Pro Tips! How to Store and Serve Your Wine at the Correct Temperature

Do you put a bottle of your favorite Chardonnay in the refrigerator in order to reduce the temperature so it will be incredibly cold?  Do you sometimes put ice in your Pinot Grigio because you consider it too warm? Are you one of those wine lovers who keeps your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon on the kitchen counter because someone once said to store it at “room temperature”?

If your answer to any of the above is “guilty as charged” don’t worry – there are plenty of wine lovers who do the same thing.

But now it’s time to rethink the chill factor and learn the correct storing and serving temperatures for wine. Why? Served at an optimal temperature, the fruit in red wine will be more prevalent, tannins may be softer, and the complexity of the juice will be that much more enjoyable.  The aromas of white wine will be more intense as will be the nuances of its flavors. If wine is too cold or too warm, the true expression of the grapes is lost. In essence, you want a wine stored correctly and served at a temperature which enhances the tastes.  So what should you do?  Read on…

How to Store and Serve Your Wine

White Wine

• Store and Serve Lightly Chilled (50-55 degrees F/10-13 degrees C) – Medium and full bodied oaked white wines such as Chardonnay, Chablis, Riesling, Dry Rose, and Fume Blanc.

• Store and Serve Chilled (45-50 degrees F/7-10 degrees C) – Light and medium bodied whites such as Muscadet, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and unoaked Chardonnay.

• Store and Serve Well Chilled (43-50 degrees F/6-10 degrees C) – Sparkling wines including Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Cremant, and Asti.

• Store and Serve Well Chilled (43-45 degrees F/6-7 degrees C) – Sweet and dessert wines such as Sauternes, Ice Wine, Sweet Muscat, Vinho Verde, German Spatlese and Auslese, and Late Harvest Riesling.

Pro Tip: If you don’t have a wine refrigerator, put the white or sparkling wine bottle in your kitchen fridge for two hours or until the bottle is cold to the touch…then take it out twenty minutes before serving.

Red Wine

• Store and Serve at Room Temperature (59-64 degrees F/15-18 degrees C) – Although I have a wine refrigerator in my kitchen set for reds at 61 degrees F, you can easily keep your medium and full bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Rioja, Syrah, Shiraz, Chianti, and Zinfandel in your cool basement or cellar.  Just check the temperature often.

• Store and Serve Lightly Chilled (55 degrees F/13 degrees C) – Light bodied reds such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Tawny and Non-Vintage Port, and Valpolicella.

Pro Tip: Again, if you don’t have a wine fridge, chill your red wine bottle for twenty minutes in the kitchen refrigerator.

More Pro Tips to Consider

Fill an ice bucket with half ice and half water.  In ten minutes your white wine will be chilled and in two minutes your full bodied red wine will be perfect…assuming you put both in the bucket while the wines are at room temperature.

Hold the glass by the stem to maintain the chill or cup the bowl of the glass with your hands to keep it warm.

Placing the wine bottle in the refrigerator will reduce the temperature 4-5 degrees for each ½ hour for the first 60-90 minutes.

Wine is meant to be enjoyed!  Follow these simple temperature guidelines for storing and serving to enhance your pleasure of what I consider is our most noble drink.

Cheers! ~ Cindy