“Serve your white wines cold and your red wines at room temperature.” This well-known rule of thumb begs many questions. First of all, Why? Why should there be a difference based solely on the color of the wine? Other questions include, How cold is cold? What is meant by room temperature? Is that room temperature in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa, Chianti, or any other wine region? Or room temperature right here in Jamaica?

In a back issue of Food and Wine, Pete Wells explored the first question, namely, Why do we chill white wine? He posed the question to a number of winemakers and other wine experts, and received answers that ranged from “I don’t know” to “habit” to “we shouldn’t.” None of these responses actually answered the question, but he gleaned some useful information along the way, namely that there isn’t a one temperature fits all solution for white wine.

Chilling white wine reduces the flavors, making it less tart, less sweet, and less aromatic. For bulk produced, lesser quality wine, this may be a very good thing, reducing some of those flavors you may not really want to experience. (In fact, in The Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil claims, “Bartenders sometimes serve cheap white house wines much colder than fine white wines precisely so you don’t taste them.”) For better, more complex white wines, however, excessive chilling can really impair the experience. Next time you are enjoying your favorite white wine, don’t keep it in a wine cooler. As you drink the wine, let it warm slightly and see if you notice any enhancement to its flavors.

So, in answer to the question, How cold is cold? The answer for most fine white wines is probably not as cold as we’re used to. As with most things in the wine world, personal taste plays a huge role, however, try these general guidelines:

Serve crisp whites, such as Pinot Grigio, Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and of course Champagne, well chilled. That is, leave them in the refrigerator for several hours or in an ice bucket with water and ice (which chills faster than ice alone) for at least half an hour.

Serve a good white Burgundy lightly chilled. In other words let it spend about a half hour in the fridge. This is also a nice temperature for rosés.

Serve fuller white wines such as California and other new world Chardonnays, as well as finer dessert wines, at about 55º to 62ºF (12.8º to 16.5ºC). This is about “cellar temperature” and can be achieved with a little time in the refrigerator. At too warm a temperature, however, some high alcohol Chardonnays can taste almost caustic, as the higher temperature makes the alcohol more apparent.

The trick here is to experiment and see what works best for you, your favorite white wines, and your personal tastes.

Now what does room temperature mean for red wines? It would be a rare wine indeed that would be at its best at normal room temperature here in Jamaica. In fact, with modern heating there are few rooms anywhere in the world that provide the optimum temperature for serving red wine. Old drafty European castles probably provided a wine friendly 62º to 65ºF (16.5º to 18ºC). If your wines aren’t being kept in a climate controlled wine cellar, try putting the bottle in the fridge for fifteen minutes or in a bucket of ice and water for five to ten minutes. Don’t let the wine get too cold however, which can make the wine seem thin, overly tannic and acidic. As always, much can be learned from experimenting with different temperatures and personal taste is paramount.

If you have any questions about wine serving temperatures, or any other aspect of wine, contact me at WineGuy@cwjamaica.com.