Every few years, there’s a new craze in wine. The 2010s, for example, was the decade where rosé was suddenly everywhere—sales of the pink wine grew 1433% in the United States alone. Then, in the early 2020s, everyone was suddenly all about orange, which went from niche to mainstream in a matter of years. (According to The Guardian, there was a 437% month-on-month rise in London just this summer.) Now, it seems there’s a new order on the tip of everyone’s tongues: chilled reds.
Grant Reynolds, a master sommelier who runs Parcelle Wine Bar in Chinatown and Greenwich Village, recently added a “chilled red of the day” to his menu. “It’s impressively trendy right now,” he says. “For our wines by the glass, it’s always our number one or number two most popular order.” Several blocks away at Elvis, a new natural wine bar in NoHo by Golden Age Hospitality, a chilled Gamay is flying off the shelves. “People are just loving it,” says C.E.O Jon Neidich. Meanwhile, when James Beard nominee Victoria James was working on the menu for the critically acclaimed Coqodaq, she made sure to have a refreshing, light red on the menu to pair with their signature fried chicken. “We ve seen this huge trend in general—people want something that s a little bit more refreshing with a chill,” she says. The most popular? A Lambrusco and a Beaujolais. The tastemaker restaurant recommendation site The Infatuation even just published a hyper-specific guide on “Where To Go When Drinking Chilled Reds Is Your Whole Personality.” (And all this is merely anecdotal evidence: Online alcohol marketplace Drizzly found that chillable reds like Gamay have seen a steady uptick in orders since 2020.)
A quick explainer: chilled reds is an umbrella term for red wine varietals that are best served at cellar or fridge temperature. Many reds are not, such as the full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, as a higher temperature only highlights its aromas, flavors, and tannins. Yet lighter blends—like Gamay, Lambrusco, Beaujolais, and Grenache—thrive on being a bit cooler.
These wines certainly aren’t new inventions. In fact, they’ve been around for centuries. So why does it feel like chilled reds are everywhere?
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Reynolds thinks it’s helped by the accessible terminology: “It’s an easy go-to term for someone, versus saying, I want a light red or I want a full-bodied red or something like that.” Neidich also believes the surging popularity of natural wines and chilled reds go hand in hand. “The natural wine movement is huge right now—and a lot of the natural reds have a lighter-bodied complexion and are best served on the cooler end. So as a result, the chilled red is something we’ve been seeing a lot more.”
Then there’s the fact that in the United States, reds have traditionally been marketed as a late fall and winter bottle, whereas white and rosés are for summer. With the rise of these lighter natural wines—and their refreshing temperatures—more and more people finally realized they could enjoy red wine all year round. “Chilled reds have always been part of French drinking culture and a refreshing way to enjoy red wine year-round,” explains Neidich.
James also acknowledges that the wine consumer today is a savvy one. Whereas past consumers may have been okay with reds served at room temperature, many know what types should be served lower. “They’re like, ‘Hey, this wine’s supposed to be 55 degrees!’ And so everyone s kind of chilling down their reds to get it to that better temperature because it just factually tastes better. It’s more balanced, it’s more structurally sound, and it’s more delicious,” she says.
So the next time you find yourself at a natural wine bar? Don’t be afraid to jump on the trend—and savor a glass (or two) of chilled red.
