Summer temperatures certainly favor crisp whites and dry rosés, but what about those who still have a thirst for red wine?

Rest assured there are several great, affordable options, some more common than others.

Italy is a great place to find lighter, juicier reds. In addition to being excellent summer reds, they are also an excellent value. For the lighter Italian red wines, we will stay in Chianti in west central Italy and Piedmont in the northwest.

The Chianti and Chianti Classico districts in Tuscany are home to the grape variety sangiovese. Chianti has come a long way since the days of the wicker-basket wines. Today, these wines are world-class and highly respected.

Chiantis are typically bright, light to medium body and silky. Notes of cherries, licorice, rose petals and tobacco frame the wine.

Now let’s turn to northwestern Italy, which is home to several grape varieties that, for some, may be obscure and new but are nonetheless delicious.

Piedmont is home to barbera, dolcetto and grignolino, and although these varieties are grown around the world, their most notable examples are from Italy. New World versions of these varietals are richer, fuller and stylistically a world apart from their Italian counterparts.

Barbera is Piedmont’s most widely planted black grape variety. Because of their high acidity and relatively low tannins, these grapes make vibrant, silky wines of light to medium body.

Barbera grows vigorously, and its wine is considered “the people’s wine” because of its everyday, easy-drinking style. Barberas make excellent cocktail wines, as well as excellent food-pairing wines. Aromatics include raspberries, violets, licorice and subtle, earthy notes of fresh tobacco and tar.

Dolcetto, which means “little sweet one,” differs from barbera in that it has lower acidities and higher tannins. Over the years, producers have reduced the maceration times in order to produce a wine that is lower in tannins.

These light- to medium-body wines are meant to be consumed young, within the first three years after release. Fruity and fun with notes of blueberries, raspberries, violets and fresh tobacco, these wines are quite versatile and work well alone or with food. They are similar to barbera in their versatility but also somewhat firmer due to the slightly higher tannins.

Virtually unheard of, yet very intriguing, is the grape variety grignolino. With very limited plantings, this relatively austere varietal lends itself to those who enjoy very light but structured wines.

Grignolino is a deceptive wine because of its very light color. One sip reveals a wine of great intensity and structure, with a unique tension of acidity and tannin. These wines pair very well with food because of their structure. Aromatics include notes of bright cherries, decayed leaves and licorice.

All of these summer reds can be found for less than $20 and are a refreshing way to stay red in the hot summer season.

Alan Cuenca is an accredited oenophile and owner of Put a Cork in It, a Durango wine store. Reach him at info@putacorkinit.org.