Bright and breezy, packed with fruit, and dangerously easy to drink, the chilled red is this Summer's heatwave busting secret weapon. The natural winemaker's penchant for lighter extractions, the collective palate shift away from the boozy blockbuster reds of yesteryear, and a gloriously long, hot, sun-filled Summer have made 2025 the breakout year for chilled reds, with an explosion in both the range on offer and the number of winos seeking them out. Having spent the last few months getting through a fair few ourselves, we thought we'd compile a list of our top picks in store.
Heya Wines Kanz (£29): Based high up in the Batroun mountains of Lebanon, Claudine Lteif and Michelle Chami of Heya Wines describe themselves as two mothers who share a passion for natural wine and ancestral wine making techniques. The name Heya Wines means 'She' in Arabic and is a representation and appreciation of women who work hard in a male dominated industry to produce something they love. Kanz is a blend of Grenache and Syrah fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in amphora. Beautifully fragrant and juicy with strawberry, pomegranate, spice and floral aromas.
5 O'Clock Wines Cinsault (£16): Our house glou glou red from the brains behind Mad Med and La Mongestine. 100% Cinsault fermented with native yeasts and gently extracted to create a strawberry and watermelon juice bomb perfect for chilling down. Beautifully fragrant, soft and packed full of flavour, this our new go-to fridge red. Buy a case of 6 for £90 and save £6.
William Downie Cathedral Pinot Noir (£26): William Downie is a reference for minimal intervention, site specific Pinot Noir in Australia after having several harvests in Burgundy at Domaines Fourrier and Hubert Lignier early in his career. Precise and defined, Cathedral is made from grapes grown predominantly in Mornington Peninsula, with the rest from King Valley, 100% de-stemmed and aged in mixture of open top wood and stainless steel. Dark red berries, soft spice, fresh acidity, and a lick of forest floor earthiness. Delicious!
Società Agricola Il Sasso Valpolicella Classico (£24): Società Agricola Il Sasso is a groundbreaking organic estate in Valpolicella working with 10 hectares of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella growing on terraced, south-facing hills in Storica, just outside Verona. This is the Valpolicella Classico made from partially de-stemmed grapes, lightly crushed and using only the free-run juice before pressing. Wonderfully fresh and lifted with crunchy cranberry, red cherry, wild herb and pepper aromas.
Ciclo Vinho Palhete (£26): Hugo and Joana Campos of Ciclo Vinho have just 1.5 hectares of vines in Estremoz comprising no less than 10 different indigenous Portuguese grape varieties. This is the Palhete, a traditional Portuguese style blending red (70%) and white (30%) grapes together. Just 600 bottle were made from a single 55 year old vineyard growing in granite at 600m above sea level. Vibrant and crunchy red fruits to the fore with invigorating acidity and complex and savoury spice notes developing.
Monteforche Lo Sfuso di Collina (£20): Alfonso Soranzo makes his Monteforche wines from four and a half hectares of vines that encompass his house in the village of Zovon di Vò in the Colli Euganei, a region that was previously an area of significant volcanic activity and the fossilised soils that remain are well suited to viticulture. The vines are looked after organically and Alfonso undertakes all of the vineyard work himself. Lo Sfuso is a vivacious and crunchy blend of Cabernet Franc and local varieties with a light spirtz and spicy raspberry, liquorice and green pepper aromas.
Quinta da Boavista Rufia Clarete (£24): Clarete is a traditional Portuguese term used to describe a low extraction red. The rules are it has to be fruity, delicate, gently extracted and with low alcohol. The Quinta da Boavista Clarete is made from two classic Dão varieties Rufete and Touriga Nacional from vines planted by the Tavares family at 500m above seal level. Juicy with beautiful bright red cherry notes, candied peach, blossom tones and paprika spice.
Sebastien David Hurluberlu Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil (£20.50): Sebastien David is a 15th generation winemaker working in the famed Cabernet Franc appellation of Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil in the Loire Valley. All vineyard work is biodynamic with grapes hand-harvested and vinified without sulphur. One of the OGs in the chilled red category, Hurluberlu has developed something of a cult reputation in the London natural wine scene over years. Incredibly fresh and brimming with cherry, dried currant goodness and a bit of red liquorice. Saline, savoury and moreish.
Partida Creus VN Tinto (£24.50): Partida Creus is the highly regarded natural wine project of Italian ex-architects Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa who have spent the last 20 years recovering small parcels of abandoned indigenous vines in and around their home in Penedès which they vinify simply to allow their unique character to shine through. VN is a lovely red field blend from from Partida Creus. It drinks a little like a Jura Poulsard with high-toned red fruit and a nice whack of barnyard funk.
Romain Le Bars Tavel (£28): Romain Le Bars runs a tiny 1.5 hectare estate in Gard in the southern Rhône. He spent 7 years working with legendary Tavel winemaker Eric Pfifferling at Domaine de L’Anglore and prior to that assisted Matthieu Vallée at Château Yvonne. Vibrant, pure and brimming with energy, Romain's wines are about drinkability but with an underlying power that justifies the inevitables comparisons to L'Anglore. His Tavel is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 10% Syrah grown on the Calcaires soil of Tavel. The final boss of chilled reds.
For even more chilled red options, check out the Pure and Juicy collection on our website here.