Yes, you can chill red wine – and these are the best ones to try
Our wine expert reveals which reds taste better chilled, from Pinot Noir and Beaujolais to lesser-known varieties worth discovering.
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Our wine expert reveals which reds taste better chilled, from Pinot Noir and Beaujolais to lesser-known varieties worth discovering.
No man would prefer to drink wine hot; rather one likes it chilled in the well or mixed with snow.’ So said Athenaeus of Naucratis in his work Banquet of the Learned 18 centuries ago.
And what wines did he recommend to chill? Athenaeus’s top choices were Pramnian, Chian, and Thasian wine. All of them red.
‘Chillable reds’ are sometimes touted as the latest big thing in wine. But it turns out they’ve been a thing for quite a while. In fact, almost 3,000 years ago the Ancient Greeks invented a double-walled wine chiller for reds that they called a psykter. And around 40 years ago Miguel Torres came up with a similar design for his famous Sangre de Toro (13.5%, £8.75). Torres reckoned that with lots of fresh, juicy fruit and low tannin, his wine was best served at around 16ºC (or 60ºF in old money). So he (re)invented a cooler to serve it chilled.
We’re not only returning to chilled reds because we’re experiencing warmer days. It’s partly because we’re turning to lighter reds. Don’t start putting your Chateauneuf-du-Pape in an ice bucket, or your Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. They’ll just taste bitter. But bright, floral reds have a freshness and lightness – and love to be cool.
One reason people are wary of chilling reds is they’re worried they will be seen as uncouth. This is not a new thing. Napoleon was accused of putting ice in his wine in a sneer at his earthy Corsican roots. But there’s little evidence that he actually did. And anyway, so what?
I might not add ice to La Novena Garnacha 2024 (13.4%, £11.99) but I’d certainly put it in the fridge for 20 minutes to make the most of its soft, lightly peppery fruit.
You might notice a bit of a pattern here. Both wines so far are from Spain, a great source of chillable reds. Beaujolais is almost always better chilled, as is less expensive Bordeaux. Pinot Noir, too, as well as less common grapes such as Cinsault.
Ungrafted Itata Old Vine Cinsault 2024 (13.5%, £12.99) is a seriously good wine from Chile with ripe, sweet red fruit and a violet scent – the sort I think of as a ‘sommelier’s choice’ as a smart, under-the radar pick.
Or you can go ‘blouge’. This is a revival of the ancient technique of making wine from a blend of white and red grapes (blanc + rouge). The best value are the palhete wines of Portugal, and the clarete wines of Spain.
Las Jaras Superbloom 2022 (11.5%, £34.45) is a quirky, nine variety blouge made by winemaker Joel Burt and US comedian Eric Wareheim that has a cult following.
And what would Athenaeus be drinking ‘chilled in the well’ if he were here today? Thymiopoulos Atma Xinomavro 2022 (13%, £13.25) would be my recommendation. Greece’s Xinomavro is fabulously soft and smooth and comes with masses of wild red berries and a lovely tobacco spice.
And if anyone questions why you’ve put it in the fridge, you can simply point out it’s for a ‘banquet of the learned’.
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