Wine serving temperature

[pjackso]

I am getting conflicting opinions on the serving temperature of wine. I always thought reds should be very slightly chilled and whites to be not quite thoroughly chilled. Am I right, or should the temperature be customized to the variety of each wine individually?

HELP!

pjackso

[Carolyn Tillie]

Generally, it is thought that reds should be served at room temperature. But (if you think about it), depending on where you live, room temperature could be 80 degrees! I like to think that if I were hideously wealthy, I would have a wine cellar that would keep my fine wines at a constant 55 degree temperature. With that in mind, I tend to drink reds "at room temperature" during most of the year, but when it is especially hot, I will put a bottle of red in my fridge for 20 or 30 minutes to bring the temperature down. This is very generic information, by the way. Beaujolais, is almost always served at around 40 degrees.

Whites are a different story. I believe most people serve white wine too cold. If coming straight from the fridge, for example, that would be 32 degrees which, for a chardonnay, masks too many flavors. I like my champagne quite icy (32 is fine), but I will take my chardonnay out of a fridge for 20 or 30 minutes and let it warm to, say, 40 to 45 degrees before serving. Gewurtz, Ries, SauvBlanc, and Pinot Gris are fine straight out of the fridge as well, IMHO.

This is all subjective, again.

[Mark Sommelier]

I am getting conflicting opinions on the serving temperature of wine.  I always thought reds should be very slightly chilled and whites to be not quite thoroughly chilled.  Am I right, or should the temperature be customized to the variety of each wine individually?

HELP!

pjackso

Opinions vary between the US and Europe. In France, wines are served chambré or cellar temp. This is usually in the mid to upper 50's Fahrenheit. No red wine should be served at "room temperature" when that temperature is over 70°. Mid to upper 60's for great reds like Bordeaux and Burgundy. Light, fruity wines like Beaujolais and Chinon are traditionally served cooler in Europe. Great whites should never be super chilled. Montrachets are best appreciated in the mid to lower 50's. Sauvignon blancs 50 or slightly cooler. Mid 40's for riesling and chenin blanc. It is an American affectation to freeze Champagne. (One should never freeze the glasses!). Simple rule of thumb: the cheaper the wine, the colder it should be.

[Carema]

many of the flaws of white wine can be determined when the wine is warmer. I always taste champagne flat and warm to give me an idea of the quality of the still wine before it was made into bubbles. however, those are buying temps and not enjoying temps. I agree with Mark. yeah, what he said.

[melkor]

The easiest thing to remember is to put your reds in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving, and take the whites out of the fridge for 20 minutes before serving.

[pjackso]

Now that makes sense to me!

pjackso

[tammylc]

The easiest thing to remember is to put your reds in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving, and take the whites out of the fridge for 20 minutes before serving.

I really like that! Easy to remember, and probably works about right, for those of us without climate controlled cellars.

[ctgm]

Mark Somm. - just being very pedantic, chambre is not cellar temp but room temp. Otherwise I have to go with what you say.

Carolyn hits the nail on the head when saying that most people tend to serve their whotes far too cold. Personally I generally take out of the cellar (which is not the ideal 12c) and put in the fridge for 20-30 mins until at about 11-12c. Having spent some time in France making wine, we needed to taste barrel samples so maybe I just like "warm" whites! I suppose that it also depends on how good the wine is. If you have a fantastic white then what is the point of making it so cold that you can't taste the wonderful flavours.

On an aside have you ever tried blindfolding someone, pegging their nose and giving them a glass of red, white and water (all of the same temperature). It is amazing to see how many people can't tell what is what (albeit the water is easiest to pick out). If you are going to do this little test maybe best not to try and match a Zin against a NZ Sauvignon but rather choose a red and a white of equal "weight", acidity etc etc

[Mark Sommelier]

ctqm,

Thanks for the correction. Room temp in the States is warmer than that in Europe. That's what I was getting at.

[russ parsons]

mark,

i obviously am in awe of your expertise, but i had a question about riesling. a while ago at the french laundry (name dropping), i was served a riesling that i thought was too warm (not warm, but cool, not icey). i remarked on this to a friend who is in the trade (wine, that is), because in my experience, it is really rare for them to make a mistake in wine service. he told me the mistake was mine, that great rieslings should not be served well chilled, that they have enough acidity that they can be served cool and still be crisp, plus getting all the floral components. what say you?

[Mark Sommelier]

mark,

i obviously am in awe of your expertise, but i had a question about riesling. a while ago at the french laundry (name dropping), i was served a riesling that i thought was too warm (not warm, but cool, not icey). i remarked on this to a friend who is in the trade (wine, that is), because in my experience, it is really rare for them to make a mistake in wine service. he told me the mistake was mine, that great rieslings should not be served well chilled, that they have enough acidity that they can be served cool and still be crisp, plus getting all the floral components. what say you?

Hi Russ,

I tend to prefer German rieslings at the QbA or Kabinett level colder than spatlesen and auslesen. Ditto for Alsatians - estate rieslings fairly cold, Grand Cru at the same temp a good white Burgundy would be served at. This is personal taste, though, not a hard and fast rule.

[michaels]

Generally, it is thought that reds should be served at room temperature. But (if you think about it), depending on where you live, room temperature could be 80 degrees! I like to think that if I were hideously wealthy, I would have a wine cellar that would keep my fine wines at a constant 55 degree temperature. With that in mind, I tend to drink reds "at room temperature" during most of the year, but when it is especially hot, I will put a bottle of red in my fridge for 20 or 30 minutes to bring the temperature down. This is very generic information, by the way. Beaujolais, is almost always served at around 40 degrees.

Whites are a different story. I believe most people serve white wine too cold. If coming straight from the fridge, for example, that would be 32 degrees which, for a chardonnay, masks too many flavors. I like my champagne quite icy (32 is fine), but I will take my chardonnay out of a fridge for 20 or 30 minutes and let it warm to, say, 40 to 45 degrees before serving. Gewurtz, Ries, SauvBlanc, and Pinot Gris are fine straight out of the fridge as well, IMHO.

This is all subjective, again.

I agree w/ 40degrees

[Schneier]

Simple rule of thumb: the cheaper the wine, the colder it should be.

That explains the wine popsicles.

Bruce