An adage as old as the sands of time is that red wine should be enjoyed at room temperature. That might be all well and good with your bottle of vin de soif Loire Valley rouge on a cool, pleasant night in a Parisian wine bar, but we must play the hand we’ve been dealt.

The whole room temperature thing is quite literally medieval – think European castles made of stone and underground cellars – which simply doesn’t translate to our stuffy, poorly insulated homes on the other side of the globe.

The absolute last thing anyone should be drinking is a dad Shiraz at Australian room temperature on, well, let’s say most days.

It gets pretty hot around these parts, well over 20 degrees celsius on average (and then some in warmer months), guaranteeing you a big soupy mess, void of fruit, clarity, and freshness, dominated by its alcohol. Not every red should be served fridge-cold, but it’s safe to say most (if not all) should see at least a few degrees taken off the top before you drink it – yes, even that cab sav would benefit from a quick visit to the old icebox.

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Reds specially built for the fridge are generally lighter, lower in alcohol and tannin, void of oak character and best consumed young – think bright, fruit-forward and juicy with refreshing acidity. Often these wines live somewhere between a rosé and light red, sometimes a blend of red and white grapes, and are usually not super serious, more thirst quenchers.

They fill a void that has long existed for red wine drinkers and provide an exciting alternative for the rosé crowd. Move over Aperol Spritz, there’s a new sheriff in town – and thy name is chilled red.

While chilled red isn’t exactly a new discovery – the natural wine world has been all over this for years – it’s undoubtedly the next big thing. You know there’s an incoming trend when even the big guys jump on it (hello, Jacob’s Creek ‘Lively Bunch’).

I’d say chilled red is here for a good time and a long time. We’re simply better than a 15% alcohol Barossa shiraz on a hot summer’s day.

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