Is My Red Wine Cold Enough?

Jul 9, 2015

(WSJ) - HANDS UP IF you’ve ever called for an ice bucket for your red wine. Don’t laugh: When a red is served too warm, a few minutes submerged in ice and water will bring it down to an acceptable temperature—for the record, usually between 14°C and 18°C.

Fortunately, I’ve never had to make this rather strange request. Mainly, I expect, because I lived for many years in Scotland, where the average temperature seldom reaches above balmy and I’m glad to say, most restaurants have invested in temperature-controlled storage cabinets.

But I’m asked about the correct temperature at which to serve wine perhaps more than anything else. I recently came back from Hong Kong and Singapore, where the climate makes this a very real issue, and Europe has sweltered under such high temperatures this month that I expect a few ice buckets did the rounds.

If you serve wine at the wrong temperature, you can destroy its fragile aroma compounds, affecting the taste. It isn’t an exact science, though—as with all aspects of wine, personal preference comes into it.

The late Serge Hochar, of Lebanese winery Château Musar, once told me that he never put ice in his water, however hot it was outside, and that he always served his white wine at room temperature—never chilled.

I have an aversion to any drink served too cold; on the other hand, I prefer red wine at cellar temperature, just below room temperature, though others prefer it warmer.

Such is the range of styles, from light, crisp Sauvignon Blanc to heavy, rustic Shiraz, that you can’t make a one-size-fits-all prescription when it comes to temperature. Each grape variety behaves differently. But there are a few ground rules.

An average household refrigerator will chill a bottle of wine down to 5°C in a few hours. As a rule of thumb, all sparkling wines, light, crisp and aromatic white wines—Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Vinho Verde and Soave—and pale rosés should be served straight from the fridge, between 5°C and 8°C. If you find this too cold, you can always warm the glass by cupping it in your hand. If the bottle is too cold, put it in a bucket of warm water for 10 minutes. If it isn’t cold enough, submerge it in ice and water for around 10 minutes—this will chill it much more quickly than a fridge.


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