Chilled red wine has become the drink of choice for Londoners enduring the heatwave, with a supermarket bottle earning expert praise. Drinks writer Becky Paskin has reviewed Gérard Bertrand's Le Chouchou 2025, a light-bodied red designed to be served chilled, priced at £12.50.
The Trend Takes Hold
This summer, the city's drinking culture has finally caught up with southern Europe, where crisp red wine has long been enjoyed in 35-degree heat. Just as rosé is now enjoyed year-round, a rich but lightly chilled red is officially having its moment in the sun.
“A light-bodied red from the fridge is the coolest thing to be drinking – no pun intended,” says drinks consultant and writer Libby Brodie. TikTok wine creator Candace Strickland, known as This Wine Woman, confirms “it is the summer of chilled reds.”
The Expert Pick
Younger wine lovers are embracing the French tradition, with chilled reds taking over wine bars, dinner tables, and social occasions. A stint in a fridge or a couple of ice cubes can bring out the wine's freshness, fruity notes, and flavour profile.
Some producers make reds deliberately to chill, including Gérard Bertrand. The winemaker's viral Le Chouchou 2025 is crafted as a modern, light-bodied chillable red wine – with a trendy bottle to match. Paskin reviewed the bottle, which costs less than £13 from the supermarket aisle.
Tasting Notes
“Gérard Bertrand's adorably named Le Chouchou is the chilled red on everyone's lips and social feeds this summer, and rightly so. This light blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault (the grapes are grown organically at high altitude) is designed to be served chilled – it even directs us to do so on the label. Get it good and cold for invitingly fruity aromas of wild strawberry, cherries and blackberries, with additional notes of balsamic and mandarin on the palate.”
Best paired with leafy salads and citrus fruits, this intensely fruity, low-tannin red is produced using organically grown grapes. Chilled reds are approachable, but take some getting used to. The wine is a red grape blend produced in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, with an ABV of 11% and a 75cl size.
