Why Wine Should Never Be Served in a Chilled Glass

If you've ever ordered a chilled white wine on a sweltering summer afternoon and been handed a glass that’s suspiciously room temperature, you might've wondered: Why isn't wine served in frosty glasses like beer or cocktails? You’re not alone. It seems almost counterintuitive, surely colder = better, right?

Well, not when it comes to wine. There's a bit of a science, a touch of tradition, and maybe even a little snobbery involved. So, let's take the mystery out of this wine-world quirk with help from the people who swirl, sniff, and sip for a living: sommeliers.

Chilled Glass = Gagged Aroma

The first and biggest reason sommeliers don’t reach for frosty goblets? Wine smells. And it’s supposed to.

A large chunk of your wine-drinking joy actually comes from your nose. When wine is too cold, especially when poured into a chilled glass, the delicate aromatic compounds get shy. They don’t want to party. They just sit there, subdued, like you at a wedding table where you only know the couple.

Isabelle Legeron, Master of Wine and unapologetic lover of all things natural and fermented, puts it like this: “If wine is muted by a cold glass, it’s like trying to read poetry while someone’s holding your nose.”

White wines, especially the floral, aromatic ones, Riesling, Viognier, Albariño, suffer most when aromatics are chilled into submission. And even for reds, which are often served warmer, a frosty glass just kills the vibe.

Taste Buds Gone Cold

Cold doesn’t just dampen aroma, it messes with flavour, too. Imagine biting into a juicy peach straight out of the freezer. Kinda bland, right? Now let it sit for ten minutes, bam! Suddenly, there’s sugar, there’s tang, there’s sunshine. Wine behaves the same way.

Dr. Jamie Goode, wine scientist extraordinaire, explains that cold glasses increase the perception of acidity and tannin, and suppress the fruity, plush notes. So that creamy Chardonnay you splashed out on? In a chilled glass, it might come across as more lemon peel than lemon tart.

And don’t even get us started on red wines. A frosty glass of Pinot Noir is basically grape juice having a bad day.

Thermodynamics: Big Word, Real Problem

Now, let’s talk about the glass itself. Unlike a chunky beer mug that’s built like a tank, wine glasses are designed to be as thin and elegant as a ballet dancer’s wrist. That thin crystal or glass doesn’t insulate, it conducts. That means if the glass is cold, it cools the wine lightning-fast. Too fast.

What’s worse? Condensation. Yes, we know it looks romantic in beer ads, but in wine? Not so much. Wet hands, diluted flavours, water droplets on your nose... Not ideal for your “sip and savour” moment.

Chill the Wine, Not the Glass

Here’s the trick that sommeliers swear by: focus on the wine’s temperature, not the glass. Want your white wine cool and crisp? Pop the bottle in the fridge (or a bucket of ice water if you're in a hurry). Once it’s nicely chilled, say around 9°C for a Sauvignon Blanc, pour it into a room-temperature glass.

The wine stays cool enough to refresh but warm enough to express itself, like a singer warming up in a cosy room instead of a freezer.

But What If It’s 35°C in the Shade?

Okay, fine. Sometimes you’re in a beach hut in Santorini and your wine heats up faster than your holiday romance. In that case, a mildly cool (not frosty) glass might help keep things pleasant.

Sommeliers have tricks for this. One favourite? Rinsing the glass with chilled water and drying it immediately. You get a cooler surface without condensation or the risk of numbing the wine.

Just don’t go chucking your glass in the freezer. Unless you’re planning to serve wine slushies. In which case, live your best life.

It's Not Just Science, It's Culture

Beyond all the technical stuff, there’s also a bit of tradition in play. Wine service is steeped in rituals, some of which go back hundreds of years. In France or Italy, serving wine in a frosted glass would be considered a faux pas, somewhere between microwaving foie gras and adding cola to Barolo.

As Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, head winemaker at Louis Roederer (the Champagne house that made wine for the Tsars), once said: “Wine isn’t about theatre, it’s about truth.” In other words, don’t upstage the main act with gimmicks like ice-cold stemware.

So, What’s the Takeaway?

It’s simple, really. Your wine deserves to be the star, not muffled by a chilly stage. A room temperature glass gives it space to open up, evolve, and dazzle your senses with its full repertoire. From nose to finish, you’ll get more nuance, more aroma, and yes, more pleasure.

So the next time you’re tempted to pop your wine glasses in the freezer, ask yourself: Do I want my wine cool, or catatonic?

Quick Tips from the Cellar Crew:

• Chill your wine, not your glass.

• Whites: 7°C–13°C. Reds: 15°C–18°C.

• Aromatic wines need warmer glasses to sing.

• A quick rinse with cold water (and dry) is your secret weapon in hot weather.

• Avoid frosted glassware unless you're serving frosé.

Further Reading & Sources

• Goode, J. (2021). The Science of Wine. University of California Press.

• Legeron, I. (2017). Natural Wine. CICO Books.

• WSET Level 3 Certification Manual (2023).

• Interviews with UK and EU Sommeliers, CellarsMarket Research 2024.

• Jackson, R. S. (2020). Wine Science. Academic Press.