From champagne to sherry, grab these expert-rated bottles and embrace la dolce vita.
The Italians do a lot of things right – food, espresso, art, architecture, automobiles – and of course, aperitivo hour. As the sun sets, bars, counters and piazzas fill up with people sharing news and stories from the day, with drinks and snacks flowing.
This tradition, which started in Piedmont, has become a global phenomenon, with everyone wanting to get in on the action of closing out the day and welcoming in the evening. While many aperitivo hours might have you reaching for a negroni, an Aperol spritz or Campari soda, there's another great option: wine.
Chosen by top sommeliers as part of the World's Best Sommeliers' Selection 2026, from a rosé made for ageing to a mineral-driven vinho verde and a couple of delightful sparklers, here are seven light, bright and fresh wines you should consider swapping your trusted negroni for.
7 wines perfect for aperitivo hour
Bodegas Espinosa de los Monteros Amontillado VORS
Amber-hued, the multi-faceted nose of this amontillado kicks off with notes of roasted hazelnuts, lemon peel, salted almonds, dried apricots, cinnamon, honey and baked apples. It's a complex bottle that's absolutely made for food, so grab a plate of jamón Ibérico and find a spot to sip outside. The same flavours are found on the palate, along with nori, cumin, walnuts and curry powder. The umami-rich palate is generous, intense and salty with high acidity and concentration, flavours of dried fruits and nuts, and a long, smoky, saline finish.
Made with 100 per cent palomino that spent its early years under a veil of flor, oxidative ageing has created a concentrated flavour profile. The solera system spans decades, sometimes with components over 30-40 years old, concentrated through evaporation and barrel‑led oxidation.
Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe en Rama 2025
Now in its 16th year, Tío Pepe en Rama is a wild, unfiltered expression of the palomino grape, flor ageing and Jerez's albariza soils. Made from a selection of 92 casks, the 2025 vintage dials up the yeast influence, giving it amplified salty, nutty aromas that make it a perfect pairing for tapas like salted almonds and fat olives.
Golden in the glass with a naturally hazy appearance, the nose leads with notes of yeast, hay, bread dough, baked yellow apples, toasted almonds and roasted hazelnuts from the flor ageing. The same notes are echoed on the bone-dry palate along with orange zest, preserved lemons and olive brine. Fresh and nutty, saline and salty, it's a delicate dance of flavours wrapped around lively acidity that rounds out the crispness of the wine. The finish is long, salty and moreish.
Quinta de Soalheiro Soalheiro Granit 2024
A wine that speaks of its location, you can taste the sea spray in the glass of this intensely aromatic vinho verde, which is packed with notes of jasmine, citrus rind, kiwi fruit and granny smith apple. Pure, refreshing and well balanced, with high, well integrated acidity, the palate echoes the nose with tart citrus and floral flavours, along with a hint of hay and ripe banana. It finishes with a lingering lick of salt.
Made from 100 per cent alvarinho sourced from a selection of small vineyard plots planted in mineral-rich granitic soils, it's a great partner with an ice-cold plate of seafood.
Casa Tés Grama Branco 2024
An elegant and precise interpretation of sauvignon blanc from Brazil, Grama Branco begins with notes of green apple, lemon zest, orange blossom and honeysuckle, alongside the more classic gooseberry, green pepper, cut grass and blackcurrant leaf aromas you get from the variety. The palate is vibrant and well-structured with a creamy texture and marked acidity. It evolves into more tropical flavours of peach, pineapple and passion fruit ending with a long fresh finish.
Made with sauvignon blanc and sémillon to a minimal-intervention philosophy (fermentation in concrete and stainless steel with selected yeasts, followed by ageing in predominantly first‑use French oak for structure), this super fresh wine is practically made to enjoy with ceviche.
Château d'Esclans Les Clans 2024
With old-vine grenache dominating the blend – which includes rolle and other local varieties – the nose is full of juicy red fruit flavours including watermelon, raspberry, strawberry, red currant and cherry along with mandarin, grapefruit, bergamot and sun-ripe apricots. The same flavours are found on the palate, which is lively and fresh with bright acidity, intense fruit and a waxy texture. There are almond blossom and orange peel flavours too, with a wet rock minerality on the finish. An elegant, well balanced, well-made rosé that will be the toast of any aperitivo hour with friends, with a big bowl of summer salad and some roast salmon.
Champagne Gounel Lassalle Parcellaire Les Agneaux NV
A refreshing sparkling wine with fine bubbles and a gentle mousse displaying the pleasantness of pinot meunier in its purest form. Tart and well balanced, it's a high acid fizz with a mineral core offering notes of white flowers, apricots, peaches, plums, toasted almonds and buttery brioche. Its nine months spent in oak adds texture and complexity to the palate, making it both a great aperitif and a wine to serve with food – try seared scallops in a beurre blanc.
A small grower‑producer based in the Premier Cru village of Chigny‑les‑Roses, Gounel‑Lassalle has roots dating back to 1870. Now led by Arnaud Gounel and Sophie Lassalle, the domaine works five hectares farmed sustainably. After decades supplying a cooperative, the couple became independent Récoltant‑Manipulants in 2018.
Gurdau Sekt 36m 2021
Very aromatic and exuberant, on the nose you'll find opulent aromas of stone fruit, apricot and ginger leaping out of the glass. There's green apple, lime zest and grapefruit in the mix too. On the palate, the wine has a soft mousse and a delicate bouquet of crisp citrus and ripe orchard fruit flavours layered with spices and white pepper. Its lively acidity balances out its sugar content. A refreshing sparkling wine with a long finish, this would be lovely to sip by itself, but will also pair beautifully with fresh oysters.
Made in Moravia in the Czech Republic from a blend of riesling, grüner veltliner and pinot blanc, the three varieties that make up this traditional method sparkler were fermented separately in stainless steel tanks before undergoing aging for 26 months on the lees using the traditional champagne bottle-ferment method.
Discover the full list of wines that make up the World's Best Sommelier Selection 2026.
