I wish that more people agreed on this topic. I know lots of red wines I've had in the past that could have been chilled and it would have made the partaking a lot more enjoyable. This is especially important now that it's oppressively hot and humid, and chilled wine makes any eating experience that much nicer. Why restrict ourselves to chilled whites though? For those of us who like only red wine, why not be able to chill it? I say, "Please do!"

I like the idea. Obviously it is inappropriate for serious tasting and reviewing....but I have been known to throw an ice cube in a glass of unchilled white on occasion...and that's definitely a "no-no." I would like to hear what Dan Rogov thinks of chilling reds.

I would be curious, too, Rogov can you hear us?

I know Rogov is actually a noted proponent of throwing an ice cube or two in a white wine or rose on a hot day. Not for the finest wines of course but for something simple and refreshing. I admire his taking a stand on this, I know he's taken a lot "heat" for this from die-hard wine geeks but he's defended the practice vigorously on his forum.

Just conducted a simple taste test of a Tuscan (is that admissible evidence?) Sangiovese (which, by the way, was not as good as the Israeli Gamla Sangiovese) with a quick chill versus room temp. The results? While the taste of the wine remained fairly consistent there was a noticeable loss of depth and power in the finish. The chill really cut short and, could one say, "dried up" the aftertaste? The "tongu-life" died with the decrease in temperature but it was still quite cool and refreshing on a hot New England day. Interesting indeed.

...and definitely affected the ability to spell the word "tongue"... (where is the comment edit but

-ton?)

I think somehow the chill must diminish the effect of the tannins, which I think are really important in somehow stretching out the flavors of the red wine ("tongue-life" is a great phrase).

I've heard really good things about the Gamla Sangiovese...but have to confess I've never had it, only the Italian ones.

I think the new Carmel Private Collection, 2007 vintage red wine labels specifically suggest to put the wine in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour before serving

Re: GHW Gamla Sangiovese - the 2005 vintage of this wine is particularly very good, and is a great value too. Additionally, I think there was a very large yield for this varietal in this vintage.

I also recommend the the Tzuba Sangiovese, 2006, which its body holds more closely to the range of many Italian Sangiovese wines than the Gamla