I was at this fancy restaurant of a 5-star hotel in South Delhi. The host was insistent I have a glass of wine. The prices being as high as they were, I reluctantly chose a glass of Grover's La Reserve, generally a safe, affordable bet.
I was confounded when the waiter brought it in a teeny weeny glass with the warm liquid inside. We do know that wine has several medicinal benefits but does it have to taste medicinal too? 'But sir, red wine has to be served at room temperature?' was the perplexed reply.
This was a few years ago, when the hotels and restaurants could be excused for their ignorance caused primarily by the European written text which refers to the room temperature found in the underground cellar where it varies from 13-15°C. For centuries, they have been storing their wines and serving as such.
Cool Red Wine
Red wine should never be served beyond 18°C. Most producers mention the preferred serving temperature in the Tasting Notes and one sees more and more labels describe it on the back label too. Most restaurant staff across the board knows it by now, but still most do not know that the best serving temperature, even for reds can be as low as 10-12°C.
To understand the logic, one should know the body of the wine and general characteristics of the grapes that are in the bottle. Suffice it to say that full bodied wines like Bordeaux, California Cabernets, Italian Barolos, Rioja etc., are to be served at 18 or even at 20°C. Our climate being generally warm, I always recommend a maximum of 18°C for any red wine.
On the other extremes are young, fruity, light bodied wines like Beaujolais which display the best flavour at 10-12°C. Here too, the Nouveau should be served at the lower end, while the more concentrated, best quality Cru Beaujolais will give its delicious best at 12 or even 14°C.
Within this range fall all the reds. Burgundy with light to medium bodied Pinot Noir is best at 14-16°. Here again the lower ended generic may be best at 14° while the top ended Premier Cru should be served at 16°, knowing that within the glass it will fast pick up a couple of degrees. Similarly the lighter wines like Valpolicella may be best at 14-16° C too, more concentrated Valpolicella Classico being at the warmer end. Most Merlots, Shiraz and commonly available red wines are safe bet at 16-18°.
It is not that the wine would be harmful at incorrect temperature-just that the customer will not get the best flavour and enjoyment of the wines. Most people do not drink red wine in summer and prefer white which are fruitier and served chilled are more refreshing. But, they would certainly enjoy drinking red wine with food, if it is served cool at the right temperatures even on a blistering afternoon.
Another misconception people have is that in winter the serving temperature should be higher. We drink coke nice and chilled in summer. But how many would drink it at the warm 'room temperature' in winter? It has to be chilled to certain temperature to enjoy the taste, even if it means putting some ice in it. It's the same for red wines though ice is never recommended as it changes the balance of the various components.
Customer is the King
This brings another interesting aspect of serving wine. Do we put ice in wine to cool it? The winemaker of a fine wine would ridicule the idea and consider it sacrilege. Characteristics do change by adding ice or any other liquid. Therefore, it should be avoided as a choice.
But we must also accept that customer is the king. If you are paying a hefty price for that liquid and if you enjoy it with some ice, soda or whatever else you fancy, you have all the rights to order accordingly and not worry about the waiter flinch. advice.
I Believe in Texas, it is very common to put ice in white or even red wine in summer. China and Japan are glaring examples where people blend coke and other non alcoholic beverages with the best of Bordeaux. After the initial shock, the French producers came to the conclusions that if it was a cultural thing with them, why interfere?
Cold White Wines
Most people know that white wines are to be served chilled but here also the recommended temperatures vary from 10-14° for most whites, a few light wines can be ok at 8° while a few producers recommend their serving temperature at 16° or even 18° which is uncommon but not unheard of.
Light whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, un-oaked Chablis are best at 10°, while an oaked Chardonnay will be best between 12-14°. More concentrated or aged the wine is, higher the recommended temperature will be (though the difference will be only about 2°).
Chilled bubblies
Champagne and other sparkling wines are generally served at 6-8°. That goes for most dessert wines like icewine, German sweet Rieslings and Vin Santo although some producers recommend their wines to be served only slightly cool, closer to the 'room temperature' of 18° C.
'How to' of Cooling
I divide the serving temperature generally in 3 categories- cool (18-15°C), cold (14-11°C) and chilled (10-7°C). Most wines should be served cool, cold or chilled.
Wine has to be cooled uniformly and gradually. It is always a good idea to invert the closed bottle for a few minutes so the top portion is also cooled properly.
The red can be cooled for 10-20 minutes in a bucket half full of water and less than half ice before serving. It can also be kept in the fridge for 10-20 minutes. For instant chilling, fill the bucket with ice and pour a cup of water to enable the ice melt faster and consequently chill wine quicker. A pinch or two of salt accelerates the process of cooling.
When it is not properly cooled at the time of opening, it is always advisable to pour the guests a small portion to get them started and then cool the rest according to how much it needs chilling.
Feel of temperature
Many people ask me the why and how of exact temperature measurement for drinking wine. 'Should one carry a wine thermometer?' they ask sarcastically. All the temperatures are indicative to get the best flavours in the wine and one need not be dogmatic about them. In fact, there is a universal adage, 'people serve red wine too warm and white too cold.'
Several temperature measuring devices are now available in the market including the ring type and clinical thermometers and can be used under the public gaze. But with experience, it is easy to estimate the wine temperature on the palate within a couple of degrees accuracy, which is quite acceptable.
One knows that the coke bottle which freezes over when opened is at around 5°C , a cold glass of water can be between 8-12° and the room temperature of an air-conditioned room is 21-24° (an extremely cold room is at 18-19°). With a bit of smartness one forms his or her own points of reference with experience and it does not take much time to master the art of serving at correct temperature
… and making the wine drinking experience a pleasure, no matter what the price, colour or DNA of the liquid inside.
Subhash Arora |