Wine Temperature: For Whites and Reds There Are Commonplaces and Myths to Debunk

Wine temperature: in the summer heat we can also ask for a glass of fresh red wine!

Summer is upon us and the weather is getting hotter, so let's start by debunking some myths and not be ashamed, if it's very hot, to ask to put the bottle of red wine on ice!

Yes, fresh, because the right temperature of service is not only a refinement of connoisseurs, but a good rule useful to everyone, connoisseurs, enthusiasts or even wine neophytes.

Temperature can enhance the characteristics of the wine in a positive way, or make you perceive defects that the wine doesn't actually have.

What happens when temperatures are too low?

If the temperature of the wine is very low, when we bring the glass to our nose we notice that the olfactory notes are unable to be released well. The aromas are given by chemical components defined as "volatile" which are conveyed by the alcohol present in the wine itself; if the temperature is low, the volatile components and the alcohol are inhibited and therefore less perceptible to the nose. If we move on to the taste part, the tannic component and astringent can attack the palate.

But then why are white wine and sparkling wines served cold?

In these two cases, the wines should not have a tannic and astringent component, but a pleasant acidity: therefore the cold helps and enhances the delicate aromas and acidity typical of whites. Furthermore, it ensures that in sparkling wines the CO2 bubble is not aggressive in the mouth, but well dissolved, thus giving a sensation of pleasant effervescence or frothiness, depending on the typology.

What happens at high temperatures?

As for excessively high temperatures, however, we have the diametrically opposite effect.

When you raise the glass to your nose, the alcohol is invasive, almost annoying. The acidity flattens and the sweet notes of sugar and glycol fill the mouth, making the wine seem seated and soft.

So far we have talked about borderline cases, moving towards excesses, but what are the most correct temperatures for the various types of products?

What are the correct temperatures?

It is preferable to serve sparkling or fizzy wines around 6-8°C depending on the type: the more complex and mature the wine, the higher the serving temperature will be.

Even for still white wines we can enjoy the youngest ones around 8-10°C and go up to 12°C if the white is structured and evolved.

As for red wines, the gap can widen considerably: if the wine is a vintage red we can appreciate it already at 16-18°C, but an aging red, which has already been refined for over 10 years in the bottle, can be limited by temperatures below 20°C.

All this does not mean that we need to use a thermometer every time we want to drink a wine, but only that a sparkling wine can be drunk straight out of a normal refrigerator, while a white wine needs twenty to thirty minutes of acclimatization in the room before being appreciated at its best.

But above all, don't be afraid to ask the restaurant to cool it down a bit. red wine : remember that the room temperature refers to that of the cellar, around 16-18°C, not that of a warm summer evening!

by Silvia Cirri and Linda Franceschi