This month marks the start of the ninth year (my first article appeared on these pages on January 10, 2008) that we have been educating and entertaining Jamaica and our overseas readers on the subject of wine and wine appreciation. While we have experienced tremendous growth in the industry, especially in terms of the range, type and variety of wines available in our market for residents and visitors/tourists to enjoy, there are a few fundamentals that still need improvement, and I wish that once and for all we could fix these problems. Today, I share my first wish:

Wish 1 — Please stop serving red wines so hot

Wine-serving temperature is a chronic problem. Save for a few establishments, most businesses that decide to sell wine to their customers don’t seem to care to make an effort to deliver, present or serve it correctly. Just last week I took some European tourists to a wine establishment and they were very disappointed with the temperature of the red wines they ordered. Scientific research has shown that taste buds function differently with changing temperature.

Serving temperature is one of the most important components in our control that affects our enjoyment of wine.

Not room temperature?

We often hear that white wines are to be served chilled and red wines are to be served at room temperature. This room temperature advice came from people living in a much colder climate than Jamaica and the Caribbean. As a result of this advice, white wines are typically served too cold and red wines are almost always served too warm.

Ideal serving temperature — red wines

I do realise that ultimately it’s all about your personal taste; however, most red wines taste best at temperatures between 58 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees to 20 degrees Celsius). The bottle or wine glass should be slightly cool to the touch. The cooler side of that scale is for the lighter wines like Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Rioja, Chianti. Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet-based wines do best at the other end of that scale. Warm red wines taste dull and flabby. Serving them at the ideal temperature brightens the fruit and helps the aromas to shine through.

Ideal serving temperature — white wines

Most white wines do best between 44 degrees to 56 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees to 12 degrees Celsius). Serving white wines too cold will numb their flavour. The bottle or wine glass should be cool to the touch. The cooler side of that scale is for the lighter wines like Rieslings and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc wines. Chardonnay-based wines taste best at the warmer end of this scale. Sparkling wines and Champagnes are to be served ice-cold.

Quick chill

Most refrigerators are set at about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, which would be too cold for white wines; however, if we did store them there, we would need to take them out about 10-15 minutes before we plan to drink them.

An ice bucket with water is the best way to bring wines to the correct serving temperature. A bottle of red wine would need to sit in the bucket for about 5 to 10 minutes; otherwise, place in the fridge for about 20 mins and then serve it from the table after that. To bring your white wine to a temperature that will give you the most drinking pleasure, place it in the bucket for about 20-30 minutes or about 1 hour in the fridge. To reduce the cooling time in the ice bucket, add salt.

Remember that a cooler wine can warm up to the correct temperature. See the diagram from Wine Folly as a reminder of the wine-serving temperatures.

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Instagram: @chrisreckord Twitter: @Reckord