Why You Should Chill Your Red Wines

It’s often said that red wine should be served at room temperature. But the fact of the matter is that the very definition of “room temperature” is relative. The ideal temperature range for red wine hovers between 52–55°F — but homes are often warmer than that. Much warmer.

“Most people don’t have wine fridges, right? So, they’re keeping their wines stored on a rack in a living room or in the kitchen,” says Wanda Mann, a board member of the Society of Wine Educators and a past president of Les Dames d’Escoffier New York, presenting at the 2024 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. “A wine fridge will keep it at about 52 to 55 degrees but most of our homes are not that temperature, are they? So, when we talk about room temperature, unless you’re living in a castle, where it’s a drafty, cool 50-something degrees all the time, most of our wine needs a little bit of chilling. Your wine shouldn’t taste like lukewarm tea. It really makes it unpleasant and bitter. So even if it’s a big Cabernet or Amarone, 10 minutes in the fridge before you want to serve it just kind of helps the wine sing in the glass and brings it all together. And you’re not distracted by the temperature, because if the temperature is too hot. It’s just not pleasant.”

Here, Mann shares a few more for red wine drinkers.

Consider the kind of red wine you’re drinking

Understanding the ideal temperature for different types of red wine is like having a secret key to unlock their full potential. Red wines vary in terms of tannins and heft, and that largely determines a wine’s ideal temperature. “You would not chill a bigger-bodied Cabernet as much as you would a Pinot or a Frappato from Sicily — those can go a little colder. The bigger reds just need a slight chill — but if it’s a less tannic, silkier, kind of easy-drinking red, those can go a little deeper.

Remember that room temperature is relative

Depending on where you live, “room temperature” could mean many different things. Just think about it: Someone’s idea of room temperature in Florida would not be the same as someone living in Maine. “I think this idea of ‘room temperature’ is misleading to people because they think whatever room they’re in, that’s an OK temperature for their wine,” Mann says. “It may be okay for us as people, but 75 degrees is not a good temperature for a glass of wine. I think we almost need to get this idea of ‘room temperature’ out of people’s heads. Because very few rooms are at that 50 to 55 degrees sweet spot.”

The rule of thumb is: Any kind of real heat is not good for wine

No kind of heat is good for wine — so where you store your wine matters. Any room in your home is likely too warm. On the flip side, your refrigerator, which is typically set at 33–40°F, is way too cold for wine’s aging potential. Ideally, a wine fridge that’s constantly kept at 52–55°F is what you want. “The integrity of the wine over time, like if you’re keeping wine in really hot conditions, it just breaks down faster. Wine doesn’t age well under heat,” Mann explains. “Even with master sommeliers, the feeling is, they would rather put an ice cube in and have it slightly diluted to cool it down than to have a wine that’s warm. That’s how important temperature is.”