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I am somewhat new to wine, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on wine temperatures.

I understand that there are different serving temperatures associated with different wines, but how does one reach those temperatures? If wine is being stored at 55 degrees, how quickly does wine warm up to its desired temperature, and how does one know it has reached that temperature. Same with cooling wine. how ought one do it, and when does one know it is at the right temperature.

I saw a product:

Do wine chillers like this work, are they recommended by anyone? Futher, should I just get a thermomter?

Original Post
Howdy, InkArt.

Save your money on the wine chiller if you have a refrigerator.

A basic strategy for wine temps that was given to me long ago was to take room temperature reds and put them in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to opening and to take chilled whites and remove them from the fridge 20 minutes prior to opening.

Use that as a baseline. You can always adjust from there based on your tastes, and use your fridge to maintain a preferred temperature for you.

I'm hardly new to wine, having been "into" it since the early 70s. I have a cellar that's kept at 55 degrees, which is ideal for aging wine but most people consider it far too cold for drinking reds, and too warm for whites (although whites are often more flavorful at that temperature).

So, here's what I do: about once a week I go to the cellar and bring up a few bottles of "the good stuff" to consume that week, along with the "cheap sh*t" my wife picks up at the market. The selected reds rest upright on the kitchen counter, which is always in the low 70s, and the whites go in the refrigerator.

I double-decant the reds to remove sediment, and may stick them in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes if they seem a little warm. To me, most reds are best around 65 to 70 degrees.

The whites are generally fine right from the fridge, particularly over the course of dinner, although I sometimes remove the bottle (especially the good stuff) from the refrigerator 10 or 20 minutes before serving (my wine likes whites a tad cooler than I do, so most comes straight from the refrigerator to the table).

If we decide to have a particular white that's not already chilled, I just stick it in the freezer for up to an hour (I set a kitchen timer), and the result is perfectly chilled wine.

If I'm in a really big hurry, I dig out the ice bucket, fill it about half full with ice, stick the bottle in, and then fill the bucket with cold water, which greatly speeds the chilling process. About 15 to 20 minutes is all it takes.

A quick search on the internet will locate many web sites with suggested serving temperatures.

As for a heater/cooler, I have one and just love it. Pull a bottle from my cellar, set the temperature and I know the serving temperature is perfect the whole evening. I believe that serving wine the correct temperature maximizes the enjoyment/experience. The only negative is the noise generated from the fan. One of the best purchases I made.

Are you a tattoo artist BTW?

My advice, don't worry so much about what the "official temperature" is supposed to be for drinking wine. Find what works for you! Don't let somebody or some book tell you what exact temperature you should drink your pinot noir at. If you want, get a couple bottles, some friends, a few glasses, and do a little testing to see what works for you. Maybe you like your white wines at room temperature, fine. Maybe you like your syrah chilled a bit, no problem.

Me, I like my big reds at room temperature (about 70 degrees), and my whites a little cooler than that (maybe 60). This is warmer than most prefer, but it's just the way I like like them, no big deal. And, if the temperature is not what I prefer, big whoop, it's not the end of the world.

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