Are We Drinking Red Wine Too Warm?

After opening a few bottles of wine, most of us learn the general rule: white wine should be chilled, while red wine should be served at room temperature.

 

The trouble begins with the phrase “room temperature.”

 

Today, that might mean 72, 75, or even warmer. But when people first began recommending that red wine be served at room temperature, they were referring to a cool European dining room or cellar, not a climate-controlled desert home in July. The intended temperature was generally somewhere in the upper 50s to mid-60s.

 

I’m not turning my thermostat down that far for a bottle of wine, so the real question is: does a difference of a few degrees really matter?

 

What Temperature Does To Wine

 

Temperature does not add or remove anything from a wine. It changes which of its existing qualities receive our attention.

 

When wine is cooler, it generally appears:

• Less aromatic
• Less overtly fruity
• Less noticeably alcoholic
• Firmer in its expression of acidity and tannin

As wine warms, it generally becomes:

• More aromatic
• More expressive
• More obviously fruity
• Softer in its perception of acidity
• More noticeably alcoholic

This creates a basic tradeoff. Cooler temperatures emphasize refreshment, acidity, and firmness. Warmer temperatures emphasize aroma, fruit, richness, and alcohol.

 

Why Does This Happen?

 

Wine contains volatile aromatic compounds that are released into the air above wine and eventually to our nose. Temperature plays a big role in the smell or aromatics of wine. 

 

As wine warms, its aromatic compounds generally become more volatile. Very cold wine releases fewer aromas, which is why an ice-cold white can initially seem almost odorless.

 

Temperature is not simply a volume knob controlling how strongly wine smells. Different aromatic compounds respond differently, and our perception of aroma also interacts with taste, alcohol, and mouthfeel.

 

Temperature changes physical sensation as well. The mouth contains temperature-sensitive receptors, and ethanol activates one of the same receptors involved in sensing physical heat. This helps explain the warming or burning quality of alcohol. Cooling reduces that sensation, making alcohol feel less prominent.

 

This is why the same wine can feel refreshing and firm when cool, expressive and balanced as it warms, and heavy or alcoholic once it becomes too warm.

 

Different Temperatures, Different Wines

 

Wines such as Aligoté and Rosé of Carmenère are typically served chilled because a cooler temperature emphasizes their freshness and acidity. As the wine gradually warms through contact with the glass, the surrounding room, and even your hand, more of its fruit, aroma, and nuance begin to emerge.

 

Apply that same degree of chilling to a deeply structured red, however, and the result can be less appealing. Excessive cold may suppress its fruit and aroma while leaving its acidity and tannin firmly in view.

 

Consider Sagrantino, one of the most tannic wine grapes in the world. When served too cold, some parts of the wine may be emphasized while others remain hidden. Instead of experiencing the full picture, you may be left with a sip dominated by grip and acidity. It can make a remarkable wine seem rather disappointing.

 

There is an important exception: lighter-bodied reds.

 

Wines such as Pinot Noir and Counoise often have:

• Bright acidity
• Moderate tannin
• Strong fruit or floral aromatics
• Less dependence on oak-derived richness

 

These wines are naturally suited to a more refreshing presentation. Even then, “chilled” usually means somewhere around 55–60 degrees, not straight from a 40-degree refrigerator. Our Counoise is a good example of a red that can handle this kind of treatment.

 

So, What Is Wrong With 72 Degrees?

 

Most structured reds are not at their best when served cold. But what is wrong with serving one at 72 degrees or warmer?

 

Wine does not remain at its starting temperature. It warms in the bottle, on the table, in the glass, and in your hand. As it warms, its aromas become more expressive, but its alcohol also becomes more noticeable.

 

A wine that begins at 75 degrees has nowhere useful to go. It may already feel broad, heavy, or alcoholic before you have finished your first glass.

 

A wine beginning around 60 degrees, by contrast, has room to evolve. You can experience it initially, notice its aromas emerging, and discover the point at which its fruit, tannin, acidity, and alcohol feel most complete.

 

This gives us a useful rule of thumb:

 

It is usually better to begin a little too cool than a little too warm. Wine will warm naturally in the glass, while cooling an already-poured glass is considerably less convenient.

 

This is not a command, and you do not need a thermometer at the dinner table. Temperature is simply one more element influencing what happens in the glass.

 

Try It Yourself

 

 

Notice when its aromas become most expressive. Does the fruit become richer? Does the tannin feel softer? At what point does the alcohol become more noticeable? Most importantly, when does the wine taste best to you?

 

There is no need to turn dinner into a laboratory. Start whites a little warmer than ice-cold, start reds a little cooler than the room, and pay attention as they change.

 

Serving temperature does not change what is in the bottle. It changes which parts of the wine we notice first.