By Ben Thomas
The temperature at which a wine is served has a huge impact on its flavour. It makes good wine sing but can also give a wine all the awkwardness of a gangly teenager.
Most wines are blended in cellars where temperatures are usually a few degrees below room temperature. It’s in this range that the winemaker feels the wine displays the best combination of vineyard, winemaking and balance.
A wine’s balance – the combination of tannin, fruit, acid and alcohol – suffers when it is served at the wrong temperature.
Tannins, a key part of a wine’s structure, become astringent when a wine is served too cold, especially with elegant wines such as pinot noir and chardonnay.
At warmer temperatures, volatile alcohol fumes are released, making a wine smell boozy rather than layered with fruit and spice aromas.
Bubbles are known to be finer in sparkling when served icy cold, giving the wine a smooth mousse and mouthfeel. I actually prefer my bubbly a little warmer, so I leave the bottle out of the fridge after popping the cork. These are wines, after all, that are generally made from chardonnay and pinot noir that are at their best when drunk around 14-16 degrees.
Here’s a guide to the ideal temperature to serve a wine and how long a bottle needs in the fridge to reach its ideal temperature.
