No Wine Should Be Served At Room Temperature
Thank you Beppi Crosariol for your wine column, in today’s Globe and Mail. My wife prefers to drink red wine at room temperature which always drives me nuts because all I can taste is the alcohol.
To chill the wine I usually drop an ice cube in my warm glass of Shiraz, swirl it around with a spoon then remove it. My wife usually shakes her head at this practice and calls me a peasant.
Most Canadians serve their wine at taste-distorting temperatures - the whites are too cold, and the reds are too warm. But with a little know-how and a few tricks from the pros (that’s right, you can drop an ice cube into your Aussie shiraz), getting the most out of your bottle is as easy as reading a thermometer.
Beppi goes on to say that “no wine – repeat: no wine – should be served at room temperature, which in Canada is a flavour-busting 21 C (and much higher in many homes in summer.” I couldn’t agree more.
Stumble It!Posted in Food at 3:37 PM
Comments
Flavour busting? I have always gone by the adage, “cold is the enemy of flavour.” I don’t see how room temperature is flavour busting. Maybe a taste test is in order.
Wife: “Are you having another glass of wine?”
Husband: “Yes, dear. It’s for science.”
Posted by: Paul on June 27, 2007 5:01 PM
Ice cube? Phil? Philip Coulter, you’re now hosting this site?
How ‘bout the pewter, you didn’t mention the pewter! Perhaps instead of an ice cube you could put the pewter cup in the fridge or freezer for a bit that way it does not water down the drink.
Keep your reds in the basement, it will be a consistent cooler temperature and not the warmer upstairs room temperature.
I do however totally agree that whites are served far too cold.
Posted by: Paul Robertson on June 28, 2007 7:20 AM
Paul Number 1, I like your approach to taste testing. I have to agree with BomBeppi that by chilling the reds just a little, you remove the alcohol taste and enjoy the true flavour of the wine.
Paul Number 2, I thought about putting a Phil reference into this post but resisted. Who knew that he was right?
For those of you that don’t know, Paul’s father-in-law likes to put ice cubes in his wine (to chill it). I draw the line at one ice cube and remove it so that it doesn’t dilute the taste too much. As I recall, Phil puts several cubes of ice in his drink.
To this day, I haven’t experienced wine in pewter wine goblets. Who knows? Maybe BomBeppi will tell use next week that pewter brings out the flavour of the wine.
I keep my wine in the basement where it is cooler (and cheaper than a wine fridge).
Posted by: Jay Kerr on June 28, 2007 11:43 AM
Red wine should be served at “cellar” temperature which means proably around 16-18 degrees. I chill all my reds, usually just about 15-20 minutes in the fridge, a bit longer for lighter reds like Beaujolais.
And you have to listen to me. I’m wine expert!
;)
Posted by: James McNally on July 14, 2007 11:41 PM
