Tasting a wine at the right temperature is essential to fully appreciate it. Discover the ideal service temperatures of wines with Beaux-Vins !
If there is one question I am often asked in my job as a wine merchant, it is about the temperature at which to serve the wine to appreciate all the subtleties. Buying fine wines is one thing, serving them at the right temperature is another.
The serving temperature is an element of balance of wine too often neglected. Regularly, I noticed that the white wines were served too cold and the red wines too hot. Of course, to each his own pleasures and preferences of service and the best advice is your personal pleasure.
"No red wine of interest should be served chilled, under 14 °C ! ". Blogger X
Some bloggers — often sommeliers — offer you service temperatures as if it were an absolute truth. They will repeat that a red wine is never drunk below 14 °C. Yet, a red Beaujolais Nouveau is best at a lower temperature — from the very serious website www.beaujolais.com —. So from the quote above, either the official website of Beaujolais wines called nonsense, either Beaujolais Nouveau is not worthy of interest…
Telling you at what exact temperature you should drink your wine, is like telling you that you should eat your rare steak because it will taste better, but what if you like it hard as a sole ? Who am I to judge your preferences ? No one ! We will therefore speak here of "commonly accepted temperatures".
Temperatures, that I give you lower, are not to be taken literally. I know how difficult it is to get and maintain an accurate temperature and there are always exceptions. Moreover, I'm not one of those bloggers who think they're always right about everything.
What are the consequences of a wine served at the wrong temperature ?
The best way to spoil all the pleasure of tasting a beautiful wine is to serve it at the wrong temperature.
The tannins in red wine will taste really bitter when served too fresh, like when you drink a very cold tea. Served too hot, the alcohol will come out and the red wine will appear more alcoholic than it should.
A white wine served too cold, as restaurants often do, will seem much less aromatic. Too hot, either the acidity of the white wine will come out, either it will leave you with a strange feeling of heaviness.
However, it is always better to serve a wine that is too cold than too hot. Why ? Because wine served too cold will quickly heat up during tasting, whereas a wine that is too hot will stay too hot.
What are the commonly accepted serving temperatures for wine ?
All that being said, now is the time to look at serving temperatures for wine.
The serving temperature of a white wine
White wine has an acidity that is often higher than that of red. The cold emphasizes the acidity, reason why a white is served cooler than a red wine.
Young dry white wine dominated by freshness : this is particularly the case with Sauvignon, Aligoté or Muscadet. These wines are easily appreciated between 8 °C and 10 °C
Opulent, woody or aged white wine : these white wines, more opulent than the previous ones, tolerate a higher serving temperature. The ideal is to drink them between 10 °C and 12 ° C
Sweet white wines : a white wine of this type will quickly appear heavy in mouth when tasted too hot. It is recommended to serve them between 10 °C and 12 °C, or even less.
The serving temperature of a red wine
What really distinguishes a red wine from a white wine, apart from its color, is the presence of tannins. This presence, as well as a lower acidity implies an adequate serving temperature. We will not necessarily try to emphasize the acidity of the wine.
Fruity and very light red wine : this is the case with Beaujolais Nouveau which I mentioned above. Very little tannic and with a nice acidity, these wines are easily appreciated near 12 °C.
Fruity and supple red wine : we can put in this category powerful Gamay grape variety or young Pinot Noir. You should serve these wines around 14 °C
Powerful red wine : those with more character endure a higher temperature. This is the case with Rhône wines which are served at 14 °C to 16 °C
A great Burgundy between 15 °C and 16 °C
A great red Bordeaux can be enjoyed at room temperature, that it to say at 17 °C, 18°C
The room temperature for wine !
The term "room temperature" dates from a time when central heating did not yet exist, that is to say 18 °C. From now on, the temperature of a modern apartment fluctuating around 19 ° to 25 °C, there is no question of bringing your wine to this temperature.
The serving temperature of rosé wines
Rosé wines results from the short maceration of the juice with the skins of the grapes. Although there is transfer of some color and aromas, the rosés are mostly non-tannic.
Like a white wine, the rosé should be served between 10 and 12 ° C, even between 8 and 10°C if you want to take advantage of its quenching side.
The serving temperature of an effervescent : Champagne and Crémant
To fully understand how temperature affects the quality of your champagne, just take your favorite soda as an example. Lukewarm, the bubbles are more aggressive. Cold, the gas in the drink is better dissolved and the bubbles appear finer. The result is exactly the same with champagne or crémant., that is to say a non-vintage Champagne, a sparkling wine or a classic crémant is drunk between 7 ° and 9 ° C in order to fully play its refreshing role.
Vintage champagnes, non-vintage powerful champagnes or superior crémant present a greater aromatic complexity. They should be served at a slightly higher temperature, between 10 ° and 12 ° C.
In search of a conclusion
Although the temperatures I gave you seem very precise, I will not play the dogma game some people indulge in with panache. I consider serving temperatures more as an ideal to achieve ; a utopia that wine lovers are looking for, without ever really succeeding. Do not forget that the temperature in the glass can rise by 2 ° C in a few minutes.
Read also :
- How to store your wine in good conditions ?
- Should we decant or decant ?
- Why does the stemmed glass have a stem ?
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