Serving Temperatures

What is the best temperature for serving your wines? Typically white wines are chilled and red wines are served closer to room temperature. But these simple rules often leave white wines being served at near freezing temperatures straight from the refrigerator, or red wines reaching the table at temperatures far removed from the cellar temperature best suited to these wines.

Be careful not to over refrigerate your whites because it can dull their flavors. The light, sweet, and acidic wines should be served at 44-46 degrees F (10C). Better Chardonnays, Alsace, and Semillons can be served in the range of 46-50 degrees. This generally means before serving a white wine put it on the door of your refrigerator for an hour or two at most. Certainly don't store them in the fridge and don't chill them so cold the only flavor the remains is sweet. As the wine warms in your glass you will likely notice the aroma really blossoming as the esters in the wine become volatile.

Red wines are best served at a temperature that is a bit cooler than the temperature of the home. Often times reds are served at temperatures too warm under the mistaken impression they should be server at room temperature. While this may have been true before central heat kept every house toasty all winter long, today it is recommended wines be stored somewhere in a temperature range of 56-64 degrees. There are certain types of red wine that benefit from being slightly cooler. These include the lighter, more fruity reds, but ultimately test your wine at different temperatures and. Keep track of what works for each variety and vintage you have. Experience is the best teacher here, go with what works for you.

These are some basic guidelines on serving temperatures. As long as there are no extremes and the flavor of the wine itself is not being jeopardized, then let your personal preference play a role in the serving temperature decision. If you are still unsure, serving the wine slightly cooler will allow you to let it warm in the glass if it seems a little "flat". It is very tough to cool a wine that is too warm in the glass, and often it will too late to even try as the volatile esters will be quickly lost.