The Ultimate Wine Serving Temperature Chart

We have researched the most authoritative resources on wines and their optimal serving temperatures, and combined the various data points into this comprehensive listing of over 100 wines. Enjoy!

Optimal wine serving temperature chart

What is the ideal temperature to store red wine?

The proper storage temperature for most wines is around 55°F, or 13°C, but the range can vary by about +/- 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or 6 degrees Celcius. Don’t worry if your long-term storage isn’t exactly at that temperature. Keeping your bottles at a consistent cool temperature and avoiding any large temperature swings is the most important factor in storage.

The reason you don’t want to keep wine too warm in the long term is because warmer temperatures can “cook” the wine, destroying some of the tannins and other compounds that give it flavor, leaving it flat-tasting. You also don’t want to keep it in a cold refrigerator for months, because the cold temperatures and low humidity in a standard fridge can theoretically dry out the corks, which could allow oxygen to seep in and ruin the taste of the wine.

What is the ideal temperature to store white wine?

White wine storage temperature guidelines are the same as reds – 45°F-65°F, or 7°F-18°F. However, given that we have a pretty wide range to work with, it makes sense to store your wine, whether white or red, at a temperature close to what it is meant to be served at. Some wine refrigerators have dual cooling zones for just this purpose.

Why is red wine served at room temperature?

Actually, room temperature is commonly around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or 21 degrees Celsius, which is a bit too warm for red wines. That said, most red wines should not be served cold – they should definitely not be drunk at standard refrigerator temperatures.

Here’s why normal fridge temps are no good: cold temperatures highlight the wrong flavors in a red wine. Warmer temperatures emphasize the aroma and taste of tannins, acidity, mouth feel, and other more complex notes found in red wines. Colder temperatures emphasize fruity sweetness and minerality. Medium-cold temperatures emphasize oakiness, which is why oaked chardonnays should be served cold, but not too cold.

How to get red wine down to the right temperature

Ideally, to take a red wine like malbec or merlot from room temperature down to a good drinking temperature, take a bottle of red wine at room temperature and put it in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. This should lower it to a proper drinking temperature – about 60°F-65°F, or 15°C-18°C.

White wine serving temperature

The ideal serving temperature for white wine is typically between 43°F-50°F, or 6°C-10°C. Younger, fruitier whites are best served on the colder end of that spectrum to highlight the fruit notes and minerality. Aged whites or those with more sophisticated notes are best served on the warmer end of that spectrum, such as aged, oaked chardonnays.

Sparkling wine serving temperature

While it is often recommended to serve sparkling wines “ice cold” – say, 38°F (3°C), it is probably best to serve them a bit warmer. Better sparkling wines have some unique notes like “nutty crispness,” which will really start to shine around 45°F (7°C) or so.

References

• The Essential Wine Book: An Indispensable Guide to the Wines of the World. Oz Clarke, 1997.
• Hugh Johnson’s How to Enjoy Wine. Hugh Johnson, 1990.
• Wine for Dummies. Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan, 2012.