I have never managed to embrace the concept of 'ice-cold' as heartily as my contemporaries. My brother, for example, will only drink water if it is packed with ice, while my brother-in-law once spent an enormous amount on a fridge that can rapidly dispense blocks of the stuff at the touch of a button, usually all over the kitchen floor.

Personally, I prefer most drinks at room-temperature. I drink my water tepid and often don't bother to chill my white and pudding wines. I realise I'm in a very small minority, but there is method to my madness. A Swedish nutritionist once told me warm water was better for the digestion; I tried it out for a few days and found it worked. The habit stuck.

Temperature has an enormous effect on how wine tastes and smells. At a very basic level, the colder a wine is, the less it actually tastes of anything. Indeed, drop a wine down to around 8ûC and it will no longer smell of anything. This is mainly because the thousands of volatiles that make up the bouquet stop evaporating. At this temperature, the acidity is also more pronounced, and if it is a red wine, the tannins and bitter notes will leap out, masking every other flavour.

The rule of thumb is if you have a cheap white wine, which is low on acidity and tastes rather flabby, chill it as low as it can go. If it is a cheap red with plenty of tannic structure and a little fruit, serve it at room-temperature – preferably with food.

The source of all this knowledge is a legendary French oenologist called Emile Peynaud, author of the groundbreaking work The Taste of Wine. Peynaud's experiments showed that the higher the temperature, the more flavour compounds were likely to evaporate. A good red wine should be served between 16ûC and 18ûC; any higher and the alcohol will begin to evaporate too quickly.

He concluded that a red wine served at 22ûC will taste hot and thin, while the same wine is supple and fluid at 18ûC but astringent at 10ûC.

Generally, it is best to serve big, tannic red wines such as shiraz and those from Bordeaux at between 15ûC and 18ûC. Good-quality, dry white wine (certainly ones that have set you back a few pounds) taste better when they are served between 12ûC and 16ûC. There are, of course, exceptions. Many Beaujolais crus can be served quite cool – around 10ûC or 12ûC. Brown Brothers Tarrango, which possesses a lot of fruit, is another case in point – quite happy at 10ûC.

Champagne, rosé, sweet wine and whites that lack acidity perform well at between 6ûC and 10ûC. To put this into some sort of context, comfortable room-temperature is anywhere between 22ûC and 28ûC, while the temperature outside around this time of year is – or should be – around 18ûC.

2006 McGuigan Discover Shiraz Viognier, Australia, £7.99

This is the first of a trio of big, brooding New World red wines that make up this week's selection. Smoky, silky and soft, with a dollop of forward fruit and an attractive vanilla flavour. Tesco

2005 Nepenthe Tryst, Adelaide Hills, Australia, £8.99

An eclectic blend of cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and zinfandel. The result is a surprisingly fresh, fruity, attractive wine. Tesco

2005 Over the Top Shiraz, Pertaringa, McLaren Vale, Australia, £14.99

A big beast. Opulent and smooth, with plenty of rich, creamy oak and jammy New World fruit. Fans of this style will fall in love when they try this – pure hedonism. Henderson Wines (0131 447 8580)

Deals of the week

Boschendal Sauvignon, South Africa

Usually £7.99 – down 25% to £5.99, at Sainsbury's

Jacquart Brut Champagne, France

Usually £23.99 – down almost 30% to £16.99, at Somerfield

2006 Brown Brothers Tarrango, Victoria, Australia

Usually £5.99 – down 25% to £4.49, at Somerfield