What Temperature Works Best?

It’s important to serve your wines at the right temperature, especially this time of year. The heat and humidity of summer demand a careful consideration of how you chill and serve your wine, whether you’re dealing with reds, whites, sparklers, or sweets. After all, an overly cold white won't taste like much at all, and a room-temperature red, with all its typical cooked fruit and alcohol, is pretty much the opposite of refreshing, and definitely not what you need these days.

While the temperature at which you enjoy a wine is a personal matter, most people still drink their reds too warm and their whites too cold. So while the chart below, published by Consumer Reports, is just a guide (they seem to make the assumption, for example, that all Chardonnays fit into the “heavier” category, which is clearly not the case), it nonetheless is a good starting point to begin exploring how you personally prefer your wines to be served. And, hopefully, the beginning of an even more enjoyable wine experience.