People often tend to serve white wines too cold and red wines too warm. This chilling chart applies to a 750 mL bottle cooled in a refrigerator. That same bottle submerged to the neck in an ice bucket with equal parts cold water and ice will chill in at least half the time. Enjoy!
Chilling chart
4°C to 6°C -- cheap sparkling wines, beer. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
7 to 8°C -- champagne, rosé, retsina, dry sherry, fruity whites (Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, muscat, Torrontés, white Zinfandel). Chill for 2 1/2 hours.
9 to 10°C -- lighter complex dry and off-dry white wines (Chablis, dry and semidry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdicchio). Chill for 2 hours.
11 to 12°C -- complex dry white wines (white burgundy, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris), medium sweet wines (late-harvest Riesling, dry Madeira, white port). Chill for 1 1/2 hours.
12 to 14°C -- great sweet whites (icewine, Sauternes, Tokay, Vin Santo); young, fruity, light reds (Barbera, Bardolino, Beaujolais, Dolcetto, Gamay, Valpolicella). Chill for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
14 to 16°C -- young, fruity, medium-bodied reds (Loire, Red Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, Chianti, Eastern European reds, Pinot Noir). Chill for 1 hour.
16 to 18°C -- mature medium-bodied and young full-bodied reds (Bordeaux, Brunello, Cabernet, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Merlot, Syrah/shiraz, Zinfandel), tawny ports, amontillado sherry. Chill for at least 1/2 hour.
18 to 20°C -- mature and full-bodied reds (Amarone, Barolo, Barbaresco, Côte Rôtie, Hermitage), vintage port, sweet Madeira. Chill for up to 1/2 hour.
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