When your room resembles the inside of a parked hatchback in January, it makes no sense to serve red wine at room temp. Some are even made for chilling down, here’s why.Mike BennieSeptember 4, 2026Red wine has spent far too long sitting at the serious end of the drinks table waiting patiently for someone to explain why it shouldn’t be allowed near an Esky. We chill beer, white wine, rosé and sparkling, yet suggest cooling a red and someone inevitably appears in a blazer with elbow patches to defend centuries of tradition. Somehow red wine has escaped one of the greatest inventions in human history: refrigeration.Revenge, and these red wines, are best served cold.Dion GeorgopoulosFor generations, we’ve been told to serve red wine at “room temperature”, advice that might make sense in European castles, but in Australia, where room temperature can resemble the inside of a parked hatchback in January, the instruction feels less useful.Red wine is often served too warm, and that warmth leaves it tasting soupy, boozy and a little blurry. A light chill brightens fruit, sharpens freshness and ups the refreshment factor.Of course, nobody is suggestion putting your dusty bottle of Penfold’s Grange next to the ice-cream tub. This is more about knocking a chill into the light to medium red wine varieties and styles that are increasingly in vogue.Pinot noir, gamay, grenache and a host of Mediterranean varieties such as nero d’Avola, sangiovese and montepulicano thrive on a touch of cold, dialling up drinkability in a land of beaches, barbecues and backyard hangs.The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.Sign upThree to try