Wine serving temperature
Wine serving temperature is very important! Every wine is different. There are particular characteristics for every wine: aromas and tastes. If you serve a wine at the wrong temperature you cannot appreciate all these characteristics and the wine will not taste as good as it should.
Did you know that temperature affects the taste? With our tongues, we taste up to 5 flavors (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and fat). The first four are influenced by temperature.
The way different degrees of coldness and hotness affect them are fundamental to determining the right temperature:
- The colder the temperature, the more sensitive the tongue is to acid —and the fresher the wine tastes.
- The more the temperature rises, the more the tongue perceives sweeteners and tastes a wine that is heavier and fuller. What can be a negative side effect to this is that the taste of the alcohol comes to the forefront, overshadowing the more delicious flavors.
- If the tongue cools faster on its sides, then the bitter notes are more pronounced .
Wine Serving Temperature
Heat and cold intensify different characteristics in a wine. The heat accentuates some of the aromas and also the alcohol. On the contrary, the cold accentuates a wine’s acidity.
If you have a red wine for example, you want to recognize the spices in it. The cold will not allow you to do that!
Now that you know why it’s important to serve wine at the right temperature I will go into more detail about the different temperatures.
SPARKLING WINE: 4-8°C
In this category you can find dry or brut wines produced by the Charmat Method or Classic Method, they are served at 4-6°C. Sweet and aromatic white wines can be served at 6-8°C. There are also red sparkling wines for which the serving temperature is 8°C.
WHITE WINE SERVING TEMPERATURE : 8-12°C
If white wine is served too cold, flavors and aromas will be masked. Too warm and they become flat and flabby. Serve between 8-12°C. Τhe mature wines or dessert wines are better at 10-12°C
ROSÉ WINE: 10-13°C
Rosé wines are similar to white wines. The only difference is the higher number of tannins. If the wine is young, it can be served at 10-12°C and a wine with a good structure at 12-14°C .
RED WINE: 14-18°C
Red wine will seem excessively tannic and acidic if served too cold. Too warm, they will become overly alcoholic and lifeless. Elegant wines can be served at 14°C, mid structured and dessert wines at 14-16°C, wines with good structure and mature wines at 16-18°C .
Check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faeNPTC3J5k
