What, really, does well-chilled, room temperature, or slightly chilled mean?
Since "room temperature" or "chilled" can be rather subjective, here's a quick little chart I used in my October Friday! Newsmagazine column, "Wine Trends." I hope you find it useful.
Wine Style |
Region/Varietal |
Serving Temperature |
Light-bodied reds |
Beaujolais, Valpolicella, gamay noir, pinot noir, Chianti |
Just lightly chilled, 12°C |
Medium- to full-bodied reds |
Red Burgundy, Australian shiraz, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Port, syrah, Bordeaux |
Room temperature, 17-18°C |
Light- to medium-bodied whites |
Fino Sherry, pinot grigio, muscadet, sauvignon blanc |
Chilled, 10°C |
Medium- and full-bodied oaked whites |
California, Canadian or Australian chardonnay, white Burgundy, late-harvest rieslings |
Just lightly chilled, 12°C |
Sweet wines |
Sauternes, etc. |
Chilled, 10°C |
Sparklers |
Champagne, Cava, Asti |
Chilled, 10°C |
Note: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recommends you set your kitchen refrigerator temperature at 4°C, or below.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.