Temperature for Wines  

                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                 

 

                                                           

          

                                 This thermometer shows the ideal temperature to serve wine.  

   

                                          For those who don't think in celsius, we converted it to fahrenheit:

  • The rich full body reds should be between 59 and 68 degrees...no higher.
  • The light red, usually outstanding in the summer, should be between 54 and 57 degrees.
  • The dry whites and the pinks between 46 and 57 degrees...they should be kept in the refrigerator ... then served.
  • For the desert wines and sweet one also champagne, the temperature should be between 43  and 47 degrees.....you can use that bucket for something else besides champagnes.
    • Now when you store your wines...the average temperature is 56 while the average temperature  to drink them is 54 degrees...for the reds remember... right from your storage to an open bottle... and for the whites and desert wines from your storage to the refrigerator or an ice bucket..chill and then serve.  
    • Finally the key most important factor in the preservation of wine is its temperature.  Wines are composed of organic esters...which give the wine flavors along with complex biochemical compounds which gives it character. Now assuming no air can enter the bottle then any oxidation will  be significantly curtailed.(when an ester is oxidized an organic acid is formed....we all know one organic acid...acetic acid...commonly called vinegar).  However with the raising of the temperature to the 70 or 90 the rate of other organic reactions among esters and biochemical compounds will increase this will change the delicate balance of the organic salts (esters) and decrease the concentration of the other  biochemical compounds which will yield an inferior taste to the wine.  At 56 degrees these complex set of organic reactions occur at an optimal rate to insure great taste with time or aging. 
    • Remember at 95 degrees  (F)  some wines spoil in a week ... at 85  (F) degrees some wines spoil in a month ... at 75  (F) degrees some wines spoil in six months.