It’s common to think that red wine should be served at “room temperature,” which is why few people bother to chill it. However, most red wines can benefit from chilling at least for some time before the bottle is opened.
First of all, what’s a “room temperature”? This is a vague term because this temperature can be very different depending on many factors. As wine expert Ian Ferrier told Lifehacker, “each wine has its own specific ideal temperature range but generally, you want to lean on the cooler end of things than the warmer.” According to him, it’s ideal to serve red wine that’s chilled to 60-70 degrees. If it’s warmer than that, you’ll taste the alcohol in it rather than all the wonderful aromas. The higher the alcohol content in your wine, the more you want to chill it.
However, if you cool your red wine to typical white wine serving temperature, you may end up with a bitter beverage. Each wine is different, and if you have a favorite, figure out at which temperature you enjoy it the most and then chill it properly before serving.
