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Temperature for Serving wine


Temperature is an especially important aspect of serving wine. If a wine is served at a temperature not recommended for it, the aromas, flavors, and the complexity of the wine cannot be appreciated. Below are guidelines I use when serving wine.

Guidelines for Temperature
for serving wine:

Red wines – serving temperatures range from 50°F (10°C) to 68°F (20°C)

    •  Light bodied red wines like Pinot Noir and Gamay should be chilled to temperatures on the lower end of the range, 55° to 60° F (12° to 15° C)
    •  Medium bodied red wines such as Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo are served at the middle of the range, 55° to 61° (12° to 16° C)
    •  Full bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Bordeaux blends, Petit Verdot are served at the higher end of the range, 60° to 68° F (15° to 20° C)
    •   Sweet red wines should be served at 52° to 54° F (11° to 12° C)

White Wines – serving temperatures range from 45° to 55° F (7° to 12° C)

    • Light bodied white wines such as Riesling, Pino Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc should be chilled to temperatures n the lower end of the range, 45° to 50 ° (7° to 10°C)
    • Full bodied or more complex white wines such as Chardonnay (oaked & full bodied) Viognier and Pouilly-Fuissé should be served at the higher end of therange, 50° to 55° F (10° to 13°)

Sparkling Wines – serving temperature range is 43° to 50° F (6° to 10°C)

      • This range is applicable for all sparkling wines including Champagne, Cava, Prosecco

Dessert Wines – serving temperatures range from 46°to 55° (8° to 13° C)

    • Late Harvest wines are served from 46° to 52° F (8° to 11°C)
    • Ice Wines are served from 50° to 54° (10° to 12°C)
    • Sauternes are served from 50° to 55° (10°to 13°C)
    • Tokaji wines are served from 52° to 57° F (11° to 14°)

Fortified Wines – serving temperatures range from 39° to 64° F (4° to 18° C)

    • Marsala is served from 50° to 55° F (10° to 13° C)
    • Madeira is served from 46° to 57°F (8° to 14° C)
    • Sherry is served from 50° to 57° F (10° to 14° C)
    • Port is served from 50° to 64° F (10° to 18° C), One exception is Rose Port which is served at 39° F (4° C)

Remember these are just guidelines. Often, vintners will have a recommended serving and cellaring temperature on the label, usually on the back label. So be sure to check the labels for serving information.

There are simple tools to obtain the temperature of the wine in the bottle. The picture included with this article shows a simple thermometer that just wraps around the bottle and gives you a digital read out of the temperature. Another popular thermometer is the Infrared handheld thermometer for which I have an advertisement on my website. It is extremely easy to use. You just point the thermometer at the bottle and click. Then, you get a digital read out of the temperature.

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