Wine is best enjoyed when it is served right and one way of doing this is to know variants in temperature for any particular drink. As an enthusiast, you definitely would not let your guests to sip Gods’ nectar in inappropriate temperature because this will definitely ruin its taste and aroma, thereby damaging its ‘spirit’.
If you are planning to invite wine drinkers to your party, know how each variety should be served so as not to damage the quality of the served wine. Different types of alcoholic beverages have different chemical compositions that are greatly affected on how it is served. Vapours, which contribute much to its aroma, are also created as wine warms up and this is one of the reasons why it needs to be served below its ideal drinking temperature for this to work.
Serving wine at the right temperature is a challenge because you have to consider the presence of tannins, the structure of the wine and its age. To give you an overview, here is the prescribed temperature for the 3 general types of wine.
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine should be served ice cold, that is, 40 to 53 degrees to keep its bubbles fine instead of being frothy. This can be achieved by keeping it in the freezer for about an hour before popping it. In the absence of a freezer, this temperature may be made possible by submerging it in an ice bucket for 30 minutes. Red sweet sparkling wines such as Brachetto d’ Acqui can be served at 50 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit since they are very aromatic and can sustain its taste for a longer time. This also holds true for white sparkling wine such as Asti Spumante. Keep the bottle in the bucket after pouring some into your guests’ goblets.
White wine and rose
On the other hand, white wine must be served at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep it in the fridge after buying it or in the freezer for around 30 minutes. After serving guests with their first round, let the bottle stay on the table instead of putting it back in the fridge. This trick brings out the best in white wines. Have in mind though that the flavour and taste of white wine is masked when it is too cold and it becomes flat when served warm.
Red wine
Some prefer red wine to be at room temperature but this does not mean that you should leave a bottle unattended on your table. As recommended, it should be cooler than any household temperature and that ranges from 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Red wine that is too cold tastes tannic and acidic whereas a warm serving will taste too alcoholic. A lot of reds such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais and Burgundy get more significant when kept in the fridge for half an hour. Just like with other types, this can be placed in the fridge, served and left on the table for it to ‘sweat’.
As a rule of thumb, serve white wines at lower temperatures and reds at slightly higher temperature. Sparkling wines are served the coldest. To achieve the ideal temperature for your various wines, there are gadgets available in wine stores and the most popular is a cuff that is wrapped outside the bottle. It has temperature calibrations which will let you know about the ideal temperature for each time of wine. Another but practical method of checking its coldness or warmness is by touching and tasting the wine itself. If it is not A-okay for you, then definitely, it is not for your guests too.
In order to get the temperature requirement needed for your best tasting wines, it will be wise to familiarise yourself with the different wine cellars that we have in our pages.
