Red wines are not all winter sweaters—you don’t have to pack them up just because it’s summer. Sparkling reds are worth flirting with this time of year, and not just Lambrusco, which is a summer wine already known to hold court around the grill. Well-chilled sparklers of Sangiovese, Barbera, and Colorino (my favorite sparkling reds come from Italy) go down easy with bright, poppy notes of cherry and cranberry but are dry enough to complement any meat you’re throwing on the grill. And they're a lot less sweet than the sparkling reds of the ’70s that gave the genre a bad name.
Once upon a disco, Italian sparkling reds were as cloying as an Abba single. And while there are still plenty of sweet offerings out there, more and more dry options are being imported. Occasionally you can be tipped off by words on the bottle: Secco (dry) or Semi-Secco (off-dry). But if not, a decent rule of thumb is to look at Alcohol by Volume (ABV). Find wines that hang around 11–13 percent ABV to stay on the dry side (lower means less sugar has been converted to alcohol), and don’t shy away from double-checking with your wine merchants (psst—they do want to help you, I promise!).
These bubbly reds are the beverage equivalent of running barefoot across the beach on a blazing hot day, the sand pricking at your heels, before hopping into the ocean. Here are three that qualify as perfect summer wine:
Della Staffa “Brioso Rosato” Umbria, $32
Sophisticated and dry with flavors of wild cherries, strawberry, and chalky floral notes.
Furlani Sur Lie Rosso Trentino, $30
Energetic but elegant with ripe raspberry, and touches of grapefruit and white cherry blossoms.
Cellario Barbera Piemonte, $18
A bright and fresh gentle fizz with notes of fresh cherries and savory cranberry.
This article has been amended from print to include the correct definition for Semi-Secco.