Wine Serving Tips

Drinking Wine

(NC) - Serving temperature is a major consideration for wine. Nine times out of ten, wines are served at inappropriate temperatures. Red wine is often served much warmer than it should be, and white wine is typically served much colder than it should be. Remember, 'cellar temperature' is not 'room' temperature.

Red wine served at inappropriately high temperatures will lose its aromatics very rapidly. There will be 'less to smell'. Additionally, it may end up tasting rather flat and unbalanced.

Rule of Thumb for Wine Serving:

1. Red Wine: A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if the bottle of red you are about to open feels very cool, but not quite cold. If indeed it does feel very cool, it is at or near the appropriate serving temperature.

2. White Wine: If the bottle of white you are about to open feels almost too cold to hold in your hand for long, it is too cold to be served. A wine served too cold will not 'open up', that is too say, it won't release its aromas. Also, it will numb your palate, which means you will be unable to taste and enjoy all of its character and nuances.

The following table lists the suggested serving temperatures for various wines courtesy of Canada's most award winning vintner, Magnotta Winery (www.magnotta.com)

Serving Temperatures courtesy of Magnotta Winery

• Wine Type F / C

• Sparkling Wine Serving Temperature 42-54 / 6-10

• Ros ' Wine Serving Temperatures 48-54 / 9-12

• White Wine Serving Temperatures 48-58 / 9-14

• Red Wine Serving Temperatures 57-68 / 13-20

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