Are you serving your wine at the right temperature? It can be hard to know. It’s a no brainer that white wine should be served cold and red not so much, but there is a little more to it. It might seem like a stuffy wine snob thing to know, but serving wine at the right temperature actually enhances the experience of enjoying the wine. So having this knowledge in your arsenal will help you get the most out of your wine! In this guide to wine serving temperatures, we’ll break down the basics of serving wine at its ideal temperature without the stuffiness.
Why care about wine serving temperatures?
Have you ever tried a white wine and not found much aroma or flavour until it has been out of the fridge for a little bit? How about finding a red wine tasting overpoweringly like alcohol? Following a blanket rule that red wine should be served at room temperature and white wine should be served chilled means you’ll never enjoy wine at its best.
Serving wine at its indented temperature brings out the flavour profile, character and bouquet in the wine. It ensures the wine displays a balance between aroma, flavour, structure and alcohol. If you serve a red wine too warm, it will lose its finesse and freshness as the alcohol overpowers the palate. If you serve a white wine straight out of the fridge, you’ll only get the acidity. This is why sometimes when you’re on a wine tasting, the winemaker might ask you to cup the glass to warm up the wine in order to open it up.
What is room temperature?
You might have seen a serving suggestion of room temperature as a guide to wine serving temperature. But if you are following this, especially in Australia in Summer, you are most likely serving the wine too warm.
You see, the term room temperature comes from drafty old English castles that were 12 Degrees even in Summer. This is not something we get consistently in Australia, and so understanding the right temperature to serve wine is helpful so you can control it a bit better by using a fridge or an ice bucket.
What are the right wine serving temperatures?
So how do you know what temperature to serve your wine at? There are so many guides to how to serve wine it can be hard to know what is right. Even down to the wine variety – I mean how are you meant to keep track?
So in this guide to wine serving temperatures, we’re going to go a little broader to make it easier. If you want to get into the specifics, there are plenty of resources available! Here is an easy guide to follow:
- Sparkling and Light-Bodied White Wines: 3-7°C
- Rosé and Full-Bodied White Wines: 7-12°C
- Light and Medium-Bodied Red Wines: 12-15°C
- Bold Red Wines: 15-20°C
- Dessert Wines: Depends on style but usually chilled
Keep in mind that a fridge is usually around 2-3 Degrees, so if you are serving out of the fridge, best to leave the wine out for 20 minutes or so. For reds, it is good to pop them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes if going from room temperature.
In summary: Should you care?
Wine serving temperatures can seem like a wine snob thing to care about. But paying attention to them does help you get the most out of your wine. So they are worth paying attention to. Even if you pop that bottle of red wine into the fridge for 20 minutes, or take the white wine out of the fridge while just before you enjoy it, you are going to see a big difference.
Next time you’re enjoying a wine, why not experiment with this? Grab a white wine straight out of the fridge to try it, and then leave it out for 20 minutes and see how it changes. I think you’ll be amazed at what you find!