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What temperature should wines be served at?

Posted : 28-May-2015

“Wine is bottled poetry.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

Then let us not spoil the verse.

So, at what temperature should you serve wine?

You would have heard many times that red wine should be served at 'ambient room temperature'. This suggestion arose in France where the 'ambient room temperatures' are much cooler than here in Australia. For white wines it is commonly suggested that they be served chilled.

A glass of wine is one of the pleasures of the day, symbolising work is over and that it is time to sit down and relax. I would call it a ritual to share.

Let us help you get the most out of your wine and enjoy it even more, and yes it does spoil at the wrong temperature.

So let us start with the whites wines:

Chardonnay is best served at temperatures of 11° – 12° centigrade in Australia otherwise it will lose its aromas and flavours.

Rosé and Semillon is best served at 10°-12° centigrade

And our Verdelho, a bit cooler at 8°-10°

Our Pinot Gris and our Dessert wines, cooler again at around 7°.

Chill for no more than 3 hours in the fridge. No more though as the only thing your taste buds will register is acidity.

Our Tip

Uncork the bottle as soon as you get home from work, place it in a wine cooler with ice and cold water, put the bottle in the cooler and it will be at perfect serving temperature in no time. Try this tip and please let us know.

Now to the red wine

Served at 'room temperature' in Australia, approximately 24° centigrade, is not the same 'room temperature' as in France. At 24°, red wine will lose all of its subtlety, class and freshness. The flavours will be hidden by the taste of the alcohol.

Serve full bodied reds at around 18°.

Pinot Noir at around 15°

And serve, light, young and fruity reds at 12° to 14°.

Our Tip

Give your reds some time to cool down in the fridge before serving, maybe about 25 minutes or so. Of course, if you have a wine cellar that has cooler temperatures this would not be necessary. Remember to take the bottle out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Best to serve a little cooler, you can always warm the glass in the palm of your hand.

Each wine style has an ideal serving temperature. Served below its ideal temperature, tannins will be harsher and acidity will be stronger. Served above its ideal temperature, aromas and flavours will succumb to the sensation of alcohol.