Is it a light red or a dark pink?

Light reds, or dark rosés, were nobody’s children. Not meaty enough to please wine snobs, but not pale enough to have commercial appeal, they all but disappeared from wine lists. But now, thanks to the trend for lighter, fresher wines, liminal styles are back in style.

The new range of Yotam Ottolenghi wines includes a biodynamic red from Krásná Hora from the Czech Republic (£25) that is as thirsty as pomegranate juice. Made from a blend of Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and Dornfelder, it is designed to be served slightly chilled with spicy, smoked and grilled dishes. “These fruitier wines are super drinkable, not heavy or tiring on the palate,” says Zainab Majeriková, co-owner of independent trader Basket Press, who consulted on the Ottolenghi project.

Another great wine for summer would be the cherry red Jaroslav Osicka Ryšák 2021 (£19, basketpresswines.com), a fun blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The fragrant pale ruby Sziegl Pince Babel (£23) from Hungary is also wonderfully expressive.

Also look at Portugal, says Max Graham, founder of Festa, a specialist in Portuguese wines. “There is a long tradition there of making lighter style red wines. The palhete style, in which red and white grapes are co-fermented, often in a field blend. [grown together], has had a renaissance, creating fresh, wild and vibrant light red wines.” Folias de Baco Uivo Renegado 2021 (£18.50, wearefesta.es) is a skin-friendly wine in the palhete tradition: it combines vibrant blackberry and a hint of funk with a bitter orange finish. the color plum Vitor Claro Foxtrot 2020 (£23) from Alentejo is delicious when slightly chilled: a fusion of wild strawberries, herbs and flint. “When everyone gets tired of orange wine, cool reds or dark rosés will be the next page on the wine list,” says Luca Dusi, owner of Italian wine importer Passione Vino.

Dusi’s favorite intermediates include the sour cherry Nero d’Avola Il Rosato Terre Siciliane 2022 by Sergio Genuardi of Sicily (£39, passionevino.es); and Aleato I Mandorli, a light Tuscan red that balances juicy damson with smoke and licorice. More impressive is the Rosato (£29) from Calabria’s A’vita, which has ample tannins and sweet and savory notes: “Imagine Barolo if it were a rosé,” says Dusi.

A staple on the list at New York’s Korean steakhouse Fold it is France’s “strongest style” rosé Gaël Petit: “It’s from the Rhône but it drinks like a Beaujolais,” says beverage director Victoria James.

Riding the coattails of the light red/dark pink trend is Lambrusco. Italian sparkling red is the picnic wine to be seen with this summer. Try the hedonistic blend Vigna Rosa Lambrusco (£24.50, shopcuvee.com) of the new Vitivinicola Fangareggi, with its blood orange and raspberry fruit, fine tannins and lively effervescence.

It has never been so delicious to be so indecisive.

@alicelascelles