As the seasons change, so do our wine choices. The bottle that seemed perfect by the fire in January has seemingly less to offer on a rooftop at golden hour. With heatwaves keeping air conditioners running full-tilt, our palates turn towards wines with more energy – bottles worth chilling, opening easily and pouring generously at the end of a long day.

When it’s hot, your instinct may be to reach for something cold straight out of the ice bucket, and there is wisdom in that. A good chill flatters almost any wine built on acidity, and freshness is the quality that matters most as the temperature climbs. It cuts through rich, smoky and salty food, resets the palate between bites and keeps a wine feeling alive as the afternoon warms it in the glass. Summer tends to reward wines with moderate alcohol, restrained oak and enough natural lift to stay lively when chilled. They feel lighter and suit the food of the season, from salads and seafood to whatever comes off the grill. A few styles do this especially well:

• Sparkling wine: Champagne, English sparkling, Cap Classique or Cava. Bubbles and bright acidity make these refreshing and ideal before a meal. Serve at 6–8°C.
• Crisp whites: Think citrus, herbs, stone fruit and a saline snap rather than heavy richness. Serve at 8–10°C.
• Dry rosé: One of summer's most versatile options. Pale styles are light and delicate for sipping, while deeper, fruitier ones have the texture to handle grilled food. Serve at 8–11°C.
• Light reds, lightly chilled: Softer tannins and bright red fruit make these refreshing at 12–14°C, and a natural match for chicken, pork or charcuterie.
• Off-dry Riesling: Especially good with spice. A touch of sweetness softens chilli heat, while the acidity keeps the wine feeling light.

All our picks were tasted at Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2026. Nearly 17,000 wines from 58 countries were assessed blind by panels of experts, among them Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers, and judged purely on what was in the glass.

The best earned medals rising from Bronze through Silver, Gold and Platinum, with a small Best in Show selection reserved for the very finest. A medal is, in short, a reliable shortcut: a wine the world's most experienced tasters thought worth seeking out. Here are six to see you through the season:

Hambledon's Classic Cuvée Brut, an English sparkler in generous magnum, is built for a crowd. Pour it as guests arrive on the rooftop or the lawn and there is plenty to keep the glasses full.

Hambledon Wine Estate, Classic Cuvée Brut, Hampshire, England NV

(Image credit: Hambledon Wine Estate)

Gold, 95 points
Splendid golden apple, pear and zingy lemon fragrance softly drapes over a backdrop of baked caramel biscuits. Poised and stirring with silky bubbles and mineral length. Alcohol 12%

When the coals are ready, a deeper rosé earns its keep. A La Mano's Tavel, all black cherry and savoury spice, has the flesh and grip to match charred meat and smoke where a paler pink would disappear.

A La Mano, Tavel, Rhône, France 2024

(Image credit: Tavel)

Gold, 95 points
A deep style of rosé with lashings of black cherries bumbling alongside spicy herbal nuances. Textured and fleshy with a long savoury finish. Very food-friendly. Alc 13.5%

Rapaura Springs' ROHE Sauvignon Blanc, one of only a handful of Marlborough Sauvignons ever named Best in Show, brings the region's trademark zip with unusual depth and length beside just-grilled fish.

Rapaura Springs, ROHE Sauvignon Blanc, Blind River, Marlborough, New Zealand 2025

(Image credit: Rapaura Springs)

Best in Show, 97 points
This is the sixth Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to feature in our Best In Show selection – and of those six, half have carried an Awatere Valley origin, suggesting that this may prove to be one of the finest of Marlborough's sub-regions. This is a hugely impressive wine. Silver in colour, it has arresting vitality and energy on the nose, but unusual complexity, too: melon, mango, pear, Japanese citrus, resin, thyme and rue were among the notes our judges detected, woven together with great skill and discernment, and with no note dominating or lacking refinement. On the palate it's excitingly flavoury in all of the ways the aromas sketched out – yet it's also soft, complex, textured and hauntingly savoury as well as floral and fruity. 2026 was an outstanding DWWA year for New Zealand Sauvignon, and this layered, high-finesse yet at the same time amply drinkable wine had to see off many competitors to win its place in the Top 50. Alc 13%

Albariño is Spain's great coastal white, but Spier grows a strikingly good one on South Africa's Atlantic-cooled coast. Broad, saline and made for the shore, this Top Value Gold proves the grape travels well.

Spier, Villa Blue Albariño, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2025

(Image credit: Spier)

Top Value Gold, 95 points
Ripe red apple and mango with flecks of citrus zest. Broad, creamy and concentrated, offset by vibrant acidity and a lingering saline finish. Alc 13.5%

For those who won't give up red until the last possible moment, Kurtatsch's old-vine Schiava from high in Alto Adige is light, fragrant and low in tannin. Twenty minutes in the fridge makes it the ideal summer-evening red.

Kurtatsch, Sonntaler Vernatsch Alte Reben Schiava, Alto Adige, Italy 2025

(Image credit: Kurtatsch)

Gold, 95 points
Authentic notes of crushed red berries, redcurrants and rose petals with a lick of fresh herbs. Crunchy and mouth-watering with thriving tannins and saline length. Alc 12.5%

And for the adventurous, bhn's amber-hued Oregon Riesling, made on its skins in the manner of an orange wine, offers the freshness of a white with the grip of a red. One to spark conversation as the sun goes down.

bhn, Riesling, Oregon, United States 2023

(Image credit: bhn)

Gold, 95 points
A compelling style, layered with oolong tea, saffron, ginger and floral nuance over the subtle oxidative depth, creating an evolving aromatic spectrum with savoury poise. Alc 15.5%

Discover all winners at awards.decanter.com

(Image credit: Future)