The social drinker

The ideal temperature for a particular wine depends on the wine, and it is generally worth a little thought. Wine is a natural and volatile substance, and too little heat, or too much, can quickly ruin the taste by failing to allow the aromatic elements of the wine to vapourise properly.

Perhaps the biggest mistake these days is to allow wines to be served at high temperatures. This mistake is easily made, because our homes are generally much warmer than the homes of our ancestors, and we tend to eat in kitchens which are often even hotter.

Even full-blown reds from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chianti or Rioja should not be served above 18°C, while light reds such as Barbera, Cotes du Rhone or Valpolicella should be served at around 12°C, which is considerably cooler than most Irish houses these days.

It is a different story with white wines, which need to be served cold to provide a sense of balance with sweet flavours.

Many whites should come straight from the fridge, including most Muscats, Cava, Gewurztraminer and Pouilly, but other whites, such as vintage Champagne, good German and Austrian wines, Chablis or Macon are generally best served at around 9°C or 10°C, which is about three degrees warmer than your average fridge.

That’s the theory, but the reality is that it is far from easy to determine a bottle’s temperature without various gadgets that are rarely found in the kitchen of your average social drinker. That means guesswork is still likely to play a part when you prepare to serve a wine; just remember that the chances are that the red wine you are drinking is best served a little cooler than what passes for room temperature these days. A