Whether in a bistro or a private home, reds both cheap and expensive seem to be served far too warm. What is the correct temperature for serving?

—G.L., Oakleigh, VIC

I agree that, in this country, we serve our reds too warm and, I would add, our whites too cold.

There’s a certain amount of laziness involved: whites? Just chuck ’em all in the fridge no matter what the grape or style. Reds? Room temperature: near enough’s good enough.

No one has the time or patience to partly chill a red on a hot day, it seems. (Unless you’re in Port Douglas, where, in hot weather, every restaurant I went to seemed to serve their reds icy-cold from the fridge!)

In Champagne, they talk about frappé, which means the bottle has been “smacked” with a quick chill, usually in an ice bucket. It does not mean refrigerated to 4 degrees.

Riesling, semillon, sauvignon blanc and other fruit-driven or aromatic whites can be served straight from the fridge. In warm weather, they can warm up a few degrees pretty quickly, which is usually no bad thing.

But chardonnay and other oak-matured dry whites prefer less chilling: say 10-12 degrees. Fridging any wine will suppress the aroma and flavour and a really good chardonnay will tend to be strangled by over-chilling.

Rosé can be served straight out of the fridge – or from an ice bucket – like dry whites.

Dry reds generally need less chill. Cold tends to suppress fruit in any wine, and in full-bodied reds such as shiraz, cabernet, tempranillo, sangiovese and durif, this makes the tannins tougher and more prominent.

Too warm is a worse crime than too cold: in most situations, it’s easier to warm a wine up than chill it down at the table. If they’re too warm, reds tend to taste more alcoholic and lose their structure, tannins go mushy and sweetness is exaggerated, the refreshing acidity suppressed.

Most full-bodied reds go well at about 16 to 18 degrees; lighter reds, such as beaujolais/gamay and lighter pinot noirs, should be cooler again.

Introductory books on wine will often have more specific directions. There’s an old saying: if you only have rubbish wine to serve your guests, chill the hell out of it and they might not notice!

Got a drinks question for Huon Hooke?
thefullbottle@goodweekend.com.au