ABSOLUTELY!
According to wine experts, red wine is best served in the range of 13°C– 18°C, even though they say that a room temperature bottle is optimal. When red wine is too cold, its flavour becomes dull. But when red wines are too warm, it becomes overbearing with alcohol flavour. (Bare in mind, we live in a very hot country, room temp for us is a different story.)
Therefore, wines that are lighter-bodied and have higher acidity, like Pinot Noir, are best served slightly lower in temperature. We suggest putting them in a refrigerator around 90 minutes before serving. For fuller-bodied wines that are packed with tannins like Cabernet Sauvignon, you can serve these warmer, perhaps putting them in the fridge for around forty-five minutes before serving. Last but not least, for optimal taste in fortified wine, serve between 15°C–18°C.
Tips For Getting That Perfect Temp
Serving wine at the perfect temperature takes some planning ahead, and sometimes an ice bucket or wine chiller.
Plan Ahead
When it comes to wine serving, if you are a type-A person, stick both red and white wines in the fridge and take them out around an hour or two before serving. Most refrigerators are set between 1.6°C and 4.4°C, and therefore, by taking them out an hour early, they can become the perfect temperature.
Toss It In The Freezer
Putting wine in the freezer is a good, quick short-term solution. But here is the catch: ensure you don't leave your wine in the freezer for more than thirty minutes. Why? Any longer, and you put yourself at risk for a messy cleanup! As the water in wine freezes, it expands. Many times, this can force the cork to push out or crack the bottle!
We're guessing we're not the only ones who have forgotten that we placed our wine in the freezer and the next day discovered an icy explosion that is a joy to clean up.
Learn from our mistakes and make sure to set a timer! If you don't want to risk the freezer, you can also try submerging the entire bottle in ice water for an ice bath.
Wrap It In A Wet Dish Cloth
If you're trying to chill wine as rapidly as possible, here's another trick! Wrap a damp towel (either a paper towel or a kitchen one) around your bottle and place it in the freezer. The wet towel will freeze very quickly due to the added surface area and, therefore, chill your wine a lot faster. But, as we previously stated, make sure you don't forget about your bottle!
Another pro tip: when you remove the bottle from the freezer, you might find your wine and towel are frozen together. Simply run under lukewarm water, so the towel slides right off!
Wine and Chilling Go Hand In Hand
We rest our case: the temperature of wine significantly impacts its delicious taste and quality!
Source: Drink Bev.
