Lyle Railsback is a man you want to know. He’s worked at Kermit Lynch, a legend in the wine world, for over a decade. In that time he’s traveled widely to vineyards and, for those of you who care about such things, somehow managed to build a very impressive tailored wardrobe. He and his brother Eric also make their own wine in California under the name Railsback Frères. Not only that, Lyle is married to noted sommelier and author Victoria James, who is a partner at Cote, the celebrated New York restaurant. It’s a lot to keep track of. I asked Lyle for some of his favorite interesting wines to drink in the heat. Here are his magnificent seven for a week of warm weather wine.

“We’ve moved beyond just drinking rosé only in the summer at our house, although the quantity consumed is still proportional to the temperature. By the same token, you’d be crazy to avoid red wine during warmer months, instead serve it at nearly the same temperature as the whites. With this in mind, here’s what I’m opening this week.”

Alzinger, Dürnsteiner Federspiel Riesling (Wachau, Austria)

Don’t worry about trying to pronounce it, just sit back and enjoy the exciting acid kick. Riesling from Austria’s Wachau region is never sweet, and Leo Alzinger is among the top growers in the country, making totally pure, crystalline, wines of energy. (Imported by Michael Skurnik, New York City)

André et Michel Quenard, Chignin Blanc (Savoie, France)

Some of France’s best skiing is on the mountain slopes south of Chambéry, so at Chignin make you think wintry mountain cuisine with cheese and butter. However, in summer they serve plates of whitebait fished out of the lake (fried whole with heads on) with ice-cold bottles from the local Jacquère grape, so it’s really an all-season white. We import this bottling from the Quenard family, whose steep limestone vineyards look more appropriate for installing a chair lift than for working old vines by hand. (Imported by Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA)

Ameztoi, Getariako Txakolina (Basque Country, Spain)

Driving thirty minutes west of San Sebastian you hit the fishing village of Getaria. The restaurants in town cook outside over wood coals, and the quality and lack of adornment of their fish is second to none. Their ever-so-slightly sparkling Txakolina is made from the native hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza has a vigorous acidity and low alcohol. The version made by Ignacio Ameztoi you will want to drink in quantities previously only achieved by François Rabelais. (Imported by De Maison, Chapel Hill, NC)

Gros ‘Noré, Bandol Rosé (Provence, France)

Have we reached peak rosé? Maybe. The thing that started it? My boss, Kermit, discovered the stunning Bandol rosé from Domaine Tempier in the 1970s, initially having to drink most of it himself and give bottles away to friends. Down the street at Chez Panisse, his friend Alice Waters started pouring it by the glass, declaring it her favorite wine in the world. Soon Chez was named Gourmet’s Restaurant of the Year, and the rest is history. Alice still gets enough to pour at the restaurant, but there’s never enough Tempier to go around so the Bandol made by Alain Pascal at Domaine du Gros ‘Noré has become our new favorite (Imported by Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA)

Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie (Beaujolais, France)

It’s easy to get high on your own supply of Cru Beaujolais working for Kermit, where we import wines from twelve of the top growers in the region. One of my favorites that we don’t import, is the juicy Fleurie from Alain Coudert at the Clos de la Roilette. His label dates back to 1910, and the wine behind the label is everything you want from a chilled red at the BBQ. (Imported by Louis/Dressner, New York City)

 Railsback Frères, Le Carignane (Santa Ynez, California)

In the wines I’m making with my brother, we contract grapes from the newly formed Los Olivos District AVA in California’s Santa Ynez Valley. With direct breezes from the Pacific, this site allows for long hang time while still being able to harvest early enough to keep things fresh and crunchy. We make it using carbonic, whole cluster fermentation (à la Beaujolais) so we extract less color and highlight the floral, pretty side of Carignan. Chilling it down before serving pushes the aromatics even further. (Available through various local merchants, or at www.railsbackfreres.com)

Gianni Brunelli, Rosso di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy)

Since the beginning of quarantine, I’ve been drinking more Tuscan Sangiovese than in normal times, likely caused by the yearning to travel there since our annual buying trip to Italy was canceled. In Siena it’s easy off the main Il Campo square, the Osteria Le Logge has perfected the classics, since Gianni Brunelli opened it in 1977. A decade later he started an organic Brunello estate in Montalcino, which today is still run by his wife Laura. Her focus is on Sangiovese with balance, and with a chargrilled bistecca Fiorentina I can think of little else I’d rather drink. (Imported by Marc de Grazia, New York City)