The best summer wines (and when to drink them)

Photographs by Romas Foord

You may have noticed the rosé at your local supermarket looking paler, white wines turning orange and reds becoming lighter, almost like an old-fashioned dark rosé. But how much can colour tell us about flavour and texture? And what about occasion, mood and food?

Let’s start with the pale-ification of rosé. It’s a consequence of the success of Provence rosé, made from red grapes (usually with a small dollop of the white grape vermentino), harvested in the cool of the early morning or at night and gently pressed, with the juice spending a very short time in contact with the skins before fermentation.

This period can be short, as in the case of the stylish 11 Minutes by Pasqua Rosé 2024 (£16 or £14 as part of a mixed case of six, majestic.co.uk) 11 Minutes by Pasqua Rosé 2024 (£16 or £14 as part of a mixed case of six, majestic.co.uk)from the Veneto in northeast Italy, but it’s generally a couple of hours. It makes for a subtly creamy, soft-textured style that is still at its best in Provence, with bottles such as Miraval Studio Rosé 2024 (£12, Tesco) Miraval Studio Rosé 2024 (£13.25, The Co-op, best sipped cold by a pool.

In the southern Rhône’s rosé-only Tavel appellation, winemakers tend towards a darker style based on macerations of between 12 hours and three days. Spanish rosado has become much paler, but there are still winemakers working with a traditional palette. In the case of Señorio de Sarría Rosado 2024 from Navarra (£8.95, thewinesociety.com) Señorio de Sarría Rosado 2024 from Navarra (£8.95, thewinesociety.com)and Arbousset Tavel Rosé 2024 (£13, Tesco) Arbousset Tavel Rosé 2024 (£13, Tesco, extra time means a robust style suited to garlicky rice dishes such as paella.

As is a new entry in the red wine section at Waitrose. Gérard Bertrand Le Chouou 2024 (£12.75, Waitrose) Gérard Bertrand Le Chouou 2024 (£12.75, Waitrose)from the Languedoc-Roussillon has, like the Arbousset, had 24 hours of contact between juice and skins, but more colour and chewy tannin,  a positively white wine feel when compared to the gently savoury M&S Kisi Qvevris 2022 (£11, M&S) M&S Kisi Qvevris 2022 (£11, M&S. Made in the traditional Georgian way from the local white grape kisi, fermented in an amphora-like clay pot. A , versatile orange wine, it matches the cacophony of flavours at  a typical barbecue.

A red variety responsible for some of France’s most refreshing wines from the Loire valley, cabernet franc is increasingly grown around the world, with sweet spots including Argentina, South Africa and Bolgheri on Italy’s Tuscan coast. The Loire model gets my vote, with its feel of crunchy fresh blackcurrants and raspberries, and Réserve des Vignerons Saumur 2023 (£10, The Co-op)Réserve des Vignerons Saumur 2023 (£10, The Co-op) is a lively partner for meaty fish.

Cinsault used to appear largely in blends (red and rosé) across southern France, but it has had a new lease of life in California, Chile, South Africa and the Languedoc, with winemakers using old vines to make juicy, subtly spicy, lighter-tannin reds. Chilean producer De Martino has been one of the best exponents in the southern region of Itata. DeMartino Ungrafted Old Vine Itata Cinsault 2022 (£1 5 7, ocado.com De Martino Ungrafted Old Vine Itata Cinsault 2022 (£17, ocado.com) is joyous and multilayered with a tangy, dry finish.

In the northwestern corner of the Iberian peninsula, on either side of the Portuguese/Galician border, albariño (or alvarinho in Portuguese) makes dry white wines that are perfect with seafood. Good examples are made in Uruguay, New Zealand and the south of France, but the best from Galicia’s Rías Baixas, such as Zárate Albariño, Val do Salnés 2022 (£24, Fortnum & Mason)Zárate Albariño, Val do Salnés 2022 (£24, Fortnum & Mason), are unmatched in their combination of white peachy fruit, citrus and sea-spray saltiness.

Greece’s most celebrated white grape made its name on the volcanic soils of Santorini, where producers such as Gaia Estate, Artemis Karamolegos and Sigalas craft dry whites that are sought after as the Aegean’s answer to the best chablis. It’s increasingly found in a lighter, more affordable style in other parts of Greece, such as Nemea in the Peloponnese, home to the lemon-grove fragrant, seafood-ready Zacharias Assyrtiko 2024 (£13, Waitrose)Zacharias Assyrtiko 2024 (£13, Waitrose).

Growers throughout the Mediterranean have relied on the ability of vermentino (aka rolle) to retain its zest, liveliness and acidity in hot conditions, and it’s being used to make wines of citrussy verve in some of Australia’s warmer regions. Expect a mix of juicy stone fruit and lime and grapefruit tanginess, ideal with smoky grilled oily fish, in wines such as the terrific bargain from Languedoc winemaker Marilyn Lasserre, Coquille de Mer Vermentino 2024 (£8.99, houseoftownend.com)Coquille de Mer Vermentino 2024 (£8.99, houseoftownend.com).

In summer, white wines and rosés are almost always too cold, reds too warm. Fortunately, it only takes a minute or two of cuddling to get an overly chilled white to a temperature where the flavours are no longer numbed. Short of carrying a portable freezer, warm reds, which start to feel soupy at 20C or so, are harder to remedy.

The idea of “chillable, smashable reds” might have become part of the lingua franca of natural wine bars but there’s still a wider resistance to serving them cool. It’s a shame, because few wines are more refreshing than properly chilled, light-tannin reds such as Loire cabernet franc, Beaujolais gamay, unoaked, youthful valpolicella, Austrian zweigelt or mencía from Ribeira Sacra.

By properly chilled, I mean at about 12C, roughly the same temperature I’d serve a deeper-coloured rosé or a richer white such as chenin blanc, or whites made from southern French varieties such as viognier or grenache blanc. For the palest rosés, sparkling wines and the high-acid whites such as riesling, sauvignon blanc and albariño, I’d be going a little lower to emphasise the scintillating tingle – below 10C.

The freezer is your friend here. I find roughly 20 minutes does it for 12C and half an hour for 10C. If I’m really short of time, I turn to a taboo-busting trick, as do many winemakers I know. I wouldn’t recommend it for your best bottles but a great way to fix a too-warm bottle of a cheap, big-fruited wine of no matter what colour is: a few ice cubes in the glass.

Thanks to the rise of the Aperol spritz, some of us are buying fizz in the same way we’d buy tonic water. The best wine for the role of spritz support act is the original mixer from its Veneto home: prosecco, which has the lightness and soft, sherbetty feel to provide the foil to bittersweet Aperol or Campari. Co-op Irresistible Prosecco Magnum NV (available in a party-ready 1.5-litre magnum special edition for £15, The Co-op) Co-op Irresistible Prosecco Magnum NV (available in a party-ready 1.5-litre magnum special edition for £15, The Co-op)tops my list of supermarket options.

Not all proseccos are cut out for this role, though. I certainly wouldn’t want the gorgeous Bele Casel Prosecco Col Fondo Agricolo, Veneto, Italy 2021 (£22, swig.co.uk) Bele Casel Prosecco Col Fondo Agricolo, Veneto, Italy 2021 (£22, swig.co.uk)drowned out by the rhubarb blast of Aperol. And in the same way, I wouldn’t add creme de cassis liqueur to the subtle appley scents of The Society’s Celebration Crémant de Loire 2022 (£13.31, thewinesociety.com) The Society’s Celebration Crémant de Loire 2022 (£13.31, thewinesociety.com)to make my kir royale. I’d opt for the affordable but very good quality Specially Selected Crémant de Loire NV (£8.99, Aldi) Specially Selected Crémant de Loire NV (£8.99, Aldi.

Both Loire bottles are examples of one of the fastest growing categories: crémant, made in a similar way to champagne but in different areas of France. I’ve enjoyed bottles from Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Jura and Limoux, but Cave de Turckheim Organic Crémant d’Alsace, France NV (£15, Waitrose) Cave de Turckheim Organic Crémant d’Alsace, France NV (£15, Waitrose, a stylish, creamy blend of pinot blanc and pinot gris, is my favourite for a summer party aperitif.

Another style on the rise is pét-nat (short for pétillant naturel), a venerable but newly fashionable way of making fizz in which the wine is bottled while fermenting. The best have a charming wildness, a play of the sour, the yeasty and the aromatically fruity with a softness in the bubbles and a lightness of alcohol that works well with a menu of varied small plates. Particularly suited to summer are the lemon-and-lime liveliness of Quinta de Raza Pet-Nat Branco 2023 (£26, bottleapostle.com) Quinta de Raza Pet-Nat Branco 2023 (£26, bottleapostle.com)and the blossomy, appley, bone-dry and great value Bowler & Brolly Pétillant Naturel, West Sussex, UK 2024 (£12.99, Aldi) Bowler & Brolly Pétillant Naturel, West Sussex, UK 2024 (£12.99, Aldi.

While English makers of sparkling wine may be finding inspiration in other regions and styles, traditional champagne-method wines remain the best of the domestic breed. Thanks to the cool climate that allows for their cleansing acidity, wines such as the rich and toasty Asquith Gardens English Sparkling Brut, England NV (£17.97, Asda) Asquith Gardens English Sparkling Brut, England NV (£17.97, Asda)and the seafood-friendly Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams, Sussex, UK 2019 (£55, sugruesouthdowns.com) Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams, Sussex, UK 2019 (£55, sugruesouthdowns.com)are among the best to pair with fish and chips.

Two final fizz thoughts. First, if it has to be champagne, it’s best, in the heat, to go with the maximum refreshment that comes with the region’s driest styles. Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut, Champagne, France NV (£64.99, virginwines.co.uk) Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut, Champagne, France NV (£64.99, virginwines.co.uk)is an excellent special-occasion example. Second, don’t discount the much-maligned Catalan cava, which, in bottles such as Extra Special Mas Miralda Cava 2022 (£7.48, Asda) Extra Special Mas Miralda Cava 2022 (£7.12, Asda, is unmatched for value and has a peachy-toasty, Mediterranean character all its own.

A family barbecue
Sfusobuono Pinot Mero, Pavia IGT, Lombardy, Italy,(£46, 3 litres, morewine.co.uk) (£46, 3 litres., morewine.co.uk)

Any prejudice I might once have had about bag-in-box wines has been dispelled by the quality of what is now sold in them. What’s more, they offer a no-fuss way of allowing guests to help themselves. This strawberry-fruity, mid-weight Italian take on pinot noir is an easy-drinking all-rounder.

A wedding
Eglise Saint-Jacques Bergerac Rouge, France NV, (£7.75, Tesco) (£7.75, Tesco)

No one wants to look like a cheapskate on their big day. Then again, no one wants to start married life bankrupt. The solution? A supermarket wine at a supermarket price that could easily pass for something you’ve sourced directly from the vigneron. Step forward Tesco, with this excellent, cassis-succulent, food-friendly Bordeaux-alike.

A 'duvet day' in the park
La Vieille Ferme Rosé, wine can, (from £2.20, 20cl, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsubury’s, Waitrose)

In summer, “taking a duvet day” is less likely to mean watching Netflix on a laptop in bed when the options include sitting in the sun in the nearest park, or, if you’re lucky, on the beach. Portability is key when you’re stashing wine in a backpack alongside a book and a bottle of sunscreen. Happily, the Perrin family’s breakout rosé hit of last summer (AKA “the chicken wine”) now comes in precisely the right format.

A day watching sport
Familie Mantler Gemischter Satz, Neiderösterreich, Austria 2024, (£8.75, thewinesociety.com)

Whether you’re at the event itself or watching at home, a day of tennis or cricket wouldn’t be the same without a parade of picnicky snacks and a glass of cool white wine. The wine needs to be versatile enough to stand up to the variety of snacks, and light enough for a day’s sipping. This breezy mix of stone fruit, citrus and floral tones, with 11.5% alcohol, hits the right notes.

An evening pick me up
Torres Viña Sol Blanco, Catalunya, Spain 2023, (from £7.14, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco)

Walking home from work on a hot evening, the idea of a drink when you get home arrive can often seems more alluring with each step. If there’s nothing in the fridge and little more than dusty old obscurities at the corner shop, your local supermarket may be one of many that are stocking Catalonia’s reliable big brand Torres, including this trusty bargain of a fruit-salad white, Viña Sol.