Serving temps.

Do you have an opinion (haha that was rhetorical, of course you do!!)

How about the author's statement: " I now think that serving temperature is one of the critical elements in appreciating a wine" ?

FWIW, I keep my wine fridge at 55 F. Right or wrong? This article triggered my interest...

http://www.wineanorak.com/serving.htm

JB

Do you have an opinion (haha that was rhetorical, of course you do!!
How about the author's statement: " I now think that serving temperature is one of the critical elements in appreciating a wine" ?
FWIW, I keep my wine fridge at 55 F. Right or wrong? This article triggered my interest...
http://www.wineanorak.com/serving.htm
JB

Jamie is absolutely right. The serving temperature can be crucial to appreciation of a wine.
For some alcoholic Zins, I almost give them a slight chill to cut back on the alcohol. For older wines,
I always serve them a bit warmer to bring out the aromatics.
In particular, for skin-contact whites & orange wines, it is essential that they be served at warmer
temps than you would for a white or a rose.
Tom

Jamie is absolutely right. The serving temperature can be crucial to appreciation of a wine.
For some alcoholic Zins, I almost give them a slight chill to cut back on the alcohol. For older wines,
I always serve them a bit warmer to bring out the aromatics.
In particular, for skin-contact whites & orange wines, it is essential that they be served at warmer
temps than you would for a white or a rose.

Interesting about chilling to back off the alcohol. I haven't thought of that. I read that Jancis Robinson tastes all wines, even whites, at room temp. I have often warmed a glass of white with my hands on the bowl, to pry it open. Your note about skin-contact whites and orange whites gives me pause. Should I be considering the grape when determining peak serving temp?

Jamie is absolutely right. The serving temperature can be crucial to appreciation of a wine.
For some alcoholic Zins, I almost give them a slight chill to cut back on the alcohol. For older wines,
I always serve them a bit warmer to bring out the aromatics.
In particular, for skin-contact whites & orange wines, it is essential that they be served at warmer
temps than you would for a white or a rose.
Tom

Interesting about chilling to back off the alcohol. I haven't thought of that. I read that Jancis Robinson tastes all wines, even whites, at room temp. I have often warmed a glass of white with my hands on the bowl, to pry it open. Your note about skin-contact whites and orange whites gives me pause. Should I be considering the grape when determining peak serving temp?

When I have a skin-contact white or orange wine, I (almost) always/automatically serve it at cool/red wine temps. Otherwise, it can be unpleasantly
bitter from the phenolic load.
As for Jancis....can you imagine tasting Sauternes or German Auslese at room temps?? Apalling.
Tom

Hi Julia, I do not have a wine frig. but Luci does and she cannot get it below 56 deg. If I had one I'd keep it at 40 deg. so I could serve many Germans and Champagnes at that temp. and easily warm up other whites with my hand or bring them out early. I never chill any red wine, as 65-68 deg. cellar temp. is just fine for me. See you soon!!!

Hmm I don't serve my wines at 55F but store them that way. Most white wines taste fine between 55-60, as far as I'm concerned. Reds show best 65-68ish, which is rarely room temp for me. I do enjoy allowing the wine in the glass to rise to room temp. and find the experience of tasting it periodically as it warms, very enlightening.

I believe that serving temperature is critical to wine enjoyment.
Likewise, I believe that it will differ for every taster.
No rules, just right.
Best, Jim

Jamie's recommendations work for me just fine. However, I have noticed that many non-geeks actually seem to prefer their red wine, like Jamie's friend with his oven, lukewarm and their whites numbingly cold. A lot of restaurants go along with this in the way they serve wines. I frequently ask for an ice-bucket to cool down a red and often take a white out out of its ice bucket.

Why is this? Is it lack of personal experimentation and reliance on some old fashioned mantras like "room temperature" for reds? Or is it genuine preference for diffuse focus of aromas and IMO excessively blunted tannins in reds and for elimination of most flavour except refreshing tension in whites?

I think red should be cool to the mouth, shouldn't ever feel warm.

In warm weather like we're experiencing now I stick reds in fridge door 30 mins before serving.

Ref Jancis: tasting wine -- as opposed to enjoying wine -- it's not unusual to serve whites unchilled as it can highlight faults & weaknesses.

I think the temperature of the room and ones own temp is important. A very cold white wine served in a restaurant with icy air-con when you're dressed in short sleeves and shivering is experienced differently to the same thing being served in a warm restaurant when you're in jacket, or outside in the sun. Of course, in the latter the chilled wine soon warms.

Laying down a blanket 'serve at this temp' ruling is the sort of answer new wine drinkers like, but for me I judge at the time, and just like Tim, ask for an icebucket for a red, or remove the white from same if that's what I think is right.

In other words, there is no one 'correc't temperature. We all taste differently.

We keep our wine storage unit at 57F. We will usually put sparklers in the actual fridge for a bit to chill them further. We just pop an pour most whites. The reds we will let sit out for half an hour or longer before serving.