Wine Wednesday: How to perfectly chill your wine

Wine – a beverage best served cold.

In college, most students don’t care if their wine is chilled or not. However, chilled wine can heighten the taste and experience. Whether it be a red, white, sweet or a sparkling, each wine has a specific way it should be chilled. The timing can be tricky depending on your favorite kind, so below is your professional guide to chilling wine to perfection.

Sparkling

Sparkling wines benefit from some temperature change because of autolysis, when yeast breaks down into wine – which gives you the nutty flavor. If it’s too cold, you don’t get that.

Time in fridge:
2.5 hours

Time in freezer:
20–25 minutes

Time in ice bucket with water:
10 minutes

White

High-acid wines like Muscadet and Chablis should be chilled at around 45 degrees, while rich whites, like Rhônes and Burgundies, are to be served closer to 50 degrees. If the wine is too cold, you run the risk of suppressing the aromas and flavors. If it’s too warm, you’re not going to get the acidity.

Time in fridge:
2.5 hours (high-acid), 2 hours (rich)

Time in freezer:
25 minutes, 20 minutes

Time in ice bucket with water:
10 minutes, 6 minutes

Red

Red wines should be served 5 degrees under room temperature, between 65 and 68 degrees. The taste improves at these temperatures and you get all of the vibrancy and freshness. When red wines are too warm, all you get is the mere taste of alcohol, fruit and oak.

Time in fridge:
40 minutes

Time in freezer:
6 minutes

Time in ice bucket with water:
3 minutes

Sweet

Dessert wines like Sauternes should be served at 40 degrees. You want these wines cold because they have acidity, and you want that acidity to shine through the sugar. Serving bottles too warm will make the wine taste like raisins.

Time in fridge:
2.75 hours

Time in freezer:
30 minutes

Time in ice bucket with water:
11 minutes