As a person who drinks red wine exclusively, I find the temperature makes a big difference in mouthfeel: cooler wine is gentler on the nose, with more-subtle aromatic notes, before I even take a sip.
Erik Segelbaum, advanced sommelier and founder of Somlyay, said the alcohol could desensitize your palate. To solve this problem, chilling could make the alcohol more subdued.
"I only chill brighter higher acid wines, rather than full bodied, or high alcohol, high tannin wines," Segelbaum said. "And that chilled reds tend to work well with spice forward food."
TJ Douglas, founder of The Urban Grape, also mentioned the concept of bouquet, which refers to the complex aromas in the wine after it’s been bottled and aged.
“Alcohol evaporates quickly in a warm environment, which masks the bouquet in the process of evaporation," Douglas said. "Cold temperatures can help slow down evaporation and amplify the aromatics and make your wine taste more focused."
“However, not every red should be chilled—the high-tannin, high-alcohol, and fuller-bodied wines are not good when chilled, because tannins become astringent and metallic,” Segelbaum said. “Grape varieties with higher acid content, such as Gamay; certain Italian grapes from Sicily; and any of the Germanic grapes are great for serving cold."