Lifestyle Notes: The Best Serving Temperature for Red Wines

Conventional wisdom holds that
red wine is best enjoyed at “cellar temperature,” 

a mark defined as between 55
and 65 degrees, and to an extent, this is true.

Many of the classic examples of
red wine release their best and most complex flavor notes at

 around this
temperature, with colder hk wines
of this type limited to their more basic flavor profiles. 

However the
right serving temperature for a red wine is not always so simple, 

and this is
due to the widely varying personalities of different red wines.

While wine that is too cold is
much less flavorful than wine served at the proper temperature, a common
mistake is to overcompensate by serving the wine too warm.

 Chilling a wine
helps to soften alcoholic notes in a wine and allow drinkers to better appreciate its fruity or earthy nuances, 

particularly in the case of
full-bodied red wines which typically have higher alcoholic content. 

A good
rule of thumb when serving red wine is that the bottle should feel slightly cool 

to the touch, indicating that the wine inside is at or below room temperature.

Many wine enthusiasts immediately think
of traditional long-aged red wines like cabernets and these wines are best enjoyed at the higher ends of the serving
temperature scale. 

Aged red wines are prized for their deep, rich and complex
flavors, and these can be muted

 at lower temperatures, making full-bodied wines
poor
candidates for chilling 

as they will often deliver a tight and bitter
flavor which few drinkers appreciate.

Despite the reputation of red
wine as a drink to be enjoyed at a relatively high temperature compared to
other beverages, there are some red wines that are very
refreshing when chilled and can even be served over ice. 

In general, the
younger and lighter the red wine, the simpler its flavor profile is.

This delicate flavor profile is
easily overwhelmed by the excessive taste of alcohol as it has not had time to
mellow, and so chilling is an excellent way to minimize the weaknesses of a
young red wine and experience its true potential.

While it is true that chilling
some red wines can dramatically affect their flavor, red wine is as diverse as
the drinkers who enjoy them, and just as there are those who prefer their wine
cool, there are wines that are best enjoyed at lower temperatures as well. 

Knowing what temperature to serve a particular type of red wine at is the first
step to experiencing all the depth and variety they have to offer.