Published: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009

Updated: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009

Temperature plays huge role in tasting

I ordered a bottle of red wine at a restaurant the other night, and upon tasting it I had to request a bucket of ice because the wine was too warm to drink. After 10 minutes on ice, I could finally taste the flavors of the wine as opposed to the heat of the alcohol.

When a red wine is served too warm, the first thing you will notice is the heat of the alcohol. On the other hand, if it’s served too cold, it will have little flavor and taste tannic.

Tannins make a wine taste tart. A good way to experiment is to take a big drink of hot tea and feel how your taste buds are affected.

Red wines open up when they are served at room temperature, but we are talking about room temperature in France, about 65 degrees, not in Florida. In order bring a red to “room temperature” you can place it in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for around 20 minutes or in an ice bucket for 10 to 15 minutes. When using an ice bucket, remember it is best to use a mix of ice and water. Most wine refrigerators maintain temperatures that are 55 to 58 degrees, so a red wine needs to be removed about 20 minutes before drinking.

A white wine that is served too warm will also taste alcoholic and will be somewhat flabby, meaning that it lacks acidity. If it is too cold, although it may feel refreshing in the mouth, you won’t be able to taste any of its flavors.

Many of the white varietals should be served at different temperatures. Chardonnay and French White Burgundy taste best at about 55 degrees. Put these wines in the refrigerator for about an hour, or if you have a wine refrigerator, these wines can be opened immediately.

In general terms, refrigerator temperatures range between 35 and 40 degrees, which is a good temperature for most dessert wines. Champagnes and sparkling wines taste best around 45 degrees, which would translate to an hour and a half in the refrigerator or 25 minutes in an ice bucket. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio should be removed from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before drinking in order to allow them to warm slightly.

I chose a 2006 Black Swan Shiraz-Cabernet from southeastern Australia to taste at different temperatures because I have always found this wine to have a significant amount of cherry flavor upon the first taste. The cold bottle was tasted at 53 degrees and warm bottle at 75 degrees. The tannins were extremely pronounced on the cold bottle and as it was warming up, the cherry flavors were quite sweet. The warm bottle definitely tasted alcoholic and again I thought the cherry flavors were somewhat overbearing. The wine retails for around $8 a bottle, with 75,000 cases produced. All in all, it was a fun and inexpensive learning experience.

There are a number of different thermometers available that will assist you in maintaining the correct temperature. Many of these thermometers are affordable, with several basic thermometers that measure the temperature of liquids starting as low as $5.

I have also seen a number of thermometers that are metal and wrap around the bottle; these retail for around $9. A company named Okra makes a pre-programmed one with the ideal temperature for 19 different varietals; it sells for around $20. VinTemp makes an infrared thermometer that takes the temperature from outside of the bottle; it sells for $25.

Jim Rawe, a family attorney in Bradenton, is an avid collector of fine wines. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at jimrawe@gmail.com.