From Light Chillable Bottles to Big Bold Ones, Here’s 43 Red Wines to Drink This Fall

Choose form light reds to chill, hearty wines to pair with meaty main dishes, and lots more.

Chilled reds for cool days

Even as summer’s warmth starts to fade, a chillable red wine is still a refreshing option, particularly for pre-dinner drinks. Pop these light-bodied reds in the fridge for half an hour or so to drop them a few degrees and add to their zippy freshness.

2022 Souleil Vin de Bonté Le Rouge ($17)

A cheerful, dark-ruby-hued Southern French blend of Grenache and Syrah, this appealing bargain offers crisp, peppery fruit and a lightly mint-eucalyptus finish.

NV Domaine Rimbert Cousin Oscar ($19)

This lighthearted red is a fine expression of Cinsault, its flavors lifted by a percentage of Pinot Noir. It’s named after a cousin of vintner Jean-Marie Rimbert, who was a bit of a roué.

2021 Christina St. Laurent ($20)

Christina Netzl grew up on her family’s farm in Austria and decided by age 5 that she wanted to be a winemaker. Smart decision, as this floral, peppery, lively red shows.

2020 Maison L’Envoyé Fleurie ($21)

The wines of Fleurie are known for their fragrant grace. This is no exception: It tastes like what you’d get if you waved a wand over a bowl of berries and turned them into flowers.

2022 Day Wines Vin de Days Rouge ($27)

The irrepressibly creative Oregon winemaker Brianne Day makes this crunchy cran-raspberry red from a blend of Pinots Meunier and Noir. It’s super bright and full of life.

2021 Tarpon Cellars Cambaro ($28)

A low-alcohol (11.2% ABV), hard-to-resist blend of Nebbiolo, Primitivo, Syrah, and other grapes, this transparent red from winemaker Jeremy Carter suggests crisp watermelon and strawberries. Chill it down and drink it outside.

2022 Breaking Bread Al Dente Red ($30)

Erik Miller of Kokomo Winery in Sonoma County heads into natural wine territory (native yeasts, minimal intervention) with this light-bodied, Mourvèdre-based red.

2022 Idlewild Flora & Fauna Red ($30)

Winemaker Sam Bilbro’s inspiration was to make a “joyful Italian red wine using California sun,” and that’s what he’s achieved here. A blend of Dolcetto, Barbera, and other Piedmontese red grapes from Northern California, this is all bright, crunchy red fruit and crisp acidity.

2020 Thibault Liger-Belair Bourgogne Les Deux Terres ($48)

“My idea was to make a Gamay that combines the terroirs of Beaujolais and Burgundy,” Thibault Liger-Belair says. The resulting unusual regional hybrid is lovely, floral, and berry-bright, its primary flavors resolving into earthy, peppery notes.

Fireside favorites

There’s something elusively but inarguably autumnal about certain wines — maybe it’s the dried-herb edge that Chianti Classico offers or the savory berry flavors of Pinot Noir. It can be hard to put a finger on, but it’s there when you taste it, as in these bottles.

2021 Tiberio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ($25)

This Italian red from the talented Cristiana Tiberio overperforms for its modest price, summoning the mountainsides of Abruzzo in its aromas of wild berries, violets, and savory herbs.

2020 Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo ($27)

The Rosso family has farmed vineyards around Serralunga d’Alba since the 1890s, which may explain how Davide Rosso can make such an expressive, floral Nebbiolo at such a modest price.

2021 Lieu Dit Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Franc ($30)

Partners Eric Railsback and Justin Willett started Lieu Dit to focus on Loire varieties in California. This tingly Cab Franc is a winner: It’s crisp and juicy, with blueberry and tobacco notes.

2018 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione ($39)

About as classic a Chianti as you can get, this gran selezione bursts with cherry–dried herb notes, resolving into grippy tannins and an underlying forest-floor character.

2021 Hervé Souhaut La Souteronne ($40)

Aromas of dry leaves and Ruby Red grapefruit lift from a glass of this savory Gamay. Hervé Souhaut works 12 acres of old and ancient vines in the hills of the northern Ardèche for his distinctive wines.

2021 Melville Estate Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir ($44)

“When I smell that blueberry character, that’s like ‘Ding! Ding! Ding! Santa Rita Hills!’” Chad Melville says, and that’s definitely the case with his layered, complex estate Pinot.

2021 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Vieilles Vignes ($49)

The 2021 Burgundy vintage was tiny, but the wines are elegant and precise. Take, for example, this Mercurey, with its red-berry fruit, faint whiff of vanilla, and supple, fine-grained tannins.

2020 Samsara Cuvée d’Inspiration Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir ($54)

This is such a seductive Pinot Noir: all crunchy raspberry-blueberry flavor, matched with herby- peppery grace notes that last. Kudos to winemaker Matt Brady.

2021 Gaja Sito Moresco Langhe Rosso ($75)

When you consider that Gaja’s other wines run $400 a bottle or so, this gorgeous blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera, full of red cherry and blood orange flavors, actually seems like a bargain.

Big red wines for roasts, stews, and braises

Hearty dishes deserve wines that have an equal level of richness. For a satisfying pairing, look to robust varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel (or Primitivo, as it’s known in Italy), and Malbec, among many others.

2019 CK Mondavi Family Select Cabernet Sauvignon ($16)

Cassis and dark cherry flavors mingle with light oak notes in this impressively appealing California Cabernet, from the Charles Krug Winery (so, CK) side of the Mondavi family.

2020 D.V. Catena 1910 Tinto Histórico ($19)

Once the weather turns cool, this plummy, spicy-smoky Malbec from one of Argentina’s greatest wine families ought to warm you right up. It gains complexity from small percentages of Bonarda and Petit Verdot in the blend.

2012 Cosimo Taurino Notarpanaro ($20)

It’s hard not to think of cool fall days when you drink this Puglian red — its cherry liqueur, smoke, and tea leaf flavors are innately autumnal. (This is the current vintage; the Taurinos hold the wine back until they feel it’s ready.)

2020 Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo del salento ($25)

This red summons Southern Italy and its Mediterranean sun with the first sip. It’s juicy and ripe, full of sweet plum and fig notes and is just as generous as the climate is in Puglia, where it comes from.

2020 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel ($28)

Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Vineyard has been making this rich, boysenberry-and-spice Zinfandel for much of the winery’s 51-year history. Old-vine grapes give layers of depth to its luscious fruit.

2017 Scherrer Old & Mature Vines Zinfandel ($40)

Winemaker Fred Scherrer sources most of the grapes for this silky, inviting Zinfandel from his family’s Scherrer Vineyard in Alexander Valley, which they’ve farmed continuously since 1899.

2019 Brendel Cooper’s Reed Cabernet Sauvignon ($50)

Brendel, a new name on the Napa Valley wine block, uses organic grapes from vineyards on the warm valley floor to make this black-fruited, dense, plush-textured Cabernet.

Great wines for wild game

Hunting season isn’t the only reason to look to venison and wild duck for dinner, but it’s a good one. And certain wines, particularly those with a savory edge like the ones here, seem inescapably suited to wild (or farm-raised) game.

2020 Mastroberardino Irpinia Aglianico ($23)

Campania’s Mastroberardino achieved fame with its tannic, long-aging Taurasi reds. This more affordable bottling uses the same local grape, Aglianico, but places it in a more early-drinking, juicy mold.

2020 Argiano Non Confunditur ($24)

Winemaker Bernardino Sani blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese for this fragrant, savory red — it’s essentially a Super-Tuscan at a non-super price, and it would be a perfect partner for pan-seared duck breast.

2020 Château Pégau Cuvée Sétier Côtes du Rhône Villages ($28)

Laurence Féraud’s is a top winemakers, and her Cuvée da Capo is one of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s greatest wines. But she excels at affordable bottlings, too, like this peppery, black-olive-accented red.

2020 Jaffurs Santa Barbara County Syrah ($29)

A long-established name on California’s Central Coast, Jaffurs has been making Rhône-style reds since 1994. Among them is this black-peppery Syrah, full of blue and black fruit and layers of flavor.

2018 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva ($32)

Year in and year out, this Rioja Reserva overdelivers on quality for its relatively modest price; it’s a superb Rioja, drinking impressively on release but able to age for years in a cellar, too.

2021 A Tribute to Grace Santa Barbara County Grenache ($36)

“Who doesn’t want the ethereal?” says Angela Osborne of A Tribute to Grace regarding Grenache —specifically the kind she likes to make. Try this transparent, fragrant red to see what she’s talking about.

2019 Chateau Musar Hochar Père et Fils Red ($39)

This single-vineyard blend of Cinsaut, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Lebanon is spicy and complex, ideal for wild boar or venison. It’s also an ideal introduction to the remarkable wines of Lebanon.

2018 Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino ($70)

If you’re planning a special dinner featuring game birds or wild boar, this Brunello is well worth the price. It’s powerful but impeccably balanced, with savory herbal notes playing against its pure red-cherry fruit.

Sustainable and organic winners

Autumn is harvest season, and how a crop is grown matters both to your palate and to the planet. With that in mind, more and more wineries are focusing on sustainable and organic viticulture these days, yielding a cornucopia of excellent choices for conscientious consumers. My upcoming book, The World in a Wineglass (Scribner, November 2023), covers this in detail, but here are a few to look for now.

2020 Reyneke Vinehugger Red ($15)

Johan Reyneke started farming organically the day his family bought this 90-acre farm; he was also the first vintner to achieve biodynamic certification in South Africa. His affordable Syrah is alluringly savory and smoky.

2019 Famille Perrin Nature Côtes du Rhône Rouge ($15)

The Perrin family, of Château de Beaucastel fame, doesn’t advertise their organic practices on their labels, but they’ve worked that way since 1950, making wines like this ripely red-fruited Côtes du Rhône.

2020 Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence Rouge ($17)

Founded in the 1970s, Mas de Gourgonnier was one of the first organic estates in France’s Languedoc. Its wild berry–scented red remains a serious value to this day.

2021 Turning Tide Cabernet Sauvignon ($19)

Winemaker Alisa Jacobson sources CCOF-certified organic grapes from Central Coast vineyards for this robust red; its flavor recalls blackberries with a hint of espresso.

2021 Domaine Bousquet Gran Cabernet Sauvignon ($20)

This fruit-forward, luscious Argentinean Cabernet comes from Bousquet’s 618 acres of organically farmed vines in Mendoza. It’s a steal at this price.

2019 Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ($25)

Salcheto follows any number of eco-friendly practices to lower its carbon footprint and also farms organically — all while making alluring wines like this supple Italian red.

2020 Kind of Wild Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ($26)

Herb-rubbed pork roast? This spicy Italian red would be the ideal partner. It’s full of fruit, rustic in the best way, and made from 100% organic grapes. (Find it at kindofwildwines.com.)

2021 Frog’s Leap Napa Valley Zinfandel ($40)

Frog’s Leap’s rebuilt farmhouse was the first LEED-certified winery building in California. Plus, the wines, like this plush, boysenberry-scented Zinfandel, are excellent.

2020 Château l’Hospitalet La Clape Grand Vin Rouge ($42)

Languedoc winemaker Gérard Bertrand farms over 1,000 biodynamic acres of vines, more than any other producer in France, making wines from them like this spicy, Syrah-based red.

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