Temperature matters!

Some advice that I've found helpful and informative is that people often serve their red wines too warm and their white wines too cold. I definitely agree with this and am now quite bothered when a red wine is served straight from the shelf at "room temperature." We have our wine fridge set at 59 degrees, just perfect so as the wine warms in our glasses, the bouquet and complexity becomes more pronounced. Red wines are best served between 54 and 65 degrees F. Serving reds at this temperature makes them taste more refined and less "hot" or acidic. Pinot Noir can be served toward the cooler side of the range while Cabs flourish toward the warmer end. If you don't have a wine fridge, put your reds in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you plan on serving them. It is better for a wine to be too cold at first than too warm as it can easily warm up.

White wines should be served at a lower temperature, between 41 and 50 degrees, which is warmer than if they are taken straight out of the refrigerator. If you serve them too cold, the subtle nuances of of the bouquet and the complexity of the wine will be difficult to decipher. Rieslings and sparklers are best at the cooler end of the spectrum and Chardonnays do well a little warmer. If you don't have a wine fridge, take your whites out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you serve them to reach the ideal temperature.