Many consumers are surprised when they learn that they are probably drinking their white wines too cold and their red wines too warm. Many people outside of traditional wine producing regions assume that ‘cellar  temperature’ is room temperature, which is rarely the case. Similarly, many people are drinking white and rosé wines straight from a cold fridge that is designed to keep food at a safe temperature for preserving. One of our wines judges and New York City Sommelier, Vitalii Dascaliuc weighs in with his professional advice:

“I believe that serving wine at a proper temperature is almost more important than choosing the right glassware. A glass of mineral and complex Chablis will taste like lemon water if served too cold, and a delicious Barolo will become bitter and harsh if served too warm. I prefer most of my white wines served a bit warmer than fridge temperature, at about 52 degrees, and I like my red wines a bit colder than room temperature at about 67 degrees.”

One rule of thumb that many industry professionals follow is to put red wines in the fridge for 10-20 minutes before drinking to chill it down slightly, and take white wines out of the fridge for 10-20 minutes before drinking to warm them up slightly. Playing around with different temperatures is the best way to find out what temperature is most enjoyable for each style of wine.