Serving wine at the right temperature, it's personal now

I remember my first glass of red wine. I was at a restaurant for a Christmas party of a friend in college. The owners convinced me to try a glass as I wasn't a big drinker, probably the only college student at the time that could claim so. The warm liquid did not suit my palate at the time, little did I know that 10 years later I would rather have wine than water. Back then I was accustomed to drinking things at one of two temperatures, scolding hot, or ice cold.

Personal taste, common sense and custom will play a role in what temperature you prefer your wine, but there are some guidelines to help you get started. In the US most consumers prefer ice water while our British counterparts enjoy their water at room temperature. In the end, the right temperature is the one that makes the wine taste it's best to you.

Professionals say to keep most sparkling, white and rose wines between 45-50 degrees. Most refrigerators are set around 40 degrees, so if your wine has been in the fridge for awhile, it might be a good idea to let it warm up for 20-30 minutes before pouring a glass. Most reds will be enjoyed between 60-65 degrees. People refer to serving red wine at "room temperature", but I know they haven't been in my room when discussing this, since I like to keep the thermometer at about 78 degrees. If your home is warm like mine, you might want to pop your red wine into the fridge for 20-30 minutes to bring the temperature down.

Testing wine is my favorite part about learning, so it's fun to take a new, or favorite wine and try it at different temperatures to see where you feel the wine is best balanced. Don't be afraid to be different, I know plenty of wine drinkers that prefer their glass of red with a single ice cube resting in it. While I wouldn't recommend it, I'm certainly not going to try to take their enjoyment away from them.