The temperature at which a wine is served is of vital importance – and one which people get wrong quite frequently. White wines are often served much too cold and reds horribly warm.
The warmer a wine, the more the volatile flavour compounds evaporate from the surface and of course the opposite happens at lower temperatures. To make sure that the aromas are exactly right and as beautiful as possible, the right temperature is therefore pretty essential.
Sadly, many people seem to believe that the correct temperature for white wines is just above freezing and insist on ice-buckets, irrespective of the wine style. As a very general guide, the lighter, crisper and more elegant the wine, the more it can cope with low temperatures. White wines which are oaked or have perfumed, floral aromas or are just heavier in texture and body with lots of complexity should on no account be frozen to within an inch of their lives. Unless of course you want to ensure that you more or less completely miss the point of what ever it is you are drinking.
With reds, in both restaurants and homes all over the world, these are often stored either just above the coffee machine or just next to the oven. Very bad for even short term storage, but this also means that they are generally served slightly warm which gives them a vinegary edge that is most unpleasant.
Lighter, softer reds which are low in tannin are delicious served slightly chilled but it is better to put them in an ice bucket at least 15 minutes before serving than to chill them in the fridge.
Long term fridge storage for white wines is also often not such a good idea – chilling something when you actually want to drink it if you are going to keep it for a while is better.
As a very general rule, the following temperatures should be adhered to:
-
Tannic red wines from 15 – 18 degrees celcius
- Complex, dry white wines 12 – 16 degrees celcius
- Soft, lighter red wines can be served at 10 – 12 degrees celcius
- Sweet, sparkling and rose wines 6 – 10 degrees celcius