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A complete guide to wine service temperature.

It’s more complex than you think.

· Wine Culture
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When served too warm or too cold, wine can’t be enjoyed to the fullest. And the general rule which says that « a white wine should be served at fridge temperature and a red wine at room temperature » is too basic.

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In fact, to each wine style corresponds a different service temperature. Today, let us give you valuable advice on how to deal with it !

Not too cold, nor too warm

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Wine suffers way more from heat than from cold. When served above 20°C, a quality red wine can lose its balance as the alcohol presence seems to be increased and overwhelming.

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When served too cold, a red wine can appear overly drying and astringent as the tannins become more tense.

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As for white wines, a cool temperature makes them more refreshing and brings more balance between acidity and fruit flavours.

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However, if served too cold, a high quality white wine will show less body, its aromas will seem less fragrant, more simple and less complex.

Wines and their service temperatures

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How to chill a bottle of wine

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To chill wine, the ice bucket is the most efficient. Immerse the bottle into ice and water. It is essential to add water to ice so that all the wine is brought at the same temperature at the same time.

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It will take 15 minutes to bring the temperature from 20°C to 8°C using an ice bucket. A fridge will take about two hours to reach the same result. The last option would be to place the bottle about 20 minutes in the freezer, but do not forget it in there !

How to warm up a bottle of wine

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To warm up a bottle of wine, place it inside a room where the temperature is around 18°C for two to three hours. Do not place it above a heater, an oven or a chimney, as this would bring excess heat to the wine and would damage it.

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Generally speaking, be extra careful with red wines, especially old ones, as they are more sensitive to temperature variations.

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