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Do you have a question for Dr. Vinny? Is it correct that when serving white wines they should be served chilled, and when serving reds they should be served at room temperature? —Terrance J., High Point, N.C. Serving temperatures are really a matter of personal preference, but most people seem to like their whites chilled and their reds at room temperature. Many connoisseurs think that Americans in particular tend to drink our whites too cold and our reds too warm. I bet that's because most folks chill their whites in the refrigerator (where they can get cold enough to suppress a wine's aromatics) and serve their reds at the ambient room temperature (which can be a bit on the warm side, depending on your definition of "room temperature"). More specifically, I think whites show their best anywhere from about 40 to 50 degrees F (the lighter-bodied whites at the colder end of the spectrum, the fuller-bodied whites at the warmer end).

To give you some perspective, most food refrigerators are around 35 or 40 degrees F. So think of serving whites a bit cooler than a wine cellar, but warmer than a refrigerator. For reds, you would typically want them warmer than cellar temperature, but still a bit cooler than most room temperatures—say, 60 to 65 degrees F. Also keep in mind that a wine served cool will warm up in the glass, while a wine served warm will only get warmer. Above all, let your own preferences be your guide. See all from Ask Dr. Vinny We break down the basics—how to taste, serve, store and more. » Maps of major wine regions » Grape variety characteristics Learn to taste wine like a pro, pull a cork with flair, get great wine service in a restaurant and more Learn from the experts and get the most out of each sip. Take one of our online courses or take them all—from the ABCs of Tasting to in-depth seminars on Food Pairing, California Cabernet, Bordeaux, Tuscany, Sensory Evaluation and more.

Browse our course catalog Check out the professional wine sales and service courses Learn Wine Forum: Got questions? The temperature at which a wine is served is important, and it is worth spending a few moments thinking about it. old adage of serving white wines chilled and red wines at room temperature is a useful starting point, although not nearly detailedA wine served a little too cold or a little too warm can lose an awful lot of character, particularly with respect to aroma. Most domestic refrigerators maintain their internal environment at about 4�C, which is far too cold for mostChampagne and dry white wines of quality are best served at a temperature between 8�C and 10�C (sometimes even a little higher), which is very close to the temperature in many underground cellars for much of the year. Many whites, therefore, are best served straight from the cellar, but for the majority whose homes do not possess such a feature, a bare hour or so in the fridge door will do fine here.

wines, cheaper sparkling wines and sweet white wines are best a little colder, perhaps 4�C to 8�C, so two hours or so should bring these bottles down to a reasonable temperature.best wine bars in west la Red wines often also need a littleglass of wine drivingThe 'room temperature' which many regard as the ideal servingwine and food chart temperature for red wines is not an excuse to leave wines languishing inbest places to drink wine in italy the warmth of today's insulated, centrally heated houses. wines of spain canada

serving temperature for many fine red wines is perhaps 14�C to 18�C, somewhat cooler than modern houses, although this was a common temperature indoors in centuries gone by! best rated wine books stored somewhere cool, will benefit from half an hour in theThis is particularly the case for Beaujolais and young Burgundy, as well as Pinot Noir from the New World. Good claret, Rh�nes and other reds from warmer climes are generally fine at 16 - 18�C. When bringing the wine to the correct temperature, its obviously important not to damage the wine. cooling in the fridge is best, and cooling in a bucket of water and ice is also safe, and more rapid. It will have the effect of bringing the wine down to 0�C, which is far too cold to appreciate the wine, so you will need to remove the bottle before it gets this far. warm a bottle which is too cold, there is a more significant risk of

Warm the wine gently, preferably by planning ahead and bringing the wine from its cool storage area, be it wine cellar or fridge, several hours in advance. tempted to try and accelerate the process by placing the wine near radiators or other sources of heat. This is a recipe for likely disaster, with the end result quite possibly a stewed, soupy, over-heated wine, especially left their too long as the mind is occupied elsewhere. Even the supposedly knowledgeable are guilty of wine mistreatment when it comes to storage and serving temperature. A wine waiter in a respected local restaurant at which I was tried to warm a bottle just up from the cellar by placing it next to the open fire - I was quick to stop him, preferring to warm the wine in my had as it wasn't really too cold. In another, a red wine came to the table obviously too warm, it even felt warm to the touch. I suspect it had been stored somewhere very close to, if not within, the kitchen.