Proper Serving Temperature

Before beginning, determine the ideal serving temperature for the wine you will be tasting. For the serving temperature of a specific wine, ask your wine dealer.

As a rule, whites are chilled, reds are not, they are served at room temperature.  With reds, you need to watch the temperature when the weather is warm so the wine is not "cooked".

People have different preferences when the weather is warm. In the summer,light refreshing white and rosé wines and reds such as Beaujolais, which are suitable for chilling, are more suitable for hot weather than the big heavy reds. For a summer dessert wine, a cool sweet white wine, such as Sauternes, can be a better choice for after the meal than a Port or dessert Sherry which are usually enjoyed in "their season", the colder months.


Sweet White Wine     45º F


Dry White Wine        48º-55º F  The better the quality, the less they need to be chilled.

Very Light Red Wine (i.e. Beaujolais) 52º F

Young Red Wine     46º-58º F - tend to be softer and sweeter. Some red varieties yield wines that have
 little of the bitter tannic element. While these wines are usually served at cool room temperature, they can be served chilled to 60 degrees or less; this is also a good way to serve picnic wines on a hot summer day.

Mature Red Wine   60º-64º F

Dry Red Wines       65-70 degrees. Any cooler and the bitter aspects of red wines tend to become too dominant.

Softer or Sweeter Red Wines  55-60 degrees or less.  Some red varieties yield wines that have little of  the  bitter tannic element. While these wines are usually served at cool room temperature, they can be served chilled - this is also a good way to serve picnic wines on a hot summer day.

Rose Wines   about 50 degrees - Serve cooler than reds


Sparkling Wines    45-55 degrees for best taste. These are typically chilled the most--not because they taste better, but because they are easier to open at 45 degrees or lower. The lower the temperature, the less they tend to foam over when the cork is removed.

Fruit Wines           45-55 degrees.

Fortified Wines  - Depends. Dryer sherries are usually treated as white wines; sweeter styles and ports are treated as red wines. However, fortified fruit wines can be served chilled.

Eau De Vie     Chilled - even from the freezer for these dry fruit brandies