Dec 2005
What is the ideal temperature to serve wine?
December, 2005 Filed in: Serving wine
We all know the old adage that whites should be chilled and reds should be served at room temperature. Many of you may be aware that even certain reds have different serving temperatures. Have you wondered why? Nothing makes more difference to enjoying wine than its temperature. Different wines taste far better when sampled at specific temperatures. There are several good reasons for this.
The sense of smell is reliant on vapours. Because red wine has a higher molecular weight than white wine it is less volatile (less vapours) than white. Generally the higher the temperature the more volatile the wine. So the idea is to serve your wine at the temperature it begins to volatilize. The more full-bodied the wine the higher the temperature it should be served. Lighter reds like Beaujolais should be served slightly chilled where a robust Cabernet, Shiraz or Barolo should be served at room temperature.
Tannins are more obvious at low temperatures. Thus serving a young high tannic wine like Cabernet at room temperature may take away some of its astringency. A low tannic wine like Pinot Noir should be served at lower temperatures.
Semi-dry or sweeter wines should obviously served chilled, and generally the sweeter the colder it should be served. Sweeter wines are generally more acidic. At lower temperatures acidity “tastes” more pronounced.
Room temperature is not a universal standard as Europeans room temperature is approximately 18-20C, whereas North Americans peg room temperature in the 20-23C range. Full bodied red wines should be served at 16-18C, so we are actually serving our wines too warm. So we should be actually chilling our red wines slightly. Having said all this, you have to determine what temperature you like best. But why not throw a bottle of red in the fridge for an hour before serving and see if you like it.
The sense of smell is reliant on vapours. Because red wine has a higher molecular weight than white wine it is less volatile (less vapours) than white. Generally the higher the temperature the more volatile the wine. So the idea is to serve your wine at the temperature it begins to volatilize. The more full-bodied the wine the higher the temperature it should be served. Lighter reds like Beaujolais should be served slightly chilled where a robust Cabernet, Shiraz or Barolo should be served at room temperature.
Tannins are more obvious at low temperatures. Thus serving a young high tannic wine like Cabernet at room temperature may take away some of its astringency. A low tannic wine like Pinot Noir should be served at lower temperatures.
Semi-dry or sweeter wines should obviously served chilled, and generally the sweeter the colder it should be served. Sweeter wines are generally more acidic. At lower temperatures acidity “tastes” more pronounced.
Room temperature is not a universal standard as Europeans room temperature is approximately 18-20C, whereas North Americans peg room temperature in the 20-23C range. Full bodied red wines should be served at 16-18C, so we are actually serving our wines too warm. So we should be actually chilling our red wines slightly. Having said all this, you have to determine what temperature you like best. But why not throw a bottle of red in the fridge for an hour before serving and see if you like it.