Perfect temperature in summer

Some like it cold.

The right temperature for wine is a hot topic, especially in summer. Even for good restaurants, this can be a challenge. Don’t panic: we’ve put together a few basic rules:

Rosé is, unfortunately, often ‘over-chilled’ in the name of freshness. A rosé left in an ice bucket for 30 minutes or more is on the verge of suffocation. Its aromas are stripped away, its texture weakens, and the wine loses any ability to express its nuances. All that remains is the freshness, but no personality or character. We therefore recommend serving rosés at a temperature of 8 to 10 °C. If your bottle hasn’t been stored in a cool place, allow about 20 minutes in the fridge, or 15 minutes in an ice-water bath, before serving. Conversely, if your bottle comes straight from the fridge, take it out about 10 to 20 minutes before serving. This ensures the rosé remains crisp and refreshing without losing its fruity aromas.

However, if you prefer to enjoy rosé ice-cold, that’s no problem. After all, the question of the right serving temperature is a matter of taste, and as we all know, there’s no arguing about that. If you’d like to remain as flexible as possible – after all, not everyone at the table has the same preferences – we recommend our ‘Cubes Frozés’. You can find them in our shop. For orders of €300 or more, you’ll even receive this handy summer accessory for free!

Just like rosé wines, white wines are often served too cold when taken straight from the fridge. This means that much of the fruitiness is lost, and wines aged in oak often develop a bitter taste. In principle, the same rules apply to serving white wines at the correct temperature as to rosé wines.

For food safety reasons, the fridge in your kitchen is usually set to a relatively low temperature of around 4 °C. As a result, wines stored next to a bottle of mineral water may be refreshing, but they won’t really impress. Whilst crisp white wines (e.g. Sauvignon) such as our Carlotta can be served quite cool (6 to 8 °C) to highlight their freshness, ‘more complex’ white wines, such as our Signature or white wines from the Rhône Valley or Burgundy, are best enjoyed a few degrees warmer.

The rule of serving red wines at ‘room temperature’ is somewhat misleading these days. This recommendation stems from 18th- and 19th-century homes, which had neither good insulation nor central heating. Back then, the room temperature was usually around 15 °C. Today, most people keep the temperature in their homes between 18 and 21 °C. And that is far too warm for any wine.

The solution is not to serve all red wines chilled, but to distinguish between them based on body and structure.

A good rule of thumb: the lighter and less tannic the wine (Pinot), the cooler it should be served (between 13 and 16 °C). Full-bodied red wines (Cabernet / Syrah) can be served slightly chilled, but not so much that the tannins become harsh (between 15 and 18 °C).

To summarise, here are three recommendations regarding temperature and wine in summer:

- The 20/20 rule: If your red wine hasn’t been in the fridge, put it in the fridge for 20 minutes. If your rosé or white wine has been in the fridge, take it out 20 minutes before serving.

- Serve each bottle slightly cooler than you think is necessary to begin with; in summer, wines warm up much more quickly.

- Keep the bottle in an ice bucket and top up your glass more frequently; this will ensure the temperature is just right.