Beyond aromatics, temperature also affects wine texture and taste. Wines served cold seem more acidic (read: refreshing) and more tannic (read: an astringent, drying, mouth-puckering sensation). This is why red wines are generally served warmer than whites: they contain tannin, while whites rarely have any tannin at all. The curious thing about tannin is that we perceive its drying effect more at lower temperatures. That means if you take the same tannic wine and serve it at 10º and 18º, the cooler sample will taste much more astringent, perhaps unpleasantly so. At 18º the wine will still be tannic, but much more tolerable; if it’s decanted and served with a little salty protein then the tannins may not be a significant factor at all.
As most whites and rosés don’t contain tannin, they can be served chilled without the fear of increasing that astringent sensation, while emphasizing the refreshment factor and favoring fruity over alcoholic aromatics. Barrel-aged whites, on the other hand, will not only be more aromatically complex, but will also contain some tannin derived from the wood, and are therefore best served slightly warmer than un-oaked whites.
There are many, many reds with naturally low tannin such as gamay, pinot noir, grenache, tempranillo and barbera that can also be served chilled for the same benefits, along with most un-oaked reds of any variety. And since the majority of wines produced today are intended for immediate consumption, that is with little tannin that would otherwise take years to soften, just about every white, rose or red should be served lightly chilled, especially in the summer and with spicy food.
Sweet & Sparkling Wines
In addition to all of the other effects notes above, temperature also affects the perception of sugar and carbon dioxide. The sweet sensation caused by residual sugar in the wine is reduced at lower temperatures (while the freshness is increased), which is why off-dry and sweet wines are served chilled, emphasizing fruit and decreasing the cloying (excessive sweetness) aspect. This doesn’t mean that all sweet wines, especially complex, high quality wines should be served ice cold, however, since you might miss out on the aroma and flavour that makes them expensive and interesting in the first place. It’s a fine balance.
Sparkling wines should be served chilled to slow down those CO2 molecules. At higher temperatures they are more agitated and thus more aggressive on our receptors (like warm, fizzy pop), not to mention the fact that they escape more quickly, leaving a glass of bubbly flat. Cooler temperatures also help to lessen the sweetness that virtually all sparkling wines contain and improve the crisp, vibrant aspect.
One final thought: when in doubt, serve cooler rather than warmer. The wine will eventually warm up. Wine served too warm from the start is doomed, unless, of course, you live in an igloo.
Practically Speaking
Whites at room temperature need a couple of hours in the fridge to chill down to serving temperature; with most reds, 20-30 minutes should do. Just remember to maintain the temperature, either with a simple ceramic, stainless steel or acrylic cooler, the kind that require no ice or water, or by dipping the bottle in and out of a bucket of ice and water (don’t leave the wine in the bucket all night or it will get way too cold). Otherwise pour and return to the fridge in between refills.
If you didn’t get organized ahead of time, the fastest way to cool a bottle is in a bucket of water and ice, about half and half. Ice alone, with all of those air pockets in between, is far less effective at chilling; water is a far more efficient conductor (and good luck getting the bottle back in the ice-packed bucket). Two minutes in a bucket will drop the temperature by about 1ºC. So if your wine is at 22ºC (room temperature), count on about 12 minutes to bring it down to 16ºC (about right for a light-medium-bodied red), or about 25 minutes for a basic white.
Another immediate solution is a rather ingenious little device designed to chill wine on the spot called the RAVI Instant Chiller. The RAVI is kept in your freezer; when you need to chill instantly, pull it out and insert the cork-like end into the bottle. The wine is then poured through a cooling coil in the device and, depending on the speed of pouring, will lower the temperature to the desired range almost instantly. Handy if you forgot to plan ahead…
One last important point: don’t forget to store unfinished bottles of wine, red or white, in the fridge. They won’t spoil as rapidly — remember, all reactions, including oxidation, occur more quickly at higher temperatures.
Recommended serving temperatures:
ºC Wine style
18 Full bodied red wines, Vintage port
17 Tawny port
15-16 Medium bodied red wines
14 Amontillado sherry
13-15 Light bodied (un-oaked) red wines
12 Full bodied, barrel fermented white wines
8-10 Medium-bodied white wines
7-9 Rosé, light bodied, un-oaked white wines, off-dry and sweet wines
9 Vintage sparkling, extra-brut (no sugar added)
6-8 Fino sherry
6-7 Non-vintage sparkling
See Part One here of John Szabo’s Temperature & Aromatics guide.
John Szabo is a master sommelier and wine writer for Toronto Standard. Follow his tweets here: @johnszabo.
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