The Wine Serving Temperature Guide

Why temperature changes what you taste

Temperature controls how aromas evaporate and how acidity, sweetness and tannin are perceived. Serve a wine too cold and the aromas stay locked in while bitterness and acidity dominate. Serve it too warm and alcohol becomes prominent and the wine can taste flabby or heavy.

Most red wines are served too warm and most white wines too cold. A room in a modern heated home is often 20 to 22 °C, which is warmer than ideal for almost every style of wine.

Recommended ranges

• Sparkling wine and Champagne: 6 to 8 °C. Vintage and prestige cuvées gain complexity at the top of this range.
• Light, crisp whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Muscadet): 7 to 10 °C.
• Fuller whites (oaked Chardonnay, white Burgundy, Viognier): 10 to 13 °C.
• Rosé: 8 to 11 °C.
• Light reds (Pinot Noir, Gamay, Beaujolais): 13 to 15 °C.
• Medium to full reds (Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese): 15 to 17 °C.
• Structured, tannic reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo, Bordeaux): 16 to 18 °C.
• Sweet dessert wines: 6 to 10 °C depending on style.

Practical tricks without a wine fridge

To chill a white wine quickly, place the bottle in a bucket of ice and cold water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Water makes contact with the entire bottle and cools much faster than ice alone or a freezer shelf.

To cool a red wine that is too warm, put it in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. To warm a white wine that is too cold, simply let it stand in the glass for a few minutes; your hands and the room will warm it gradually.

A freezer is risky: a forgotten bottle can freeze, expand and push out the cork or crack the glass. If you use one, set a timer.

A useful rule of thumb

When unsure, serve slightly cooler than you think you need. A glass naturally warms by one or two degrees every few minutes, so it is easy to let a wine warm up but impossible to cool it in the glass.