Giving Red Wines the Chill Treatment

Reds served too warm lose all their bright fruit and taste soupy, something particularly noticeable on a warm summer evening. Whereas we might be educated to serve red wines at 'room temperature' this is quite wrong in a warm centrally heated room or in a hot room without air conditioning. The 'room temperature rule' came from the French word 'chambré' meaning 'bedroom temperature' which years ago was quite a cool 16/18°C or 60/65°F.

Ideal serving temperature depends on the type of red wine you are drinking. The general rule is that lighter, softer reds with little tannin, such as Beaujolais or all Gamays, Pinot Noirs and some Italianate wines should be served cooler than structured, tannic wines like Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah-based wines. But red wines should never be served at more than about 20°C or 68°F.

Today with alcohol levels higher than before in general (often 13.5-14.5%, rather than 12-13% as most wines were a few years ago), there is even more reason to keep the temperature down as warmth exaggerates the 'hot' feeling that high alcohol can give.

An ideal solution when possible, is to serve red wines directly from a cellar or a wine fridge at 'cellar temperature' (ideally 12/13°C or 50/55°F). Bigger, tannic wines may need to warm up by a few degrees, but this is easily achieved either by opening for a little while in advance or simply pouring into a warm decanter or glasses.

If a red wine is served to you too warm in a restaurant, be brave, ask for an ice bucket (a proper one where ice is mixed with water); you might be given a funny look by the waiter, but in about 10-15 minutes the wine will cool down and be so much fresher and more enjoyable. In an extreme situation like being served a warm glass of red in a bar for example, ask for an ice cube - it may dilute the wine a touch, but it will be much more enjoyable than drinking alcoholic red soup.