20 Wines Under $20, Hot Weather Edition

I’ve been writing about wine long enough to have made my share of misjudgments over the years. One was to overemphasize the notion of seasonal drinking, the idea that we gravitate naturally to whites and rosés in the summer and reds in the winter.

I’ve learned with experience that I pretty much enjoy the same sorts of wines year-round. I’ve also evolved away from thinking too hard about matching wines with foods. I’ve settled on “drink what you like” as my mantra.

Summer is an exception. Maybe I’m too sensitive to the heat, but when it’s hot out, I want bottles, red or white, that are light-bodied, cooled to a refreshing temperature and low in alcohol, the flip-flops of wines.

I’m open to exceptions — I would not say no to a profound red with a hefty roast in an air-conditioned dining room. But for the most part, I’m lounging the summer away in shorts and tees, trying to stay cool and drinking wines that won’t weigh me down.

Here are 20 bottles, all under $20, that largely fit that profile. None touch 14 percent in alcohol. The reds are the sort you want to chill in the fridge for half an hour or so before drinking. I would consider all but one easy drinking.

Despite the seemingly endless climb of wine prices, it’s still not difficult to find intriguing bottles in the $20 and under category. Most will not be familiar producers or grapes, nor will they come from well-known areas in great demand. But that’s why don’t cost very much.