The Best Chillable Summer Red Wines to Drink This Summer 2026

Napa Valley’s premier producer of Zinfandel, Robert Biale Vineyards offers lovers of the variety a wide swath of options with every vintage. Deriving its name from a Prohibition-era term for bootleg Zinfandel, Black Chicken is sourced from vineyards in Oak Knoll District including the historic Biale family estate. Aromas of raspberry, anisette, and brambles lead to flavors of blackberry, ripe summer cherry, cigar box, and clove with a hint of rosewater on the bright finish. Medium bodied with silky tannins, each sip invites you in for another.

With vineyard holdings that cover more than 120 acres including one of the largest collections of Grand Cru vineyards in the region, Louis Latour is one of the best-known grower-negociants in Burgundy. All the wines made from their own grapes are produced at the Château Corton Grancey winery in Aloxe-Corton. Brilliant garnet to the eye, this wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, milk chocolate, and orange zest. Velvety tannins offer a smooth base to blackberry, cocoa powder, and almond blossom flavors with hints of flint and clove on the juicy finish.

For all the fuss made over Sassicaia, wine lovers ought to be more familiar with Guidalberto, the easier drinking little brother from the same estate, Tenuta San Guido. Owned by the Incisa della Rocchetta family, this large estate in Tuscany is just outside the beautiful Medieval village of Bolgheri in the province of Livorno. Made with 55 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 45 percent Merlot, 2023 Guidalberto has aromas of black cherry, dried Mediterranean herbs, and a touch of tarragon. Vivid acidity and downy tannins support flavors of pomegranate, raspberry, and orange peel with a closing volley of baking spices.

In the hands of the Barruol family since 1490, Château de Saint Cosme has been under the direction of Louis Barruol since he took over from his father in 1992. Wine has been made on the estate since Roman times, as evidenced by ancient vats carved into the limestone below the main building. Made with a local variety of Syrah known as Sérine, this wine is produced using whole cluster fermentation and indigenous yeast and is aged for 12 months in 30 percent new barrels before being bottles without fining or filtration. Aromas of dark plum, white pepper, and orange blossom prepare the palate for flavors of cassis, raspberry, star anise, and orange zest with a pleasing touch of smoked bacon on the finish. 

Widely considered a top American producer of Bordeaux-style blends, DeLille Cellars is also regarded as a pioneer in establishing Washington State as one of the country’s premier winegrowing regions. Its home in Woodinville, just outside Seattle, holds a tasting room, restaurant, and winemaking facility under one roof. Made with 56 percent Merlot, 32 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and touches of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc, this easy drinking red is sourced from 12 of Columbia Valley’s best vineyards. With a bouquet of strawberry and mocha, it is bright on entry, offering vivid acidity, luscious tannins, and flavors of black cherry, milk chocolate, and candied orange peel.

From an area in northeastern Spain that is better known for almonds or black olives than for wine, this is an incredible example of Spanish Garnacha at its finest. Named for Moncayo Mountain near Zaragoza, Alto Moncayo farms some of the oldest vineyards in the region, which are planted in the foothills of the highest point of the Iberian Mountain Range. The cold Cierzo wind, which blows through the Ebro River Valley more than 200 days per year, helps grapes maintain freshness during the hot summer. Deep purple to the eye, this wine has aromas of black cherry and chocolate-covered espresso bean. A web of opulent tannins supports flavors of cherry, blackberry, chocolate, and herbs de Provence with a hint of orange peel in the finish. 

Founded in 2005 by Jamie Kutch and his wife Kristen Green, Kutch Wines’ focuses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast and Santa Cruz Mountains. Within the first few vintages the wines achieved notoriety and critical acclaim, and today they are found on some of the best wine lists in the U.S. and Europe. Part of the higher end, Black Label tier of their collection, this wine is from a steep, rocky vineyard that is home to a visible tombstone dating to 1875. Aromas of purple plum, black cherry, and dried thyme pave the way for flavors of red plum, blueberry, and soft baking spice wrapped in a layer of soft tannins.