The serving temperature of wine is important. If you white wine is too chilled, it might be crisp and refreshing but you may not notice the more delicate flavors. If your red is too warm, it ends up a bit more harsh; if it is too cool, the heavy tannin flavors overpower the more complex flavors.
Fortunately, wine temperature is pretty simple. White wines and rosé are generally best served at refrigerator temperatures, around 40 degrees: store this wine in the fridge, and keep the bottle in there between glasses. A quality, aged champagne or sparkling wine, along with more complex barrel-aged whites, want around 55 degrees to allow the flavors to come through; store these in the fridge, then pull it out shortly before you plan to open it. Let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes or so to let it warm appropriately. Reds can hold up to being served at room temperature, but the flavors may pop a bit more if chilled, for a few minutes only, to around 65 degrees. Chill reds in the fridge for 20 minutes or so before you want to serve them.
Of course, most of us don’t carry a thermometer with us when we are drinking, so don’t sweat it too much.
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