Wine Serving Temperatures

Most wine drinkers understand what serving a red wine at 'room temperature' means. The old world wine countries in Europe have a cooler room temperature than those of us in the US. So room temperature for wine means in the mid 60s. Sadly, many restaurants that should know better serve wine at a typical US room temperature of the mid to upper 70s.

Full-bodied and tannic red wines are best served at no more than 64°F. Softer, fruity reds-like a Pinot Noir or a Zinfandel-are best enjoyed at even lower temperatures, anywhere between 54 and 64 degrees F. Consider putting a recently purchased bottle of red in the refrigerator when you begin preparing your meal at home. And even if the bottle is a little too chilled at first, it will quickly warm in the glass.

Contrary to popular usage, white wines are should not be fully refrigerated and served like an ice cold soda pop. A white wine is ideally served between 43°F to 53°F. One exception to this is a Viognier which expresses its fruity aroma at the low end of room temperature reds.