As the temperature rises in Beijing, wine storage and service become a pressing issue! Too warm a serving temperature can destroy the aromas of most wines and too cold a temperature can mute aromas, especially in more complex bottles. For storage before service, a wine cabinet is essential and for long-term storage a unit with humidity as well as temperature control is advisable (plus a storage area without strong light or vibration).

With the official ‘air-con’ temperature regulated at 26 degrees Celsius, this ‘room temperature’ proves too warm for serving most bottles. Generally speaking, big-bodied red wines should be served at around 18-20 Celsius, but higher than that and the alcohol becomes too obvious, ruining the wine’s bouquet.

In fact, in these strenuously hot days, most red wines benefit from a quick chill in the fridge before service. This especially applies to lighter-bodied reds with less tannic structure (e.g. Beaujolais, most Pinot Noirs, joven Tempranillo, lighter Loire Cabernet Francs etc.).

Whites require more planning ahead. Try to avoid putting them in the freezer because this may precipitate ‘wine diamonds’ (aka tartrate crystals) which, although perfectly harmless, can look odd to some drinkers (they occur when a wine has not been ‘cold stabilized’). A few hours in the fridge or a plunge in an ice-bucket is fine.

If you need to cool many bottles for a party, use a large plastic tub or your bathtub. Just remember to put the bottles in first – not the ice! It is not especially easy trying to insert chunky wine bottles into solid or even partially melting ice.

Sparkling wines can be served between 6-8 Celsius, refreshing whites (made from grapes like Sauvignon Blanc) at 9-10 Celsius; but oaked, full-bodied whites (e.g. most Californian Chardonnay) can be served as warm as 14 Celsius.

Basically, the higher quality the white the higher the service temperature (up to about 14-15 degrees) it can withstand. This even applies to top quality Champagnes, especially those rich in Pinot Noir (never serve these too cold! The bottle gets finished before the wine has even had a chance to express itself…).

Finally, let’s not forget rose (either still or sparkling). Robust rose wines (e.g. Spanish ones from Garnacha or some southern French roses) do not need to be too cold. But ‘vin de gris’ and some roses made by the ’saignee’ method are relatively delicate and will benefit from light chilling.

Categorized as:Tips and Tricks

Posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 12:02 pm You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.