| Serving red wine is an art that is relatively easy | | | | water bucket for roughly 10-15 minutes prior to |
| to master - all you have to do is learn a few | | | | serving. This should be enough time to bring the |
| basic facts about this wonderful drink and you will | | | | vino to its optimum drinking temperature. |
| be on your way to mastering the proper wine | | | | Take note that lighter reds, like Beaujolais, can be |
| serving methods. | | | | served at cooler temperatures, but not lower |
| Optimal Serving Red Wine Temperature | | | | than 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). |
| You've probably been told that "room | | | | Aeration is an Important Aspect of Serving Red |
| temperature" is the optimal serving temperature | | | | Wine |
| for reds. This is a common misconception - what | | | | Some people prefer to let their red wines sit for |
| "room temperature" refers to is the temperature | | | | an hour or so after opening the bottle. This is |
| of storage cellars, which are a few degrees colder | | | | meant to aerate the wine and bring out its full |
| than normal weather. The optimal serving red | | | | flavor. However wine bottles normally have |
| wine temperature is somewhere between 60 and | | | | narrow mouths, which means there is not much |
| 65 degrees F (15-18 degrees C). Serving red wine | | | | room for air to circulate into the bottle. So when |
| at a higher temperature than 60 to 65 degrees F | | | | serving red wine, rather than letting the wine sit in |
| will cause the alcohol to rear its ugly head and add | | | | the bottle, pour it directly into a glass and allow it |
| an undesirable bite to the taste. The tannins will | | | | to aerate there. Swirling the wine in your glass for |
| rise as the fruity notes fall, throwing the flavor | | | | a few minutes provides ample aeration, and is one |
| completely out of balance. Serving reds too cold, | | | | proper method for serving. Since the wine will |
| and you won't be able to get the full vibrancy of | | | | warm up during aeration, it is essential to properly |
| the fruit's flavors. A handy tip is to chill the bottle | | | | chill the bottle to achieve the optimal serving red |
| in a refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, or an ice | | | | wine temperature. |