Now that we’re well into 2018 some of us are still working on
fulfilling our New Year’s resolutions, while others have already abandoned
them. Our resolution is an easy one to
keep. Drink more wine!
So let’s make it count. How
can drinking wine culminate into an even more enjoyable experience? The perfect wine and food pairing is a start
to greater enjoyment, but what about something that can alter your experience
entirely? What about serving temperature?
In researching this topic, we found that many wine experts believe
most people drink their red wine a little too warm and white wine much too
cold. Well, why should it really matter,
and should it make that big of a difference? As it turns out, it does make a whole lot of
difference because the temperature of the wine can influence how it smells and
tastes.
For example, HRW’s dry oak-aged Chardonnay is best appreciated around 55 degrees, where the light
oak taste comes through without dominating the creamy vanilla and spice aromas.
If it was served 10 degrees cooler, none
of those subtle nuances would come through.
At the same time, the lovely apple and pear aromas of our semi-dry
Pinot Grigio, Three Wise Guys, really stand out when it is served
at 45 degrees. The same goes for our
semi-sweet Gimme One Good Riesling. If
it was served any colder its mouthwatering crisp and fruity flavors would
barely register on the tongue. In fact, if you are serving white wine that is already chilled
you should first take it out of the refrigerator, (which is usually set at or
below 40 degrees), for 15 minutes.
As far as reds, a common
misconception is that they must be served at a warm room temperature. It turns
out that red wine aficionados prefer a little chill to their red wine, and suggest
actually chilling red wine in the refrigerator 15 – 20 minutes before uncorking
it.
The lighter reds, (which are often blends, such as Knockin’ Heads Red or Crimes Against Vines), perform best when
they are at the cooler end of the scale in the low 60’s. In fact, Crimes at 60
degrees will taste semi-sweet, but if chilled at 45 degrees it will taste quite
sweet.
To enjoy the rich lushness of Cabernets and Zinfandels,
however, one should serve them at around 62 – 65 degrees. And, if possible, use an aerater, decanter,
or even a wide mouth stemless glass to let these full-bodied reds breathe ahead
of time. This gives them more exposure
to air, which unleashes their aromas and softens tannins, improving their
overall flavor.
We recently introduced Harbor, a port-style wine, similar to a
Ruby Port.
While many of us have always sipped ports and other fortified
wines at a warmer room temperature it turns out that wine experts recommend
that it be served at a cooler 60 degrees.
Skeptical? Try your
favorite white and red at these different temperature spectrums and see what
you think. Let us know what you
discover, and above all, enjoy!
