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ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:23
 | | 01/18/2007 9:26 PM |
| Hello.
Complete wet behind the ears, green, newb posting. Be patient, in 70 years or so, I'll be the next Robert Parker.
Two somewhat related questions.
#1) Why are reds served/poured room temperature or slighter cooler, and whites served at much cooler temperatures, and sparkling/champagnes served at very cold temperatures? Does the chemistry of the contents change or some noxious emissions emitted if one doesnt follow this rule?
#2) Why are reds and whites stored/cellared at different temperatures? Keep in mind the operative word here is stored, and not poured/served. I've seen small wine refrigerators that claim two temperature compartments; one for reds, and one for whites. Must they be stored at different temps? I read (in this forum) that reds are optimally stored around the 55-60F mark. What about whites, if the aforementioned is necessary?
Thanks
Your very distant future Robert Parker. | | | |
| JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5024
| | 01/18/2007 10:39 PM |
| #1. A lot has to do with the effect of alcohol on the taste of the wine. The warmer the wine, the more you sense and taste the alcohol. An alcoholic tasting white is much more bitter and off-putting than a red at the same temperature. Try it yourself. Also, certain tastes like "butter" and "oak" that are more pronounced in white wines get really bitter as the wine warms up. But I think you'll find here, and with most wine geeks, that the recommended service temperature for whites is too cold. Many folks prefer their Chardonnays served at much closer to cellar temperature, or with a 10 minute dash in the fridge. Certainly not at 44 degress or so.
#2. As for storage, some of it is gimmick and some of it is convenience. 55 degrees is ideal for longterm aging. Colder temperatures can retard the development of wine. Puts them in suspended animation. But colder than 55 degrees may also be closer to your ideal service temperature. So if your whites are "ready to drink" upon purchase and need no further development, you can keep them at a cooler temperature without ruining the ageing process. And when you are ready to serve them, they can go straight from your storage unit to the table. If you kept your reds at this temperature, you would prevent them from ageing properly.
I do the reverse. I don't keep my whites in a cooling unit at all. They are in my basement which ranges from 59 degrees in the winter to 68 degrees in the summer. While that might be a large range, it takes months to change from one to the other. And since my whites get consumed usually within 5 years of purchase, these temperatures, and the swing in range, isn't going to kill them. So in the summer, when I pull out a white that is 66 degrees, I have to chill it in the fridge first. But I am saving tons in storage costs by not doing anything to them except letting them sit in the basement. Storing them at 45-50 degrees would be a waste of electricity in my opinion. | |
Beta testing a new signature. | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:23
| | 01/19/2007 1:01 AM |
| How insightful. Thank you Jimmy
Others, please feel free to elaborate or chime in with your 2 cents.
Your future Robert Parker
But still with green ears. | | | |
| David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15713
| | 01/20/2007 2:01 AM |
| JimmyV is correct. But here is my 2¢.
Optimum storage for aging wines in 55° at 75%(+-5%) relative humidity.
2nd choice would be in a cool, dark place (like a closet) (not on a south-facing outside wall) where the temperature variation is minimal. What the wine doesn't like is a quick change in temp (like going from refrig to sitting in the sun).
Don't store wines in a refrigerator unless they are going to be consumed within 30 days.
Big red wines like Cabs, Syrah and the like want to be poured at 65-70°.
"Lighter" red wines like Pinot want to be poured at 55-65°.
White wines want to be poured at 52-57°.
I don't really know any "rule" for sparkling wines. Anybody? One of you Champagne-Sluts should chime in.
I generally like to pour the wines at the lower of the two temps above and taste it as it warms up in the glass.
The reason most people serve Chardonnay at that 45° mark is because "cold" kills the taste buds. The "cheaper" the Chard the colder it should be served. If you serve a "well-made" Chard like most we drink here you will miss all kinds of nuances at the low temperature. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:23
| | 01/20/2007 5:02 AM |
| Thanks DavidN.
Very useful information for the newb. | | | |
| kpak
Alaska
Wine Thief
Posts:2910
| | 01/20/2007 5:34 AM |
| | Champagne is best served at the low-end of the white temp range. Chilling it well helps 'preserve the bubbles'. | |
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits...
ps - friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon. | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Picker
Posts:23
| | 01/20/2007 2:58 PM |
| RE: CHAMPAGNE/SPARKLING WINE
Thanks for your response. Your reply triggered some curious thoughts about the "preserving bubbles" aspect.
Hence, I found this very informative siite about champages/sparkling wine from a well seasoned winemaker.
http://richardgrantwine.com/aboutchampagne.html
Perhaps what you meant about "preserving the bubbles" is that at temperatures approaching the freezing point of champagne/wine (~23 deg F depending upon alcohol content) the carbonation is most soluable, hence best "serviced", as jimmyv has termed, at cooler than white and red temperatures.
Perhaps?
Thanks
Your (very distant) next Robert Parker | | | |
| skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5452
| | 01/20/2007 5:18 PM |
| | VinoNewb, with the Champagne at lower temperatures the bubbles are less likely to come out of solution. This is why I like to open Champagne soon after it leaves the refridgerator as it will be coldest them. However like any other drink the coldness kills the tastebuds so allowing the champagne to warm up a bit while drinking is a good thing to me. | | | |
| kpak
Alaska
Wine Thief
Posts:2910
| | 01/20/2007 6:33 PM |
| Exactly so. The higher the temp the more gas is released, meaning the sparklers can become "unpleasantly frothy"...
however a bit of warming in the glass (not too much) can help develop the flavors, especially with vintage champagnes. | |
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits...
ps - friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon. | |
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