wanted to explore — at the super cute new Out There wine bar in Sawyer, Mich., and I knew I wanted more. The young winery headed by husband and wife Maxx and Sidney Eichberg is one to watch. They practice regenerative farming and let the grapes become the wine they’re meant to be. It’s unfiltered and unfined and it’s damn tasty juice.
2022 Ercole Barbera del Monferrato DOC — Piedmont, Italy ($19)
I love barbera. And I love a liter bottle of wine. Ergo, I absolutely love this wine. Made from 100% barbera from Piedmont’s Monferrato region, this has tart raspberry, fresh strawberry, and bramble with a nice long finish. Oh, and did you know Ercole means Hercules? 💪🏼
2022 Corvo Irmàna Frappato — Sicily, Italy ($13)
This is a lovely light bodied chillable red made from hand harvested organic grapes. It offers a nose of violets and roses that leads to bright red fruit (cherry, raspberry) with a hint of earth to give it more body without expanding with tannins.
2021 Thacher Winery Cinsault Glenrose Vineyard — Paso Robles, CA ($23)
If you can still find this, grab it. Hell, grab three. It’s so deliciously delightful. It’s light, bright, and silky with a nose of soft flowers and raspberry. In the mouth, there’s white pepper, pomegranate, some herbs, and strawberries with light acidity.
Granor Farm Red — Three Oaks, MI ($30)
This is a bonus wine and if you want it, you have to visit this charming forganic arm in Southwest Michigan’s Harbor Country, about an hour and a half from Chicago. Granor has been around for nearly 20 years, but they recently introduced these wines. The red, a gamay noir, is sourced from and produced in Traverse City, Mich. It’s the perfect summer-into-fall wine with red and blue fruit and some earth yet light enough to be super quaffable.
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