Last week the great and some not-so-good crammed into the gardens in Old Queen Street to gossip and carouse, sipping on seemingly endless reserves of Pol Roger and Whispering Angel.

As I surveyed this magnificent scene, it occurred to me just one thing was missing from The Spectator’s summer party: a glass of chilled red wine. For that is the drink of the moment – at least according to Ocado, which has reported a 1,020 per cent year-on-year increase in searches for ‘chilled red wine’. What’s even more encouraging for those of us who have concern to spare for the puritanism of the young is that this interest comes predominantly from young drinkers. Ocado’s research suggests that 56 per cent of Gen Z and younger millennials have enjoyed chilled red recently. The sales for ‘Chill Bill Spritzy Red’, £10.50 a bottle, has surged by 827 per cent. It is fine. But Spectator readers deserve better.

First stop, Mount Etna – where Sfuso di Anna is produced from a blend of red and white grapes. With 85 per cent Nerello Mascalese, some Grenache and indigenous whites, this is the perfect red to serve chilled as an aperitif rather than with a meal. I enjoyed it while loafing around in Sicily in April, but to my surprise I liked it even more on home soil while watching England struggle past Panama. The driving taste is cherry but the volcanic minerality is unmistakable.

For a more traditional option, and one perhaps best enjoyed with food, go to Beaujolais. For just a little more cost, the Manoir du Carra’s Moulinà Vent is vibrant, fruity and fully Gamay. The Sambardier family have run the vineyards for many generations, the grapes are tended by hand and the result is a dark ruby with more strawberry on the nose – perfect for a summer evening.

More welcome still than the increased popularity of chilled red is the return of sparkling reds. Lambrusco is back. The best I’ve tried recently – and it was genuinely very good – is the Cantina Cleto Chiarli’s Vecchia Modena Lambrusco Sorbara. Kept at low temperatures and aged for three months, this is a very dry and pale red with a mineral finish that almost resembles a blush rosé in the glass. It’s £17.50 a bottle – a steal. If you want to feel as if you’re back in the 1970s when Lambrusco first found its popularity, then enjoy it alongside a cheese and pineapple hedgehog (although we may all quickly tire of 1970s nostalgia once Andy Burnham has had his way with the economy).

Ocado has reported a 1,020 per cent year-on-year increase in searches for ‘chilled red wine’

For something in a similar style, but much more interesting, travel further south in Italy to the all too often overlooked Marche region. Vernaccia di Serrapetrona is a very special drink, made so that it can be savoured with a feast in what used to be the smallest DOCG area in the country. Its triple fermentation makes it unique. The passito is fermented separately and then added to the base wine, provoking a natural third fermentation. It’s a dark, intense red with a fizz, unlike anything else I’ve had before. My favourite is Alberto Quacquarini’s Vernaccia di Serrapetrona Spumante Secco.

In August it will be ten years since an earthquake shook central Italy, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless, and the scars are still evident across the landscape and in the towns and villages throughout the Marche. There’s no better way to help the local people rebuild than by buying such an exceptional drink from these dedicated producers. And I can guarantee you that it’s cheaper and tastier than Chill Bill Spritzy Red.