As we enter what many consider to be “rosé season,” it’s important to remember that wines of all colors should be enjoyed year-round. For me, this is “chilled red season.” When the days get longer and it’s still a little too warm at 7 p.m. and you just want something refreshing with dinner, it’s almost instinctive to reach for that chilled bottle in your fridge. My advice? Try swapping out a few of those whites and rosés for some light-bodied reds.
         There are a handful of red wines that grace my summer table, but the Beaujolais from Ghislaine and Stéphane Dupeuble is top of the list. With gentle tannins and seductive aromas of just-picked berries and spice, this charming rouge is easy to drink. My mother, a self-proclaimed unlover of red wine, was shocked when I pulled the Dupeuble Beaujolais from my fridge to pair with dinner recently. Poured alongside grilled short ribs and garden veggies, she was delighted by the Gamay’s fruity and irresistible “juiciness.” It’s become her go-to summer red, and should be yours too. Here’s why:

         1.) Gamay takes well to a slight chill. Red wine can be just as rejuvenating to the soul as a cold glass of white—especially a vibrant, chilled Beaujolais. Throw it in the refrigerator for thirty minutes pre-jovial cork popping.
        2.) It’s the perfect match for grilled summer fare. Keep it simple. Throw some sausages on a stick. Last weekend I grabbed a bottle from my (dwindling) stock, chilled it, and enjoyed with some fresh-off-the-grill burgers and a strawberry spinach salad al fresco. The combination made for divine backyard dining.
         3.) It’s $14.95, and that’s nothing to turn your nose up at! This wine’s the real deal. The grapes are hand harvested, vinified completely without sulfur, fermented with only natural yeasts, and non-filtered. Wines from the Dupeubles are some of the best values in the Beaujolais today, and have been for the past thirty years we’ve been importing them! It’s a steal for a tried-and-true staple of our portfolio, especially as a six-pack deal. Get it while it’s hot.