Heatwave drives surge in chilled red wine searches and sales

Searches for “chilled red wine” rose 1,020% year-on-year at Ocado as the heatwave pushed more drinkers toward cooler bottles and away from the old room-temperature rule. The retailer also said searches for “chilled red” climbed 805% and searches for Gamay increased 30%, while 56% of Gen Z and younger millennial respondents said they had drunk red wine chilled or over ice during summer.

The temperature shift is backed by wine specialists who say many reds taste better colder than tradition suggests. Wine Enthusiast says the old room-temperature rule is outdated for many reds and puts the best range for red wine at 55°F to 65°F. Wine Folly gives a slightly broader guide of 62°F to 68°F, noting that lighter-bodied reds can be served even cooler.

That advice is starting to show up in the market. Wine Enthusiast says chilled reds are now “all the rage” and are appearing on more wine bar and restaurant menus, especially as a summer option for barbecues and gatherings. The drinks category has also broadened beyond a single bottle style, with lighter reds such as Gamay and Lambrusco and Spanish summer serves like tinto de verano fitting the same colder, easier-drinking format.

In Manchester, Henry Alassane, owner of Cru Manchester, said he had seen a “massive increase” in customers wanting chilled red this year. He linked that to the heatwave and to breaking down “old school wine myths.” Dominic Lee, 26, said he first encountered chilled red in London wine bars and now keeps bottles in his fridge at home.

The trend has become popular in part because it is not really new. Light reds have long been served cool, and wine coverage this year has framed chilled red as part of a broader summer drinking shift rather than a novelty. What has changed is the scale: with younger drinkers more health-conscious, more sober-curious and less attached to inherited rules, chilled red has moved from a niche preference to a mainstream warm-weather habit.