Does All Wine Need to be Chilled?

[MIGrandma]

I am not very educated when it comes to wine.

But on vacation I had a glass of some kind of pommegranate wine and really, really liked it. I don't know what brand it was, but I did find pommegranate wine made by the Tomasello Winery at our local store so I bought a bottle.

I'm wondering if it should be chilled before drinking it?

 

[FireDancer]

I never chill reds. Whether or not you do is up to you. The rule of thumb is chill whites and champagnes and serve reds at room temperature. Now, chilling a red will bring some of the fruit tones out to drown out some of the Earth tones so if you enjoy the wine a little sweeter you can chill it.

Also, dessert wines are often chilled so if the pomegranate wine fits that description go ahead.

 

[MIGrandma]

I never chill reds. Whether or not you do is up to you. The rule of thumb is chill whites and champagnes and serve reds at room temperature. Now, chilling a red will bring some of the fruit tones out to drown out some of the Earth tones so if you enjoy the wine a little sweeter you can chill it.

Also, dessert wines are often chilled so if the pomegranate wine fits that description go ahead.

Thank you for the advice, I do appreciate it. I do like sweet wine (DH used to make raspberry wine in our basement and I loved that!) so I do think I will chill it.

 

[mykidsand_i]

Yeah, reds don't always need to be chilled. I do like to put them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before i drink mine though. BUT, if you open a bottle and leave it sit on the counter or unchilled, it won't last as long as most people think.

Our local winery did a tasting showing how the wine goes bad when it sits out after opening it...it takes less time for the wine to go bad after opening, unless it's chilled.

I like my fruity wines chilled, or my blush or whites chilled.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

I chill everything...reds and whites. Of course, I also drink cheap wine, so you might not want my advice!

No, seriously, with that type of wine, I would chill it.

 

[FireDancer]

Thank you for the advice, I do appreciate it. I do like sweet wine (DH used to make raspberry wine in our basement and I loved that!) so I do think I will chill it.

You are welcome. On this one we can agree to agree

Also, once the wine is opened it will keep a bit longer if it is chilled. If you guys often open wine and don't finish it in the first day you may want to spend $15-$20 on a wine preserver. I have this one from Kohl's and removing the air from the wine bottle will extend it's life a while.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

Oooh! Thanks for posting that link, FireDancer! It's on sale!

 

[FireDancer]

Oooh! Thanks for posting that link, FireDancer! It's on sale!

Yep, and if you have a Kohl's card you will probably get a post card in the mail with an additional 15% off any time. I know I get them monthly.

 

[ToyStory Fan]

In theory yes all wines should be chilled...wine cellars are typically cooler than "room temperature" so arguing that reds should be served at room temperature is relative to the room I guess.

My wine chiller has 3 settings - white 45deg. Red at 55 deg or custom temp at 50 for storing both.

As for chilling helping to last longer - not sure if I buy that theory - air is the primary killer of wine for any extended period. Even re-corking will not always help - once the air is in the bottle it is in - you need to get it out. I would recommend using a Vacu-Vin for removing air out of wine if you plan on conserving a bottle for use later in the week, as it is the air that makes wine go bad as much as excessive heat.

 

[jsmith]

most reds are better at cool room temp-65 degrees or cooler-the exception is very sweet reds like lambrusco-it should be served chilled. Whites and blushes are better chilled. Its about developing the flavors not preservation-as others have said-to preserve opened wines you want a vaccum sealer to remove air from the bottle.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Dry reds (which I primarily drink) are supposed to be served at room temperature while sweet whites (what Dh drinks) are supposed to be served chilled.

Going along with that, we chill sweet reds and serve dry whites at room temp.

Of course, many people prefer all wine chilled or all served at room temp! The general rule is as above, but it doesn't truly matter if you prefer it another way!

 

[madcam]

I read somewhere that you are supposed to take white wine out of the refridgerator (or whatever you are chilling it in)15-30 minutes before serving it and put red wine in to chill for 15-30 minutes before serving....don't know if that is right but that is how I drink red now (not a big white drinker)

 

[Disnydad]

We have a portable wine chiller. You pop the bottle in and select the wine and it chills it to the proper temp.

Here is a chart.

Wine Serving Temperature Guidelines

Temp F Temp C
100° 39° Warm Bath

66° 19° Vintage Port
64° 18° Bordeaux, Shiraz
63° 17° Red Burgundy, Cabernet
61° 16° Rioja, Pinot Noir
59° 15° Chianti, Zinfandel
57° 14° Tawny/NV Port, Madeira
55° 13° Ideal storage for all wines
54° 12° Beaujolais, rose
52° 11° Viognier, Sauternes
48° 9° Chardonnay
47° 8° Riesling
45° 7° Champagne
43° 6° Ice Wines
41° 5° Asti Spumanti

 

[pixiewings71]

I have 2 reds that I love love love, and they are supposed to be served chilled. We don't chill Merlots or Cabs but we do chill our Roses. I like sweet wines too so most of what I drink is supposed to be chilled.

 

[sleepydog25]

Even vacu-vins won't preserve wine much longer than just sticking the cork in the bottle and putting it in the fridge overnight. Might help keep the wine an extra day. Most dry reds won't suffer too much from one day to the next if corked and refrigerated; same goes for dry whites. Off-dry and sweet whites (and sweet reds to some extent) can still be decent for up to three or four days if refrigerated and corked or vacuum sealed. For me, most bottles of wine don't survive beyond the second day, anyway!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

most red wines are served room temp, and white wines are served chilled.

i only ever drink red wine, and 99% of the time i chill it, to me it just tastes better. honestly it's all about preference in the end.

 

[gina2000]

Average room temperature varies among regions and countries. The original premise of not chilling reds and leaving them at room temp was a good one assuming your home temp is about 65 degrees or lower. Generally, many European homes are kept at cooler temps than homes in the US. Most of us here do not have room temps that are consistantly that low.

I don't chill reds but I do prefer them at a cooler temp so I usually throw them in a refrigerator for 20 minutes to bring their temps down a bit. I also store them in the basement so that they are at the coolest temperature in the house.

 

[TinklednPants]

I have a relative that puts ice cubes in her red wine Kills me everytime....if you want it chilled I'll chill it....but ice cubes?