Here's a little chart to help you serve your wine at the right temperature

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.