Cold, Warm or In-Between? Serving Temperature for Wine
August 20th, 2010 | Author: The WineLady
To complement their individual tastes, wines are best served at specific temperatures. Generally white wines should be served cold and red wines served warm, but going overboard either way can ruin the flavor. These steps will guide you in how to serve wines at the best temperatures, bringing out the intended flavors of any wine you offer your guests.
Instructions
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Serve red wines at a warmer temperature, but not the commonly thought “room” temperature. In our modern heated homes, the average room temperature ranges from 64 to 73 degrees which is rather warm for most wine. More full-bodied red wines like Bordeaux, Shiraz and Burgundy should be served at about 63 to 65 degrees. Lighter reds like Pinot Noir, Chianti and Zinfandel are best at around 59 to 61 degrees. Fruity reds like Chinon and Rose should be served at about 54 to 57 degrees. These temperatures can be reached by putting a red wine in your refrigerator for anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the temperature you’re trying to reach.
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Chill white wines, though not all white wines should be served at the same temperature. Sweet dessert wines should be served at about 50 degrees, stronger whites like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc around 47 to 48 degrees, and dry whites and Rieslings near 45 degrees. The average refrigerator temperature is 35 to 40 degrees so if you’ve kept your wine in the refrigerator for a long time you may need to take it out for a while before serving to let it warm to its best temperature.
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Cool champagne and other sparkling wines to near 45 degrees. This temperature can be achieved by refrigerating for about an hour and a half or by putting the bottle on ice for 20 minutes.
Read more: How to Serve Wine at the Best Temperature | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2156558_serve-wine-best-temperature.html#ixzz0xBvItuNo
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Thank you for this article.