High-quality wine sets off the taste of the dishes. However, it is not the combination of the drink with this or that type of snack that is much more important, but the temperature of the wine itself when it is served. And if red wine should be exclusively at room temperature, then white wines are drunk only chilled.
Red table wines are preferable to use in winter - they have a warming effect, while facilitating the digestion of more satisfying "winter" food. The temperature of red wine should not be lower than 16-18 degrees. In the heat, such a tart drink is unlikely to quench your thirst, therefore, from time immemorial, white table dry wine was served on the tables in the summer heat, and it was chilled. The recommended temperature is 10-12 degrees.
Wines were chilled not only for this reason. It is known that the taste of this pleasant golden drink also depends on its temperature. More precisely, the temperature can hide or emphasize the merits and demerits of white wine. For example, some varieties are highly acidic, can taste bitter and even smell of rubber or sour vinegar, and there are also wines with a very high alcoholic content.
If it is necessary to “mask” light (or obvious) defects of the drink, it is permissible to cool it below the recommended temperature. Experienced sommeliers will confirm the dogma: the rules should be kept in mind, but you should be guided by your own taste. However, for high-quality and tasty white wine, the serving temperature can be higher.
Plain white wines are often unbalanced. In some, oak aroma dominates, giving the taste an unpleasant tone, they are distinguished by excessive or insufficient acidity. To iron out the imperfections, simply chill the wine harder. So you don't pay attention to the flaws. The best dessert white wines made from late harvest grapes should not have any flaws. However, their very high acidity coupled with sweetness can be very disappointing if the drink is served at the wrong temperature.
6-8 degrees is the lowest temperature for white wine. If you cool it harder, the structure of the product will change, this will affect the taste. An ice bucket that suits inexpensive dessert wines such as Muscat and sweet and semi-sweet sparkling wines such as Asti. Strong cooling to 6 degrees is recommended for semi-sweet champagne. The fact is that all simple dessert wines, including dry and sparkling ones, have a rich sweet taste without sourness. If the drink is heated to 18 degrees, you are unlikely to master even half of the glass. Cooling down to a low temperature is also recommended for white wines with increased minerality and acidity. For example, Spanish dry sherry. Cold will give the taste harmony, freshness, completeness.
