What type of wine is best warm and/or chilled?

Question

I have a carabet sauvignon, is it better cold or warm?

Answer 1

how about this for all types of wine - just so you know for future reference

Serving Temperatures

The basic rule of thumb for any wine drinker to know is that your Red Wine is served at room temperature and your White Wine is served chilled. As long as you have that down, you will not have your bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in the refrigerator, chilling, and waiting for your dinner guests to arrive. Many experts can break it down from degree to degree; at what temp each varietal should be drunk at, starting at 65° and working their way down to 36°. Maybe they carry around a thermometer with the rest of their wine equipment, hey, that might be a cool look. The thermometer might actually have a place reserved in their plastic pocket protector, next to the protractor. We can be a little more relaxed around here.

Red Wine
65° is a good temp for you to drink most of your Red Wines at. That is a bit below the average room temp, you know how warm your house or apartment is. The 65° room temperature mark, is ideal for the bigger, bolder, red wines like California Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Bordeaux, Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, Red Rhone wines, California Red Zinfandel & Merlot, Barolo, Chianti Classico, Rioja, South American Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. Lighter bodied reds such as Pinot Noir from North America & Australia, Burgundy, Valpolicella, and Beaujolais-Villages, can be served at 60°. Just put that bottle in the fridge for about 45 minutes and it's ready to go. If you over chill it, the wine will warm up again. If you feel you don't need to go that extra mile for your wine, then you decide whether or not room temp will work with all your reds. Remember your drinking it, so you're the boss.

White Wine
The average temp of a refrigerator is 38°, so if you serve your Chardonnay right out of the fridge, chances are it is a bit too chilly. That chill will hold in many of the flavors that a White Wine has to offer. 50° is an ideal temp to serve your fuller bodied White Wines at. I leave mine out of the fridge for about 45 minutes at room temp before serving. Again you can be the judge of your own preference in serving temp. You may enjoy your Chardonnay very cold and refreshing right out of the fridge, and then let it warm up a bit as dinner progresses. 50° covers wines such as North American Chardonnay & Pinot Gris, sweeter German Whites, Sauternes, Aussie & Chilean Chardonnay, New Zealand Chardonnay, Chablis, and Northern Italian Whites. Going down in temp to 45° is nice for Sancerre, North American Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc & Riesling, Alsace, dry German Whites, Aussie & New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and White Bordeaux.

Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Last but not least there is Champagne and Sparkling Wine. Right out of the fridge for these bottles is fine, and back into an ice bucket while you drink your fill. The still white wines do not need to be placed in ice while you dine. The option is to leave it out on the table, or put it in a marble wine chiller that just keeps the bottle cool, instead of ice cold. The ice bucket is made for the Sparkling Wines.

Exception to the Rules
Young Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau are very, very light Red Wines that are generally intensely fruity and often times served at about 50°. An example of a Red Wine that is served cold, and for me the only one. White Zinfandel. You can put as many ice cubes in it as you want. You can not harm this wine.


All of this damngood information is for people who love to drink wine. And you must be 21 years old to drink wine. Drink responsibly by choosing a designated driver... Don't drink and drive

Answer 2

there;s two things you need to think about, type of wine and personal preference. In general with red wine, the more full bodied it is, the warmer it can be drunk, usually room temperature or a little above. Having said that, a nice light Beaujolais chilled slightly is amazing on a warm day! White wine should be drunk chilled, straight out of a fridge is fine, although again, it depends on the wine. If it is supple and light, it can take a little more chilling, but a big champagne or something french can be warmer, maybe left out of the fridge for 10 mins or so to unlock all the flavours. Best thing to do is experiment and see what your preference is too! Enjoy your wine!

Answer 3

This is a matter of personal choice. Although most reds are intended to be served just below room temp, many people prefer them chilled. If you are not a regular wine drinker the high (likely) tannins in a Cab/Sauv may be unpleasant to you and slight chilling can calm the tannins. In any event, I've heard of people chilling reds, serving whites at room temp and even decanting Champagnes to settle the bubbles.

Answer 4

Never warm.... All wines should be cool, and some wines, mostly whites should be cold.
Your personal preference should dictate the tempature, but I would stay away from using warm as a wine description.

Answer 5

Reds are best served at room temp and stored at a consistent 50-55 degree room out of direct sunlight.

Whites are best served chilled and stored at the same 50-55 degree.

~DWS

Answer 6

The experts say "Reds will have more flavor/better taste when slightly less than room temp. Whites are better when cool but not cold. Blush - somewhere in between".

I say, "Drink it when ever you want, at what ever temp it is. Just don't drink too much. Drink to enjoy, not to annoy!"

Answer 7

Cabernet should be served at room temp. White wines can be chilled.

Answer 8

Chilled Arbor Mist is the best

Answer 9

at my restaurant - which has won awards for its wine list and service - we store and serve the reds (like your cab) at 60 to 62 degrees fahrenheit. whites are stored and served at 52 to 54 degrees.

Answer 10

red is room temp and white is chilled!