Everyone knows that you chill white wine. But red? The idea seems a bit off. Yet most red wines are served far too warm in Asia and some are ideal candidates for the refrigerator, and refreshing complements to all kinds of slightly spicier and or light food. Yes, some people might tell you that red wine cannot be chilled and should be drunk at room temperature no matter what. These people who give you these rules, they never tell you what room temperature is nor do they realize that room temperature is ever changing, depending on whether the room is in hot tropical Malaysia in July or in a stone cellar in Scotland in November? Of course they do not.
But even stone cellar temperature is sometimes not cold enough. Sometimes we want right-out-of-the-refrigerator cold, and yes, my friends, we can enjoy a red wine like that
Of course, you wouldn’t want to overdo it. Unlike a lambrusco, which you can drink straight out of the fridge, you want to take most reds out and let it sit for half an hour or, if you’re starting from the beginning, just put it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes before drinking. If chilled but not ice cold, you’ve got yourself one refreshing beverage.
All wines taste best when served reasonably cool (not ice cold). The ideal for a fine red wine is 18 to 25 degrees. A few red wines, however, are best at an even cooler temperature—around 14 degrees; they're the ones to seek when hot weather hits.
The best red wines for chilling are usually relatively straightforward, with a concentrated fruitiness and low levels of oak, tannin and alcohol. Beaujolais is pretty much the ultimate example of this style, although there are plenty of others, such as young Riojas (labeled crianza) and the lighter Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs. Wines that are made from the juicy Bonarda grape (an Argentinean grape originally from Italy) are other prime contenders for the refrigerator.
Guigal Côtes-du-Rhône 2004 (Mui Hua Sdn Bhd) Most famous for super-luxury-priced Côte-Rôties, Guigal also produces a spicy, harmonious red at the other end of the price spectrum. Its core of rich fruit is delicious at cool temperatures.
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Village 2004(Mui Hua Sdn Bhd) The delicate floral notes of this Beaujolais belie its solid core of juicy red fruit.
Vallformosa Tempranillo Crianza 2004 (Cave & Cellar) Spain's best-selling restaurant style of wine spends at least half a year in American oak, which gives it a well-knit elegance. After an hour's chilling, this all-Tempranillo red will be fresh and juicy.
Villa Vinea Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico DOC 2004 (Cave & Cellar) This graceful, medium-bodied Italian red seems to gain weight and substance when it's chilled slightly.
Ridge Three Valleys Zin 2004 (Wine Cellar) High alcohol and lots of oak make many Zins unsuitable for chilling, but this soft, fruity example made from a blend of grapes grown in single vineyards around California's Sonoma county is an exception.
Morande Reserva Pinot Noir. 2006 (Cave & Cellar) This Chilean Pinot Noir has an uncomplicated charm and a lusciousness that make it both food-friendly and temperature-flexible. It's like an Old World Beaujolais that's got a touch of New World ripeness.
