Oenophiles are notoriously picky about serving wine at the proper temperature. Pouring a light- bodied red at the same temperature as a full-bodied red? Blasphemous! But for consumers who don’t have a top-of-the-line, high-tech wine fridge, how can you know when wine is at the right temperature for drinking?
While it’s not an exact science, there’s a very helpful tip to keep in mind when serving wine at home known as “the 20 minute rule.” This quick trick goes as follows: White wine should be taken out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before drinking and red wine should be put in the refrigerator 20 minutes before drinking.
Let’s say you’re throwing a dinner party with an array of wine pairings that range from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir. If you have the white wine in the fridge all day, take it out 20 minutes before the guests arrive so it’s ready to drink when it’s time to hit the cheese board. Then you can throw the red wine into the fridge for 20 minutes so it will be ready by the next course.
You might not know the exact temperature of the wine in the glass, but this handy rule is helpful in avoiding one of the most common mistakes in drinking wine. Most at-home wine consumers will drink white wine right out of the fridge and will drink red wine at room temperature. While the wine might still be enjoyable, it probably doesn’t lead to the optimal tasting experience.
If a white wine is served too cold, this can mask some of its flavors. This is particularly true of fuller-bodied whites like Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and it also applies to any wine with subtle complexities. For these, some of their more nuanced notes might be hidden by the fridge’s intense chill, so taking the wine out 20 minutes prior to the first sip can help the wine reveal these characteristics.
Similarly, people tend to drink red wine a bit too warm at home. A comfortable temperature runs at about 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the proper temperature to serve red wine is a cool 60 to 65 degrees (or even 55 to 60 if it’s a particularly light-bodied “chillable” red). So popping that wine in the fridge for 20 minutes before opening it will help give the wine some lift — nothing’s worse than when a Cabernet Sauvignon starts to taste like oak soup.
Next time you throw a bottle of wine in the fridge, keep this rule in mind. But if you’re in a rush, we won’t fault you for pouring yourself a glass while waiting for the timer to hit 20 minutes.
*Image retrieved from fotofabrika via stock.adobe.com
