The Absolute Best Type Of Red Wine To Chill

We often picture chilling as a colossal no-go zone with red wine; room temperature is the norm. Yet the reality is it sometimes still requires manual intervention to reach that sweet spot of around 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. And, in these cases, did you know some types of red wine are better enjoyed chilled than others? Tasting Table spoke to Amy Racine, Beverage Director and Partner at JF Restaurants, who suggested that fruity reds take first place. 

"Chilling red wine can enhance its flavor by bringing out fruitiness and softening tannins," she explained. "It can also reduce the perceived warmth of alcohol, making the wine more balanced." That flavor profile takes to a temperature drop like a duck in water — the cold hyper-focuses the drinker on tastes that are otherwise unappreciated. In other words, pale varieties of red wine with low tannin amounts tend to have a fruitier flavor.

"We want a fruit-forward wine because the flavors are muted as the wine cools. Something that is concentrated with fruit can still come through flavor-wise," Racine stressed. "And lastly, cooling the wine brings across a sense of freshness and crispness; emphasizing something with a lighter body and (again) that fruit rather than umami or earth tones computes better for us on the palate." Choosing the right bottle to chill is vital: bolder, more tannic varieties can become grippy or even dull. Keep that criteria in mind as you dream about chilled red wines for hot summer days.

Should you be relocating all your prized reds for a permanent spot in the fridge or freezer? Definitely not. The best way to chill red wine is to temporarily place it in a refrigerator just before drinking. The ideal time frame is up to 30 minutes, depending on the bottle's characteristics; it's a question of figuring out how low you can go. The amount of time to chill wine in the fridge for the best results has no set number of minutes. "We want to chill most reds to cellar temperature, or about 55 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. We can go even cooler (48 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit) on reds that are fruit-forward and lighter in body," Racine explains. And the lower the temperature, the longer the refrigeration.

Gone are the days when most wine drinkers had darkened stone cellars. However, it's worth glossing up on the best hacks you need to chill a bottle of wine. A wine-cooling fridge is a savvy long-term home investment. The STAIGIS 12-bottle compressor wine cooler refrigerator with a digital temperature-controlled door, for instance, may be a good place to start. 

On a hot day at a restaurant or bar, a good old bucket and ice is often preferred. In these scenarios, don't worry too much about precise temperatures; a thermometer guarantees the best results, but chilling a fruity red isn't too dissimilar to cooling other varieties. Keep the right bottle crisp, and you'll be shocked at the deliciousness of the outcome.