Which wines need to be chilled for the best taste? What is the right temperature for serving various wines?
A general rule of thumb: Red wine, 65 degrees (F). White & rose wine, 55 degrees (F). Champagne & other bubbly, 45 degrees (F). To get to those temperatures reds can normally just be kept in the cellar. This is also called “cellar temperature.” Whites and rose’s can be put in the fridge for a few hours, and the bubblies longer. It is far better to use an ice bucket. Fill the bucket up with ice about 4/5ths, cover the ice with water. If the “room” temperature of your reds are over 65 degrees, immerse them for five minutes; whites and rose’s for ten minutes; and bubblies for fifteen to twenty minutes. Light reds such as Bardolino, Valpolicella, Nouveau and Plain Ole Beaujolais, and others of that weight should soak nearly as long as the whites. There are certain restaurants around that, shall we say, are not wine savy. They tend to store their wine in places like the hall behind the ovens. When in such a eatery, the first thing I do when the wine comes to the table is put my hand around
