I'm a drinks writer — don't fall for this major red wine myth
Honestly, the looks they give me are a mix of 'I can't tear my eyes away' horror, and wide-eyed curiosity (which they're clearly wrestling with).
It's not that deep, guys, and neither is the ice bucket.
It's a grossly overplayed myth that red wine can't be put on ice, which I am definitively debunking in this very column. Done correctly, chilling red wine can actually make it even more refreshing than a white.
You'll have heard the phrase, 'room temperature' bandied around a lot. It's supposedly the best temperature to serve red wine. Here's the thing though, it originated in drafty 19th century French chateaux, not your toasty, double-glazed, central-heated living rooms. Only this week, our 'room temperature' has gone from sauna to vaguely sensible temperature after a sweltering, mini heatwave. See what I mean?
According to research, the average room temperature in the UK is between 18 and 21C. The result of serving certain reds at that temperature is that they become 'flabby', meaning they lose their structure and freshness. When a red wine is too warm, the fruit flavours jump ship and all you can taste is the alcohol and the drying tannins. Not ideal.
Chilling light to medium-bodied red wine works like a spark plug, waking them up with with a jolt of freshness. The fruit becomes juicy again, the aromatic compounds are enhanced, the alcohol becomes less perceptible and the acidity tingles over your tongue like it's supposed to.
We have around 4,000 taste buds on the top and sides of our tongue, allowing us to distinguish between around 100,000 different flavours. Temperature is a major factor affecting the way we perceive taste and flavour and also how wine evolves. Wine is after all a solution of organic compounds that are constantly reacting to each other. Hotter temperatures makes these reactions happen faster, impacting the internal chemistry of the wine.
Most of us are guilty of drinking our red wines too warm and our white and rosés too cold in this country. And look, I've banged on about the 20/20 rule in past columns, because it's such a game changer. It works for wines of all colour; whacking red wines in the fridge 20 minutes before you drink them, taking whites and rosés out of the fridge 20 minutes before sipping them. Thank me later.
So, which red wines should we be shoving in the fridge then?
Basically, anything that naturally leans towards the lighter, fruitier, crunchier direction with softer tannins. Beaujolais is practically born to be fridge-chilled, then there's Pinot Noir, Austrian Zweigelt, Italian Frappato, Loire reds, Nerello Mascalese from Sicily. In fact, I'm almost tempted to give medium bodied wines like Spanish Garnacha or Aussie Shiraz a little ice bath before sipping.
The key is, we're talking cool, not Baltic, so aim for around 12 – 16°C with the heavier wines at the warmer end of that spectrum.
Here are 5 reds that would benefit from an mild Arctic blast…
Pinotphiles will delight in this one's pillowy, generous fruit and soft flavour profile. Chile is a good shout for budget wine, known as a viticultural paradise and its ability to grow just about any grape. The cooling influence of the Andes is ideal for Pinot Noir, a notoriously picky and high maintenance grape variety.
If you're curious about chilling fuller-bodied wines, this is the one to do it with. It's full of fruit concentration, we're talking cranberries, wild strawberries and plums. But it's also fresh and juicy with a peppery finish, which makes it ripe for a bit of fridge-time in my book.
This has barbecue wine written all over it, well, it should have. Super plush, juicy, generous fruit with a cheeky, savoury edge. It's on the rustic side, in a good way, so maybe not for fans of the silkier stuff. You'll find it masterful with grilled pork sausages, or your money back. Actually, forget that last bit.
Beaujolais is the spiritual home of chillable red wine. Technically part of the wider region of Burgundy, Beaujolais Villages is a step up in quality from the regular stuff. All reds in this celebrated region are made from the Gamay grape, and like this one, they're soft, velvety and laden with damson, plum and cherry flavours.
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Austria's most planted grape is pronounced 'zuh-why-gelt', also known as Rotburger. The latter is rarely used as it's the name of a convicted Nazi, and no one wants that. For all intents and purposes, the Zweigelt grape tastes like Pinot Noir, smooth, cherry fruit-driven with a touch of baking spice on the finish. Chill it before you swill it.
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Immerse yourself in the world of good drink, fronted by industry expert Rob Buckhaven – a place for readers to whet their whistle with the latest and greatest in the world of drinks. From unpacking the best supermarket wines from Aldi, Tesco and Lidl, to introducing audiences to the wallet-friendly Cremant out-bubbling the fanciest of French Champagnes (or the best wines to drink after sex), and finding out what it's like to go on a bar crawl with Jason Momoa, this is a haven for those who love to celebrate.
Stay ahead of the curve as Rob plucks from the vines the wines of the season and the spirits you need to know about; speaking with experts and mixologists while unpacking the latest concoctions, finding the best non-alcoholic options for those looking to moderate, discovering the best food pairings for your drops, and going up against the latest TikTok chatter to demystify the liquid landscape.
What are the best drinks to take to a summer picnic?
Wine that you should never serve at a wedding
And, truly, how should we be storing our wine?
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