This is most important when the bottle is sealed with a cork as over time the cork will dry out. It needs to sleep in the dark and usually on its side. Imagine you are putting the bottle to bed. This affects the seal and can cause wines to become stale and even sparkling wines to lose their fizz. If wines are stored in the fridge for too long, corks can lose their elasticity and become hard. This room commonly experiences large fluctuations in temperature. It might surprise you but one of the worst place to store wine is in your kitchen. Your storage area must be kept at a lower than room temperature at 10-15 ☌ (50-59☏). If you want to store a wine for a long time to get the best development inside the bottle, the temperature must be controlled and regulated. If you are fortunate enough to have the space to start building your own wine collection, it can be a great way to buy wines when they are a little more affordable. If a wine is stored incorrectly, it can affect the flavour and, in some cases, can cause the wine to become faulty. Have you ever considered building or starting your own wine cellar? Some wines will develop and improve with age but to age a wine effectively you must store it in optimal conditions. We gained exclusive access to what a somm’s day consists of at a top London restaurant. Just as wines can be served too warm (losing their freshness), it should be noted that over-chilling, to below 6☌ (43☏), can mask the flavours in white, rosé and sparkling wines.ĭreaming of becoming a sommelier or interested in landing the basics of wine service? Read our exclusive blog on the day in the life of a sommelier. However, there are some differences in the ideal temperature to serve white wines.Ī full-bodied white, such as an oaked Chardonnay may only need to be lightly chilled (around 10-13☌,50-55 ☏), whereas light or medium-bodied whites, such as a Pinot Grigio will benefit from being served a little colder. What temperature should you serve sparkling, white and rosé wines ?Īs sparkling, white and rosé wines are best served chilled, ice buckets are commonly used in restaurants or bars to keep these wines cold at the table. Air acts as an insulator and a bottle in ice alone will chill very slowly until some of the ice has melted. The water is then able to transfer the heat from the bottle to melt the ice. Top Tip: Remember that an ice bucket should always be three-quarters filled with equal quantities of ice and water so that the bottle of wine is fully surrounded by iced water. However, so long as they haven’t been heated too quickly, once they’ve cooled to the optimal service temperature, they should regain their balance. If these wines are served at a temperature, exceeding 18☌ (64 ☏), they can appear to lose their freshness and their flavour structure can become muddled. Instead, a good way to gently warm a wine is to hold the bowl of the glass in your hands. If reds are too cold, they may taste thin and harsh.Īlthough you might be tempted to warm a red quickly, perhaps by placing it near a radiator, sudden exposure to extreme heat can permanently damage the wine. What temperature should you serve red wines?įull-bodied red wines should be served at room temperature. So why do we talk about service temperature? Generally speaking, wines show their best and the fullest expression of their styles and flavours when served at particular temperatures. How to serve wine at the correct temperature With the widespread use of air conditioning and central heating, rooms can often be either too hot or even sometimes too cold. What we've come to expect as normal room temperature for us is actually quite a bit warmer than the optimal serving temperature for wines. While the Oxford English Dictionary states that room temperature is conventionally taken as about 20 ☌ (68 ☏), it might actually surprise you to discover that what's referred to as ‘room temperature for wines’ might leave you reaching for a sweatshirt, as it's actually, a bit cooler: 15 to 18 ☌ (59–64 ☏). When you hear the expression serve at room temperature, what number comes to mind?
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