The Temperature Mistake You're Making With Red Wine

Many wine enthusiasts will accumulate a collection of bottles — a home cellar of tasty options. While some more elaborate setups may contain a dedicated fridge, most will keep at room temperature in a convenient location. And with the red wines, it may seem natural to simply grab a bottle from such conditions, open and enjoy. However, such a go-to practice is actually a temperature mistake.

Depending on your variety, you want your red wines served in a range from around 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with 52 to 55 degrees being optimal. So unless you happen to inhabit a chilly wine cellar, the advice to serve red wines at room temperature is misleading. Instead, stick your bottle in the fridge for around ten minutes prior to serving, and you'll have the ideal temperature in most cases.

Just like how it's a mistake to eat your food piping hot, drinking your red wine warm is unadvised. Such a temperature makes the flavors imbalanced, bringing out acidity and tannins in discordant ways. And if you get the booze too hot, it may even start fermenting again. So keep in mind temperature's significant impact, and know a short cooling duration will pay off.

From driest to sweetest, red wine packs in an extensive range, so accordingly not all varieties warrant the same serving temperature. For the bulk of wines enjoyed with a meal, that goldilocks range of 52 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, hence why it's the go-to setting of wine fridges. However, stray into some more unique styles, and you'll need to fine tune the serving temperature.

Perhaps you're enjoying a light and refreshing red, like a Beaujolais, or a Lambrusco. Such wines might even be lightly sparkling, a sign that you need to serve on the colder side. So throw it in an ice bucket, and let it go down to 50 degrees or even a bit cooler — around the ideal temperature for white wine.

On the opposite end of the scale are very bold, and rich red wines. Think full-bodied candidates like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec. Such types you won't want to chill quite as drastically — it'll dampen their flavors — so instead aim for the low 60s Fahrenheit. Take note that this will still require a bit of chilling from ambient temperature, so even big red wines will need a few minutes in the fridge. And in such a range you'll also want to enjoy your fortified wines like port or madeira, with the sweeter, boozier varieties served warmer. Keep such considerations in mind, and you won't throw off a good wine with the wrong conditions.