#WineWednesday #Winein Kenya
I’m sure you have heard that when you are serving white wine, you should chill it first. However, it all boils down to preference but today on the Wine Blog, I will talk about why you need to chill or not chill wine. To maximize the aroma and the flavour of the wine, it is best when served chilled. there are the required temperatures for different types of wine. In restaurants they have special wine coolers / refrigerators.
Wine Refrigerators at Fairmont , The Norfolk.
1. Sparkling wines
If you read this post, you know the science behind why wines sparkle. It is important for the wine to have a bit of temperature so that the yeast can break down. The process is called autolysis and when the yeast breaks down, it releases some great nutty flavours that characterize sparkling wine. So I would recommend that you do not put sparkling wines in the fridge prior to serving. I remember there was a time ( a long time ago) when I would through every wine bottle in a fridge but now I know better. Take it out a few minutes before serving and serve it at about 40-50 degrees F. You can use a little cheat sheet. 2.5 hours in the fridge, 20-25 minutes in the freezer and 25 minutes in a water bath. I’m sure you have seen people putting bottles in a bucket proir to serving.
2. Red Wine
I have realized that red wine does not need to be so cool when you are serving. I used to serve red wine at room temperature but the required temperature is a few degrees under room temp (60-68 degrees F). The temperature depends with the type of red.
- Light reds: 50 to 60 degrees F
- Medium-bodied reds: 55 to 65 degrees F
- Bold reds: 62 to 67 degrees F
Ensure that your wine is not too warm because you will miss out on all the flavours that make red wine so vibrant, fresh and appealing. The wine should stay 40 minutes in the fridge, 6 in the freezer and 3 in the water bucket.
3. White Wine
Most of the white wines should be chilled at around 43 to 53 degrees F. However, high-acid wines like Muscadet and Chablis should be served at around 45˚F, while rich whites, like Rhônes and Burgundies, should be 50˚F. For the white wine, when it is too cold, you lose out on the flavours. High Acid wines should spend two and a half hours in the fridge, 25 mins in freezer and 10 in bucket. Rich wines should spend 2 hours in fridge,20 mins in freezer and 10 in bucket.
4. Dessert Wines
These are the sweet wines and they should be served at 40 degrees F.
Wine Refrigerators at the Wineshop.
NB. I used Fahrenheit to measure temperature. If you prefer Celsius, here is a converter.
Sources
Remember join Penelope and I on #WineWednesday today and tweet with #WineinKenya. We are talking about white wine. In case you missed it, join us next Wednesday.
