The Ideal Wine Temperature For Storage And Serving

by Anthony Zhang

To enjoy your favorite wine bottles to the fullest, it is crucial to store and serve them at the right wine temperature.

Doing so can help the wine maintain its delicious flavors, vibrant character, and rich aromas.

But here’s where things get a bit tricky – the correct temperature for storage and serving can vary for different wine styles.

But not to worry!In this article, we’ll give you a comprehensive wine temperature chart, cover the ideal serving and storage temperature for different styles, and highlight some other wine temperature tips.

The Ideal Storage And Serving Wine Temperature (Based On Wine Style)

Here is a table with the proper serving temperature, storage temperature, and chill-time (from room temp) for:

Popular wine styles (like sparkling wine, Rosé wines, natural wine, and fortified wine) and
Varietals (like Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and more.)

Short-Term Wine Storage Vs. Long Term Wine Storage

Here’s how to go about short-term and long-term wine storage:

A. Short-Term Wine Storage

For bottles that’ll be stored no longer than six months, you can maintain an ideal temperature of between 45–65°F, depending on the wine style.

These short-term storage wines can be kept in a wine cooler or fridge. These wine storage spaces maintain the best temperature conditions for your wines.

B. Long-Term Wine Storage

For wines that’ll be stored for more than a year, it’s best to store them in a wine cellar and maintain an optimal wine storage temperature of 55°F. The cellar temperature, light, and humidity levels in a wine cellar are most suitable for the long term storage of extensive wine collections.

However, it can be pretty challenging and expensive to build and maintain a wine storage facility for a big wine collection on your own.

Fortunately, you can store your wines professionally through Vinovest – a reliable online investment platform. Vinovest’s state-of-the-art wine storage facilities maintain the ideal temperature, humidity, light, and vibration conditions for your precious wines.

3 Important Wine Serving Tips

Here are three helpful wine serving tips:

Tip 1: Red wine temperature for serving is usually higher than for white wines.

Generally, red wine should be served slightly below room temperature, between 62–68℉. White wine should be served at an even cooler temperature of around 49-55℉.

Tip 2: Chill your wine quickly by placing it in an ice bucket.

If you want to chill your wines to the proper serving temperature quickly, you can place the wine bottle in a bucket that’s filled with ice and water or place it in the kitchen refrigerator for a few hours.

However, keeping your wine bottles in the refrigerator for more than a few hours can disrupt the wine’s aging process and flavor, and even lead to oxidation (if the cork dries out.)

Tip 3: Use the proper wine glasses for the best experience.

Once your wine has been chilled to the perfect serving temperature, you should pour it into a suitable wine glass to bring out the best of your wine’s character and nuances.

Here are some suggested wine glasses for different types of wine:

Red wine: Bordeaux glasses
Dry white wines: Tulip glasses
Rosé wines: Diamond-shaped glasses
Dessert wines: Sippers, Port glasses, and Sherry glasses
Champagne or sparkling wines:Champagne glasses or flutes

Other Interesting Facts About Wine Temperature

Here are some other handy wine temperature facts:

Why does the right wine temperature matter?

Storing wine at the wrong temperature can negatively affect the wine’s flavor and aging potential.

Serving wines at the right temperature also helps enhance the wine’s aroma and tasting notes.

For example, white wine that’s below the optimal serving temperature will taste muted and almost watery. And, if you serve white wine above the ideal serving temperature, it can ruin the wine’s delicate aroma and acidity.

Red wine tends to taste overly acidic when served below the optimal wine serving temperature and incredibly bitter when served above the optimal temperature.

Why should consistent temperature be maintained in wine storage?

Avoiding temperature fluctuation is crucial whether you store your bottle in a wine cellar or a wine cooler.

This is because constantly switching to a different temperature can damage the wine label, cause oxidation, and even age the wine prematurely.

In addition to temperature consistency, it’s also essential to consider the storage conditions of your bottles (lighting, vibrations, and humidity levels), as changes to these conditions can also damage the wine.

What is the ideal temperature for your wine refrigerator?

You should keep the refrigerator temperature for your white wines between 45–50°F. For your red wines, you should maintain a refrigerator temperature of between 50–65°F.

For sparkling wines, you should set the wine refrigerator temperature to between 50–55°F.

What temperature is bad for wine?

Any temperature above 70°F or below 20°F will cause irreparable damage to the wine.

Storing wines at a warmer temperature will cause the wine to age more quickly, ruin its rich flavor and aroma, and even damage the wine’s label. Additionally, storing wines at a cooler temperature can break the wine’s cork and seal and even crack the wine bottle.

Store Your Precious Wines Professional Through Vinovest

It’s important to store wine at the proper temperature to maintain its quality and aging potential. Additionally, you need to serve your wines at the best temperature to experience their delicious aromas and rich flavors.

That’s why Vinovest’s professional wine storage facilities are a fantastic alternative to managing your own wine cellar.