There are notions of oenology that almost everyone has already heard. The expression "chamber a wine" is part of it. However, few really know what it means ... Here's all you need to know !
What are the risks of a wine served at the wrong temperature ?
The serving temperature is very important to take full advantage of the aromas and style of a wine. It is necessary, throughout the tasting, take care to maintain an optimal and stable temperature. Wine is a living drink that reacts like a human body to temperature.
The cold seizes the wine
Whatever the color of your wine, it is dangerous to offer it too cold. Thus served, its aromas escape leaving little structure. With a majority of his features erased, the wine is no longer of interest. The tannins of a red will even seem very unpleasant, making the wine lean and hard !
In any case, it is an effective way to erase a poor quality wine ! Think about it the next time you get an iced wine at a restaurant ...
The sudden heat of the wine
As opposed to a wine that is too cold, the heat will increase the perception of alcohol. So proposed, wine served too hot will appear powerful and heady. Too exacerbated aromas will lose their character and quickly tire the taste buds.
During the conservation of your most valuable bottles, too high an ambient temperature accelerates its aging. Don't think it's a good thing, quite the contrary !
The wine should not be rushed during its aging. He must grow patiently, at the risk of oxidizing prematurely. If the subject interests you, I invite you to read the post " How to store your wine in good conditions ? "
Cold raises the perception of acidity and tannins, while the hot, accentuates certain aromas, fat and alcohol.
What does it mean to chamber a wine? ?
As mentioned above, serving a wine at the wrong temperature is very bad for your tasting experience.
Each style of wine deserves that you pay attention to its serving temperature. A mineral and floral white wine will be ideal refreshed to benefit from its freshness. For a red wine, we are more willing to soften its tannins and enhance the aromas.
Thanks to the infographic below, you will no longer make mistakes when uncorking your wine ! Depending on the color, of style, tannins or its sweetness, the wine serving temperature varies enormously. To go further, you can read the article : « At what temperature to serve wine ? "
As you can see, a full-bodied red wine should be served at a temperature close to 18 ° C. If it is cooler or warmer, you will have to room him.
Chambering a wine means gradually bringing a red wine to a serving temperature close to 18 ° C..
How to use the expression "chamber a wine" ?
The ideal wine storage temperature is around 12 ° C, a red wine deserves to be warmed up a few degrees before serving. This is when you can say he deserves a room..
It must be put in a warmer room in order to reach its ideal serving temperature.
Important tips
When you chamber a wine, it is essential to be careful not to do it anyhow :
- Do not chamber your wine for hours at the risk of having too hot a wine.
- Forget the idea of placing your wine near a heat source such as a fireplace, a heater or the oven. Wine should not be rushed !
Where does the expression "chamber a wine" come from ?
Although we tend to live in housing at 21 ° C, the ideal temperature for a room is between 16 and 17 ° C. In the old days, these temperatures were common in bedrooms. So we put the bottles of wine there, hence the expression "chamber a wine".
Still, this expression remains in use and has even given rise to another expression : room someone. Addressed to a person, it always implies the idea of lag or slight shock which consists in teasing without will to harm.
Jean-Nicolas Mouretin
Read also :
- At what temperature to serve wine ?
- What is the Difference Between Decanter and Decanter ?
- How long does an open bottle last ?
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You talk about”structured rosés” :and of “structured reds” can you give examples and an explanation ?
This is a notion that deserves an article, but here is a short explanation :The structure of a wine can be seen as the morphology of the human body. It can be flat, skinny, angular, round, etc. like human body, she happens to be skeletal, petite, slender, mince, light or on the contrary well structured, corpulent (wine is then said to have body), framed, even massive.The structure of a red wine is provided by its tannins, it is the backbone of the wine. The intensity of the color also announces the structure of the wine. For red wines, a deep color generally presages a rather full-bodied wine, rich in tannins while a weak color suggests a light wine. We often consider tannat grape varieties, malbec, mourvèdre, cabernets or merlot as giving a good structure to the wine thanks to their marked tannins. This structure is also found in rosés and appellations : Tavel, Clairet or Marsannay. To know more, take a look at this article : Give back its colors to rosé wine !
Very good infographic, which allows to know the ideal temperatures for each wine. Wset by level correspondence 2 to 3