If you’ve been here a while you know how much I love wine. I am not an expert (at ALL) but my dad is, and it’s something I try to learn a little bit every time I have a glass. With the warmer weather and all of the al fresco dining and dinner parties, I thought I would take a minute to share a list of my personal favorite wines for summer. Wine is almost always part of any celebration (even a backyard barbecue!) but not all wines are good for summer wine sipping… it can be hard to find that perfect wine for warmer weather. Today I wanted to share some of my personal favorite summer sippers… a roundup of wine choices that are light and refreshing enough for hot summer days.
PS – I’m always looking for new wines to try… drop your favs in the comments!
PPS – If you are looking to learn more about wine, I can’t recommend this book enough!
PPPS – If you’re looking to add more wines to your year-round repertoire, you can learn more about my all-time favorite wines!
The 14 Best summer wines.
(Of course it’s all subjective, but these are my personal favs!)
Two rosé wines I love!
Fleurs de Prairie Rose
I always have a few bottles of this on hand once warm weather rolls around. It’s just wonderful. it is an absolutely amazing rosé from Provence. It’s so bright and refreshing (and not too sweet) with delicate flavors of strawberry, rose petals, and herbs.
archery summit rosé
I first tried this when I visited the Willamette Valley several years ago. It’s just a really nice, easy to drink rosé. Really smooth without any sort of bite.
White Wines I like.
I don’t drink white wine very often but when I do I love a citrus-forward Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve been wanting to switch things up and try more wines that have notes of stone fruit or are high acid whites. The options below are absolute favorites!
Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc
I always buy a few bottles of this anytime I’m at the wine store. It’s extremely easy to find! It’s definitely very grapefruit forward (my mom hates this one, I love it!). It isn’t for everyone but it’s one of my absolute favs. I love the crisp acidity and I find I actually crave it on a hot summer day.
Josh Sauvignon Blanc
Another favorite. There are three bottles of this in my fridge. I love that it has subtle green apple flavors and citrus. It’s really bright and delicious.
Grand Vin du Valais L’Alpage Fendant
This is a Swiss wine and came recommended to me by my wine shop. I told them I wanted a Sancerre “but more special” and I really like it on nights where I want something a little sweeter than my usual sauvignon blancs.
Orange Wines to try!
I love orange wines. A simple way to understand orange wine is that it is basically white wine, treated like a red (so the skins are left on during fermentation, which is how the wine gets that orange color!). I wrote more about orange wines in this post.
Bosman Family Vineyards Fides Grenache Blanc 2016
This is a South African wine and it is DELICIOUS! The bottle can be deceiving, it looks like a bottle of white but it’s a very light skin contact wine. I like this one because it’s not sweet at all – it tastes to me, like a cross between a dry rosé and a citrusy Sauvignon Blanc. It’s slightly spicy with a mineral finish. YUM.
Enderle & Moll Weiss & Grau 2019
This is a German wine. The Germans do orange wines so well. Enderle & Moll is most famous for their pinot noirs and biodynamic farming. This one is nice and dry, very light, and I love how creamy it is, with a sliiiiightly mineral finish. It’s been described as a gateway skin-contact wine.
Field Recordings Skins 2021
This was a new addition to the list as it was recommended so highly in the comments section by two different readers. It’s a great addition to the list. In my opinion, it alllllmost tastes like a red wine. If I close my eyes and take a sip it could pass for a lighter (chilled) gamay. As a red wine lover, I absolutely adore it. Thank you to Melissa and Sara for the recommendation! You can purchase Field Recordings wines here!
Red Wines for Summer
I need you to know that I am a die-hard red wine drinker, so this list runs heavier on red wines – all of which can be served chilled! I will often be drinking red all summer long, even when it is hot. I do find that in the cooler months I love a big red like a cabernet franc whereas in the summer I switch to a lighter wine (my favorite during summer is a slightly chilled gamay!)
Summer Water Keep it Chill Red
I found this via my Winc box and always get a bottle or two. It’s a Beaujolais Gamay and really light + easy to drink. I like that it is super easy to find and affordable, but also just delicious.
Raisins Gaulois Gamay
My friend Natalie and I were at Bin 152 (our fav CHS wine bar!) last summer and we tried this and then proceeded to drink it all summer long. It may just be the perfect wine. I ended up tracking it down online and bought a few bottles. It’s just perfect. Light and delicious!
Maison des Ardoisières Silice Rouge 2020
I was out to dinner this past weekend (and if you are in the south you know: IT’S HOT!) and the sommelier recommended this. It was delicious. I haven’t been able to find it online but screen shotted it and saved as it was the perfect hot summer night red wine.
Murphy Goode Pinot Noir
This is another family favorite. Lots of red fruit. Just a really delicious, easy to drink Pinot Noir. It is one of my parents’ more affordable favorites. It’s not meant to be served cold but I can attest… it’s great slightly chilled.
Durigutti Proyecto Las Compuertas
This is maybe the lightest red I have ever had (it’s truly just the most beautiful – almost blood red) and it is absolutely amazing. I had this at Graft wine bar in Charleston and liked it so much that I went home with two more bottles. The most perfect chilled red. I want to buy a whole case!
Stolpman Vineyards Love you Bunches Sangiovese
This is an amazing everyday summer light red. (Also from Graft in Charleston!) I think I prefer the Durigutti if forced to choose but this one is more affordable (around $20/bottle). It is light bodied, refreshing, and delicious. Perfect cold.
How Long Is Wine Good For After Opening?
The shelf life of wine heavily depends on the type, but most “table wines” are good for up to 3-5 days after opening. You should be able to tell from the taste if it’s still drinkable, but if not I’ve got some insight for you! This Masterclass article breaks down a wine’s shelf life depending on its body and is something I always refer to for drinking and storing an open bottle. Don’t worry…spoiled wine won’t harm you! It’s essentially just turned to vinegar if not stored correctly after those first few pours.
I love a chilled gamay! Lots I need to try on this list.
It’s my summer favorite!
I love Truro vineyards Barbara- has notes of cherry. May be more fall but I drank some last week lol
Oh that sounds really nice!
I am loving Field Recordings Skins orange wine right now. It is a great summer wine.
Thank you for the rec, I will check it out – always trying to learn more about orange wines.
Glad you are liking this one! I had it at a restaurant in Chicago and now it is always stocked at my house!!
It’s so nice!
I love all the Field Recordings range! They are all great summer wines IMO!
I ordered a few bottles based on these recs!!!!
These photos are gorgeous!
Thank you!
I love a chilled red! Even though the ideal temp for serving a glass of red wine is 55 degrees Fahrenheit, we keep ours at a cool 47… ha! I love it because by the end of your first glass (or while you are talking or making dinner) it reaches the perfect temp. My favorite easy drinking reds for summer are any of the pinot noirs from Burgundy. Even the Bourgogne (lowest price) bottles are wonderful. Fun post, Grace!
I love that! Great idea.
Don’t forget bubbly! Chandon Garden Spritz was released last summer, made with orange bitters. Also can’t go wrong with Graham Beck sparkling rosé with oysters!
great call!!
My local wine shop recommend Zilla Mink Spanish Rose and I loved it! Rose can be too dry or too sweet and this one was just right…plus it’s under $20 and a cute label!
ooh thank you for the rec, i will keep an eye out!
Love Oyster Bay, and the price tag! I actually love any New Zealand Sauv Blanc because they tend to be more on the mineral side. I also love a Vinho Verde for the summer because they are little lower in alcohol content. I buy the Broadbent Vinho Verde from a local wine shop in Brooklyn, Tipsy (female owned!), and love it
Agree! It’s just a nice easy summer wine.
I’ve totally forgotten about Vinho Verde and love them. I need to pick up a bottle or two. Appreciate the rec.
Grace, just a quick note to say I can tell how much effort you’ve put into the photographs for this post! You could have easily put together a collage of the different wines, but these photos make me want to pack a picnic and head outside. I recognize the planning and preparation to shoot those photos and make the post extra special!
That is so nice, thank you!
My faves are:
white: La Crema chardonnay, Cloudy Bay sauv blanc (another NZ one). Fun sauv blanc fact: my friends’ phones all autocorrect “sauv blanc” to “sauv Blanchfield (my last name).”
Rosé: I think it’s also just an association with NYC and the Hamptons, but I love and miss Wolffer’s rosé so much!! I have felt silly ordering it to be shipped to CA, though, since there’s so many good wines here, obvi. VRAC is also another good cheap one. (If any other readers have any good CA rosé recs, I’d love to hear them!)
Bubbles: I love Gloria Ferrer blanc de blancs
Thank you for this list!!!!!!! I love Cloudy Bay as well.
I haven’t tried any yet, but the rose’ made from the grapes that survived our big fires in California are supposed to be amazing. Love this post Grace! I like to break out the sparkling wines in summer too; I’m loving Roederer Estate Brut rose’ Anderson Valley( affordable) and Iron horse Vineyards Russian River Cuvee’ ( more pricey, but so delicious!)
Une Femme Wines – incredibly women owned brand and women made wines. Their sparkling rosé is soooo good!
Ooooh thank you for the rec, I am going to check them out!
The mention of Oyster Bay sav blanc brings back so many fun memories – I have not had this in years. Sav blancs have really gone out of favour in the southern hemisphere. I love a good pinot grigio /gris or pinot noir in winter. I love red but it’s too hot where I live to drink it most of the time. I try to support local wine growers so I usually drink Australian wines these days. Luckily there are tonnes of good ones, I especially love Tasmanian pinot gris / grigio & bubbles made in the champagne style.
I don’t drink a lot of pinot gris so am curious about these – thanks for sharing!
Great new bottles to try! I had the Murphy Goode this week at your suggestion.
Oh good, we love that! My parents buy that one by the case.
Thanks for the sauvignon blanc tips Grace. Do you have any of this variety you like that are less acidic/citrus more stone fruit? My best tip is to look for the NZ “Marlborough” region for this one but I could more advice!
Hey Molly! I don’t! I tend to prefer more citrus sauvs. If I find one more stone fruit I will of course update the post!