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Slightly controversial opinion alert: some red wines taste better when chilled.

I know that sounds almost blasphemous in a world that enjoys drinking red wines mostly at room temperature, but perhaps that’s a little limited.

It does depend on the type of grape or where the red wine is produced, though.

It is also important to know the style and characteristics of your wine, how long to chill the bottle, and the ultimate time to sip it after cool-down.

Tasting Table notes renowned wine critic Eric Asimov saying that in addition to style and vintage, the decision on chilling red wine includes the weather/season, and ultimately, your own personal preference.

If you’re keen to break from the room-temp-only crowd of red wine aficionados, then right this way:

General consensus among wine professionals is that full-bodied (and expensive) red wines benefit more when consumed at room temperatures.

Sarah Jane Evans MW, co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, told Decanter that chilling works better for lighter, fruitier, refreshing wines due to how colder temps highlight tannins and oaky flavors.

While pinot noirs, cabernet francs, and Beaujolais are some of the recommended red candidates for chilling, it is ultimately up to you to explore.

Since it is the month to celebrate shiraz – August 21 was National Shiraz Day – it might be worth playing around with this red.

Anthonij Rupert Wyne is running specials on its Shiraz wines, so experimenting doesn’t even have to break the bank.

If you buy the Mix Shiraz Winter Box special with 12 bottles for R2 200 (which is frankly amazing value for money), you can test one bottle in the fridge and the rest can be enjoyed au naturale.

It’s a win, win:

The ever-popular Protea Shiraz is also on special, with six bottles going for R390.

One must also note that cold temperatures affect different wines at varying stages, which means there’s an optimal time to chill the wine, and then sip it post-chill.

Testing this theory, some wine tasters found that it is best to wait 45 to 60 minutes after chilling for red wines to reach optimum flavour.

Generally, reds can be too “frigid and flavourless” when consumed immediately after refrigeration, and still too cold after waiting 20 to 30 minutes.

There you go: enjoy the chilling, but not too hard.

[source:tastingtable]