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September 14, 2001
Food and Wine - Best temperatures for drinking wine
Tasty temperature (Opinion)
With wine, think of a castle room and a mineral water.
STAN TAVISS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
In this special Rosh Hashanah column, I will try to deal with a
couple of frequently asked questions - sort of "everything
you always wanted to know about wine, but were too embarrassed to
ask."
At what temperature is wine best served?
In my last column (Bulletin, July 27), I mentioned that
white wines are often served at a temperature which makes them too
cold to be appreciated. The ideal serving temperature for dry white
wines is probably 50 to 55 degrees (all temperatures are given in
Fahrenheit).
Included in this category are wines made from grapes such as the
Chardonnay, the Sauvignon Blanc or the Reisling. If the wine is
much colder than that, you really cannot taste it. On the other
hand, if the wine is a lot warmer than that, the acid qualities
are enhanced and you may find the wine to be unpleasant.
Red wines are also misunderstood. It is often said that they should
be served at "room temperature," however, the reference
was originally to a "room" in an English castle, without
central heating. Frequently, our red wines are served too warm and
they are a lot less fun to drink. In the case of dry red wines from
Bordeaux, and wines made elsewhere in the world from the grape varieties
of Bordeaux, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc or
Malbec, my preference is to taste them at about 65 degrees.
Red wines which are higher in acidity - such as Burgundies or wines
made in other places in the world from the Pinot Noir grape - are
better at a slightly cooler temperature, perhaps 60 degrees. As
the acid balance rises, wines like simple Chiantis (i.e. not riservas),
Beaujolais, inexpensive Côtes du Rhones, young Zinfandels,
etc., can all benefit from temperatures similar to dry white wines
as described above.
The foregoing advice must not be allowed to intimidate you, and
you should feel free to experiment until the wines taste best to
you.
Will wine spoil quickly after the bottle is opened?
Frequently, I am asked how long wine can last, without spoiling,
in an opened bottle. There are many people who are not prepared
to drink anentire bottle at one sitting, and even some couples do
not always finish a bottle with their dinner (the people who know
us, know that I am not referring to my wife and me).
The enemy is oxygen and it is interesting that wine is more like
a way station than a final destination. When exposed to air, the
alcohol in the wine combines with the oxygen in the air in a kind
of additional fermentation, producing carbon dioxide and acetic
acid (vinegar). One way to help in preventing this is to partially
withdraw the air from the bottle, and there are a number of devices
that are readily available for this purpose. For example, there
is an inexpensive "pump" that you can buy almost anywhere
kitchen gadgets are sold.
Here is another suggestion: buy a small bottle of mineral water
which has a screw top. Perrier has one at 10 ounces that I have
used with success. Drink the water and then put the bottle through
the dishwasher to be sure it is quite clean. Now, as soon as you
open a bottle of wine, carefully fill the small bottle with the
wine, right up to the rim. Screw the cap on tightly and refrigerate
the small bottle. The contents will keep for several weeks without
spoilage or serious changes in flavor.
As we are approaching Rosh Hashanah, I would like to refer you
to recommendations for kosher wines made in earlier columns. In
the whites, try the Sauvignon Blanc from the Golan Heights or the
Teal Lake Chardonnay from Australia. In the reds, try Fortant de
France Merlot or the Cabernet Sauvignon wines of Gan Eden and Weinstock,
both wineries being in California.
Our very best wishes for yom tov and the new year - may you and
your family be inscribed for a happy and healthy year.
Stan Taviss is a legal consultant and "serious wino"
living in Vancouver. If you have any wine-related questions, please
write to the Bulletin. Taviss will be happy to answer them
in a future column.
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