Does chilling red wine affect its taste?

Lysander

Lysander

Lysander

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Sorry for the really dull thread, hopefully we can get this over with quickly.

I had some wine delivered amongst other things from Ocado yesterday. On unpacking everything I noticed the red wine was distinctly chilled and had obviously been transported in the refrigeration section [or directly next to it]. I've kept it out at room temp now, but will the transition from room temp - chilling - back to room temp have affected it?
 
I very much doubt it. Unless you're buying the sort of wines that you wouldn't be getting delivered by Ocado and have a palate to match said wines, it isn't going to be an issue.
 
I wouldn't let it get really hot but I don't think being chilled will affect it. Some young reds are drunk lightly chilled in France.
 
It'll be fine unless you do something silly like boil it, if you drink it chilled then it probably will affect the taste somewhat but simply having it chilled then gradually warmed up again to room temperatures before drinking won't affect it unduly.
 
I heard something, admittedly a while ago now, that if two of you are out and one prefers red wine and the other white, a solution is to pour half for the red drinker and then chill the other half for the white drinker. I assume that this means that a red wine will taste more like a white if it is chilled!?!

Never tried it myself as I prefer red and my missus is quickly coming round to my way of thinking :D
 
Fezzer said:
Never tried it myself as I prefer red and my missus is quickly coming round to my way of thinking :D
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My gf used to only drink white, now I've turned her round and she only drinks red.

Apart from that, thanks all, that tells me what I need to know. Feel free to close thread.
 
I always put Reds in the fridge for about 15mins to bring it down a few degrees, don't like it at room temp.

*waits for lynch mob*
 
red should be room temp.

Suppose its preference but I find something like a decent rioja tastes wildly wrong if its even slightly chilled.
 
spoonz said:
red should be room temp.

Suppose its preference but I find something like a decent rioja tastes wildly wrong if its even slightly chilled.
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Depends what room temp is I suppose. If it's the height of summer, there's no way I'd drink it at room temp. During winter, I probably wouldn't need to chill it :D
 
red wine is best served between 15-18ºC (18ºC maximum)

between 10ºC and 14ºC is still OK (in summer time) but below 8ºC it loses the taste:p
 
Wine can be damaged by rapid temperature fluctuations. One of the ideas behind cellaring is not so much to keep the wine cool but to level out and slow down temperature fluctuations - ie reduce the heating cooling heating cooling cycles.

When you go into an off licence or supermarket and see wines with hot spotlights shining on them, in the sun at the front of the shop, in the blast of an air conditioner unit, over a heater, etc you would dbe best avoiding those wines.

Since you don't know how professionally your wine in question has been stored prior to delivery it isn't worth worrying about about a one off temperature problem. If we are talking fine wines then much more care buying, transporting and storing is required to get best results.

NB Some reds are particularly well suited to being served chilled in summer - think french light fruity young wines.
 
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