What Is the Best Serving and Drinking Temperature for Wine?

Most people assume the wine temperature does not matter. In fact, they believe it complicates the process.

After all, all you have to do is open the chilled bottle of wine and drink it right. Wrong.

Picture it like this, does a beer need to be served cold or at room temperature? Most people will say beer should always be served cold. So, the temperature does matter whether you drink a beer or a glass of wine.

How Does Temperature Affect the Quality of Wine?

The serving temperature is probably one of the most neglected aspects of drinking wine. However, the temperature is a vital element when serving wine as it can impact the flavor and aroma of the wine.

What Is the Best Serving and Drinking Temperature for Wine?

Every wine has the perfect serving temperature. When it comes to wine temperatures, there is no one size fits all. For example, sweeter wines should be served a little warm, while red wine should be uncorked for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

What Is the Best Serving Temperature for Red Wine?

Red wine should be served between 55°F-65°F. This is the best temperature to allow you to taste the full flavor of the red wine.

If the red wine is too warm, the alcoholic flavor can be more pronounced, causing a stinging sensation when you drink it. In contrast, the tannins will have an overly robust flavor if the red wine is too cold.

What Is the Best Serving Temperature for White Wine?

It’s best to serve white wines slightly warmer than 40°F, which is slightly above the fridge’s temperature. So, you should serve white wine between 49°F-55°F. 

Most wine experts will tell you white wine must be served chilled instead of at room temperature. Technically, this is true. However, there is the white wine sweet spot that falls between 45°F-50°F.

For this reason, you should not store white wine in a regular refrigerator. The average refrigerator keeps food at a temperature of 35°F-40°F. The food won’t be cold enough to freeze, but it is just cold enough to extend the food’s shelf life.

If you store your white wine in the fridge, its temperature will range between 35°F-40°F, which is a little cooler than it should be served. This is why it’s best to put the white wine in the fridge 30 minutes before you serve it. This cools the white wine down without making it too cold.

You can also store the wine in a wine color or fridge. These coolers or fridges are specifically created to keep wine at a specific temperature. Therefore, you can set your wine refrigerator to 45°F, and it will keep your white wine cool until you are ready to serve it.

I know what you are thinking; what about other wines? There are different types of white and red wines, and yes, you are right. There are different types of red and white wines that need to be served at different temperatures.

Rose and full-bodied white wines should be served between 44°F and 55°F. Light and medium-bodied red wines are best served between 55°F-60°F.

In contrast, sparkling and light-bodied white wines should be served between 38°F and 45°F. Bold red wines are between 60°F and 68°F, while dessert wines depend on the style of wine.

Temperature Tips for Serving Wine

If you sniff the wine and your nose starts to burn from the alcohol aroma, it may be too warm and must be chilled. If your wine does not have a flavor, let it sit at room temperature to warm it up.

White wines should never be overly cold, while red wines should not be excessively hot. Lower quality wines should be served cooler. This will eliminate the unpleasant aroma.

Generally speaking, sparking wines should be served ice cold. However, if the wine is a high-quality aged Champagne, it’s best to let it warm up slightly to bring out its full aroma. 

Final Thoughts

The serving and drinking temperature of the wine are essential. For example, if white wine is too cold, it will not be as flavorful if it were served at the right temperature. The same goes for a white wine that is too warm as it becomes dull.

Nevertheless, the perfect serving temperature for personal temperature comes down to your personal preference. You can experiment within the realm of these temperatures to find a temperature that suits you.