Wine Lesson 1

Proper Serving Temperatures

Are you drinking white wines too cold and red wines too warm? Most people (and restaurants, for that matter) serve whites straight out the refrigerator or ice bucket, and reds at room temperature. These are not necessarily the proper temperatures and usually will prevent you from enjoying a wine to its fullest.

Ideal serving temperature for most whites is between 50° - 55° F, a range that allows the wine to release its aroma. This heightens your sensory perception and enables you to more fully savor the wine's flavor and detect its subtle nuances and qualities. Colder serving temperatures paralyze the wine's ability to "open up." Ideal serving temperature for most reds is between 65° - 68° F, a range that maximizes the wine's fruitiness and flavor. Temperatures above 70° (typical of most U. S. homes and restaurants) cause the wine to have a burning aftertaste, or "hot finish." (Conversely, temperatures below 55° will enhance a wine's bitterness.)

The “homework” for this lesson is to invite some friends over and buy two identical bottles of a white wine and two identical bottles of a red wine. Keep both reds at room temperature. Chill both whites in an ice bucket. About 20 minutes before tasting, remove one of the whites and allow it to warm slightly. Five minutes before tasting, slightly chill one of the reds in the ice bucket. Then pour everyone a taste from each bottle and ask them which wines they prefer. (Put socks over the bottles so no one can see the labels.) The wines will taste so different that everyone will be shocked to learn that they're identical—and virtually 100% of the time everyone will prefer the warmer white and the cooler red!

Wine Lesson Two | Wine Lesson Three | Wine Lesson Four | Wine Lesson Five | Wine Lesson Six