Getting red wine temperature right without a special cooler

I don't cool red wine. Most reds should be drunk at "room temperature" (actually a rather cool room temperature, though I prefer them a bit warmer). For whites, if I need to chill one quickly, half hour in the freezer under the blower seems to do it nicely. Don't forget about the bottle though!

Jose

If you have a cellar, most reds can be served at cellar temperature without much problem. Otherwise, cool the bottle until it's cool (but not cold) to the touch. Lighter reds such as Beaujolais or Dolcetto can be served cooler still. IMO using a thermometer is a bit of overkill, but if you've got one why not use it?

Mark Lipton

Actually, putting a cooler in the glass is one of the fastest ways to change temperature of the wine. So, why not wrap the ice cube in plastic-film (the one comonly used for food), so to prevent it from watering the wine? Just use a bit too much plastic-film and close the wrap making a kind of a stalk who will be emerging from the wine, making it easier to remove. BTW - I'm obviously guessing, but I'm going to try it out ASAP. And report.

To me, the fastest easy way to cool a bottle of wine is a bucket with ice cubes, tap water and a spoon of salt. The temperature of wine can lower from 18ºC to 12ºC in about 10 minutes.

Ice with water works MUCH faster than just ice.

I have to -politely- disagree with Jose's advice to serve reds at room temperature. In fact, I tend to serve young fruity red wines at 14ºC, delicate red wines at 16ºC and big bold red wines at 18ºC. My home rarely goes below 20ºC in the winter and is usually over 22ºC in the summer.

Best,

S.

There is an old rule of thimb for when you don;t have a wine cellar or cooler --

Red wines kept at room temp; 15 minutes in the refrigerator before opening / decanting White wines kept in the refrigerator; 15 minutes in the room before opening and serving

How long does it take, after a (red) wine has reached its ideal temperature, for it to become less than ideal while the bottle or glass is sitting on the table? Not long, I suspect, and thus I wouldn't worry too much about getting it perfect at serving time.

An ice bucket helps the whites (though it may pull too far in the down direction) but I've never put a red on ice.

Jose

My view is that a red wine has 2 or 3 tastes/flavors. The flavor changes as it warms to room temp.

After you have experimented with a particular wine/vintage you can decide which flavor you like and set temperature accordingly. But it will indeed warm up in the glass.

The addage, regarding "room temp" for reds comes from Europe and the UK, where "room temp," is usually closer to what one keeps their cellar, than the temps, likely to be encountered in, say the US. However, that doesn't mean that one is bound by any temp, when serving their wines - white, or red. As you point out, you like your reds even warmer, than "room temp." I, on the other hand, find that most reds get very "spirity," (showing strong alcohol which obscures most of the fruit characteristics for me) when served too warm. It is all personal, though, like wanting a big white right out of the 'fridge in a chilled glass. It's what one likes. At restaurants, in general, I'm more likely to request that my red be chilled table-side, and my white not chilled, just placed on the table.

Hunt