How to Properly Chill Wine

Forget the following old adage: "refrigerate all white wines and drink red wines at current room temperature."

Contrary to this popular belief, because wine is a perishable food item, storing it and consuming it at the proper temperature is imperative. Americans often make the mistake of serving their red wines too hot and their cold wines too cold. Wine that is too cold will cause it to lose its flavor notes; and when wine is too hot, it will speed up the aging of the wine, and give it a strong, overpowering alcohol taste.

One of the primary reasons people drink wine is because of its aroma. Vapors are created as wine warms up; therefore, for this process to take place, wine must be a few degrees below its ideal drinking temperature. In order to properly chill wine, you need to be aware of its ideal drinking temperature. For bright, white wines such as Asti Spumanti, 48-52 degrees is ideal. Sparkling wines such as champagne should be at about 50-55 degrees; rich white wines like Chardonnay should be at about 58-62 degrees, and light red wines like Chianti should be between 60-65 degrees.

Generally, as a rule of thumb, never serve or store wine above 70 degrees. Chilling wine in a refrigerator is also a bad idea, as the typical refrigerator is in the 30s-40s - temperatures too low even for most white wines.

Thankfully, wine coolers can help keep your wine at the ideal temperature, and they come in either table top units that quickly chill a single bottle (better suited for warmer climates), or larger, refrigerator-style units such as the Sunpentown WC-28D, which can store several bottles of wine at once at selected temperatures with a built-in thermostat. These are great for those who do not have wine cellars, but wish to replicate a wine cellar's temperature and humidity conditions.

Overall, in order to enjoy a bottle of wine, its ideal temperature will depend on its amount of alcohol, tannin, and fruit.