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10/14/2017 6:44 am  #1


A Wine Myth Debunked

Serve white wine cold and reds at room temperature

Serving Temperatures; It’s sadly an article of faith that many restaurants, and homes for that matter, will serve white wines too cold and red wines too warm.

White wine
It’s easy to see where this comes from. White wines are generally served cooler than reds, and in an era of refrigerators and ice, this has come to mean ice-cold. 

Serving whites too cold seriously compromises good bottles, muffling nuances and complexities. Conversely, mediocre whites ought to be served ice-cold; the temperature masks any flaws.

If you are knocking back the house pinot grigio at the corner bar, make sure the bottle comes directly from the refrigerator. For a fine white, though, take it out of the fridge a good half-hour before serving, and in restaurants, do not reflexively allow the bottle to be put on ice. Take its temperature first.

Red Wine
Reds, meanwhile, are to be served at “room temperature.”

But Room Temperature is a term derived at a time when many rooms had thick stone walls, and the indoor temperature may have hovered around 60 degrees. Imagine a french farmhouse without central heating.

Ideally, a bottle of red wine should be slightly cool to the touch. Modern room temperature can often leave a good red seeming flabby or fatiguing. A slight chill is bracing to the wine. But, don't over do it. Tannic wines served too cold can seem tough and unpleasant. If a bottle seems too warm, 15 minutes in the fridge — or, at a restaurant, 10 minutes in an ice bucket — can work wonders.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/dining/drinks/five-common-wine-myths-debunked.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ffood&action=click&contentCollection=dining&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront

Last edited by Goose (10/14/2017 6:45 am)


We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists. 
 

10/14/2017 8:04 am  #2


Re: A Wine Myth Debunked

Good points, and I've been saying something similar for years now.  Last year I bought a small wine fridge.  It holds 12 bottles.  Ideally, white wines should be served at around 45 degrees and reds at 65.  I set my wine fridge to 50 degrees and put both reds and whites in it.  When I remove a white, I serve it immediately.  When I remove a red, I let it sit for 20 or 30 minutes.

It's not a big deal for me to do that.  BTW, recently I traded a painting for a case of Barolo and a case of Brunello to a gentleman who imports wine directly from Italy.  Why didn't I think of that sooner?

 

10/14/2017 11:21 am  #3


Re: A Wine Myth Debunked

My Dad was religious about serving red wine at room temperature.
Problem was, my mom was always cold, and always turning the heat up.
72 degree Chianti is not a fond memory!

BTW, love you accessing the barter economy!


We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists. 
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