Your Expert Guide to Chilling Red Wine

Oct 08, 2023

By Ali Francis

Dearest readers, I perspire as I write. The murky dregs of my iced oat latte condensate all over my desk. An ice cream truck just drove past my window practically oozing soft serve. Soon happy hour will be upon me. And I cannot wait for a glass of red wine, perhaps a young, fruity Tempranillo to whisk me away from my labors to the greener pastures of La Rioja.

But do I want to be lapping at a tepid beverage right now? No, I do not. I would like my goblet of good juice served cool and crisp—the metaphorical equivalent of standing under a powerful waterfall after a long, steep hike in the high desert. I want my red wine and I want it cold. Or as they say in the biz, chilled.

The purists in your life have probably told you that red wines are best served at room temperature, unlike the whites, oranges, rosés, and bubbles we more commonly associate with summer. But experts agree: This is a misconception. Or at least a very unreliable rule of thumb. In fact, most—if not all—red wines could benefit from a little time-out in the fridge.

"You can and you should," says Kilolo Strobert, wine specialist and owner of Fermented Grapes in Brooklyn. Room temperature is a fickle guidepost, she says, and varies greatly depending on where you live and what time of year it is. Her advice: Just about every red wine should be at least slightly cooled off to between 57 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit to eke out the most flavor from your bottle—especially during the summer months. (Too much heat can literally cook your wine, making it less fruity and more like a sickly grape stew.) But that doesn't mean all reds fall into the "chillable category," Strobert says, which she describes as the varieties that taste best served between 45 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Typically, when you chill a red wine, some flavors are muted and others are enhanced, explains Roni Grinach, owner of natural wine distributor Roni Selects. Fruity notes tend to become more pronounced, while tannins—the bitter and astringent chemical compounds in red wine—tend to "shut down," she says.

That means the best reds to drink cold are lighter, younger varieties, like a Pinot Noir or Grenache. "These beauties are so freaking refreshing with a chill and are incredibly easy to drink," says Josiah Baldivino, owner of Bay Grape Wine in Oakland and Napa, California. Also, "red wines that are made with less skin contact tend to act more favorably to a deeper chill," adds Strobert.

On the flip side, it's rare that heavy, dense, or oak-aged reds—the full-bodied Syrahs, Cabernet Sauvignons, or Merlots you want to drink with a hearty winter casserole—are improved at super low temperatures, says Ginach. If you chill reds like this too much, "the wine starts to taste disjointed and incomplete," adds Strobert. Exemptions to this rule, she says, are those bottles "that exhibit large, fruit-forward characteristics to combat the muted tannins."

The ideal temp for a chilled red is basically the same as a white, orange, or rosé, says Ginach: "cold but not ice cold." In a standard refrigerator, leave the bottle for two and a half to three hours before serving.

For a quicker chill at home, Strobert recommends soaking a paper towel before squeezing out as much water as possible. Then wrap the towel around the bottle and pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. When you pull it out, the paper towel should be frozen like a makeshift koozie. "Don't shake the bottle, but turn it upside down twice" to mix before opening, Strobert says, and "it should be at optimal drinking temperature." Or do what I do if I need a glass right this second (you know the days) and add a few cubes right to the glass. This used to be considered a major faux pas, but even some winemakers are endorsing the easy move. Just know that as the ice melts, it will dilute the flavors and aromas. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on the drinker and their preferences.

At a restaurant, Baldivino recommends asking for an ice bucket for chilled reds, especially if it's hot out and, yes, "even if the somm or server gives you sass." Keep the wine on ice until it cools down and then pop it back on the table to enjoy. "If the wine starts to get warm again just re-dunk it in the ice bucket," he says.

Experts agree that there's no perfect art to cooling down a red. Finding your ideal chill will take a little experimentation. "At the end of the day, people should enjoy their wine at whatever temperature they want," says Baldivino, "and don't let anyone tell you different."