The Wines People Are Actually Reaching For This Summer

One thing we've noticed this summer is that people rarely begin by talking about the wine. Instead, they tell us about what they're doing.

They're going away for the weekend / friends are coming over / someone is hosting a barbecue.

There's a long lunch planned, though nobody is quite sure where it will end or who else might turn up. Only then does the question come: "What should I bring?"

The bottle now comes later

A few years ago, conversations tended to focus on the wine itself. People wanted to compare vintages, understand regions or find the perfect pairing.

This summer feels slightly different: we find that people are looking for a bottle that can move comfortably through an afternoon. Something versatile enough to suit different tastes, different dishes and the sort of gathering where plans have a habit of changing halfway through.

Summer is all about spontaneity 

Perhaps that's because summer itself is difficult to plan.

The best afternoons rarely unfold exactly as expected. One bottle becomes two, or lunch drifts into dinner. Someone stays longer than intended, and maybe another person arrives unexpectedly.

The wines that work best in these moments aren't always the most ambitious ones. 

What we're seeing in 2026

If there is one trend we've noticed this year, it's that people seem less interested in drinking by season and more interested in drinking by moment.

So like: a chilled Blanc before lunch, or a rosé shared between courses, and maybe a red opened after sunset when nobody feels quite ready to go home.

Traditional rules and approaches to wine are long gone. 

What's your summer going to look like?