If you’ve ever had the chance to be in one of our wine classes, you’ll know that we don’t have a lot of absolutes: your spouse likes one wine, you like another; the guy across the room smells petrolium, you smell roses. No big deal. We are mostly all one, big, wine-tasting hug.

BUT, (and yes, that’s a big “but”,) serving temperatures for your wine are key to enjoying what’s in the bottle, the way that the wine maker intended, so in regards to wine temps, consider us as committed as Sister Mary Rose was to your paying attention in class. Chilling, warming up, ice: these are all very important!

Here’s my cheat sheet for most wines:

• Sparkling wine = 40 degrees (or straight out of the refrigerator)
• White wines = 50 degrees (or OUT OF the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving)
• Red wines = 60-65 degrees (or INTO the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving)

Yes, we can get more detailed, but this is a good guide to getting your bottles close to the right temperature.

And, demand these temperatures from restaurants that you enjoy. Many, many, many restaurants (some very committed to their guests wine experience) serve their wines at the wrong temperature. Their reds are way too warm, which will emphasize the alcohol and can ruin the taste. Ask for a chiller and plop it into the ice for 10 minutes or so. You won’t believe the difference.

White are often too cold, dulling the aromas and halving your pleasure. Not good. If you’ve been served wine that is too cold, pour very a very small amount of wine into your glass and cup it in your palm. The bottle can warm up while you’re taking your first sips.

Keep studying!