Everyone who enjoys wine knows that temperature is important, so they don’t open the bottle until it’s cold enough. Those who are more knowledgeable about oenology know that just because the wine isn’t warm doesn’t mean the right serving temperature has been achieved. To fully experience the flavor of the wine, here are a few useful tips for serving it.
If you’ve opted for a full-bodied red wine, it should be left in the refrigerator for about twenty minutes before opening the bottle, allowing its balanced acidity and aroma to come to the fore at a temperature of 15 to 18 °C.
For lighter red wines, chilling time is up to three times longer due to the fruity flavor which turns into acidity at higher temperatures, so these wines should be served at a temperature of 12 to 16 °C.
For white wines, the chilling and serving temperature varies from one variety to another, but generally, wines with a lower alcohol content should be served at around 10 °C. It needs to be chilled for up to an hour and a half before serving.
The simple rule is that the lighter the wine, the lower the serving temperature, which also applies to rosé, dry, and sparkling wines. Due to the lower amount of tannins and a complex palette of fruity aromas, rosé wines are served at slightly higher temperatures, up to 12 °C.
As for sparkling wines, they should be chilled for up to four hours to avoid losing aroma and CO2 bubbles. They need to be cooled to a temperature of 5 °C and served at a slightly higher temperature of 7 to 9 °C.
Although we usually maintain the temperature of wine in the refrigerator, experts recommend storing wine in darker and cooler rooms as they provide more natural conditions for preserving aroma. Also, you can quickly chill wine by adding ice cubes to the glass, but it’s better to avoid this as it disturbs the flavor balance and affects the quality of the wine.
To ensure that the temperature is satisfactory, you can find a wine thermometer at agricultural pharmacies, a practical instrument designed for bottle design, so you can be sure that your wine is perfect for serving.