Reviewing the temperature of your wine before tasting it is a relatively simple, but unfortunately too often ignored ritual. Once you have selectedn the wine you want to pair with the food, most of the energy focuses on the cooking and the wine bottle is temporarily forgotten.
And still, all that is required is actually just to let the bottle make a brief visit in the refrigerator along with a wine termometer that measures the exact temperature of the wine. Wine termometers are available in various forms and are a good investment for anyone interested in wine. The same wine can give very different taste sensations depending on the temperature at which the wine is served.
A wine that is served too hot easily becomes too heavy and emphasizes the alcohol taste, which is devastating if the wine is strong and alcoholic. An over-chilled wine, on the other hand, loses its aromatic properties and can easily become “dumb” and short in the aftertaste.
If we start with the red wines, it used to be said that a red wine should be served “chambered”, i.e. at room temperature. However, it’s not that easy and all reds can’t be considered the same. On top of that, the chambered wine rule worked relatively well in the past when the indoor temperature rarely exceeded 20 °. Today, our modern living space often maintains an indoor temperature of 22-23 °, which is too warm for serving red wine. Especially more powerful wines from the Mediterranean regions become heavy and enhance the alcohol taste when served too warm.
When it comes to white wines, it is the opposite. You can serve an oak barrel aged white wine with a few years of storage a little warmer than the younger, fresher and mineral white wines. The taste aromas open up with the heat and develop better than if the wine is chilled. Below you will find a table that gives you a guideline on how wines should be served depending on the region of France they come from.
