Electric Wine Chillers
Temperature is a very important factor to consider when serving wine. By and large, white wines and rosés  are usually consumed at too cold a temperature, and red wines are often served far too warm. Whites and rosés taste best when served between 7 and 13 degrees (Champagnes and sparkling wines should be consumed around 7 degrees) - anything below this and the aromas and flavours are suppressed, which ultimately means that you're not getting your money's worth.
The common practice of serving reds at "room temperature" referred to European stone buildings that tended to be quite drafty - not the climate-controlled room temperatures that exist today. Keeping this in mind, lighter-bodied reds should be served at approximately 13º, and heavier reds should not exceed 18º. A red wine served at the improper temperature will taste far too much of alcohol and certainly will not be at its best.
Single Bottle Wine Chillers
While the best (and easiest) way to chill a single bottle is arguably a bucket filled half with ice and half with water, this process will still take about a half an hour. In about 10-15 minutes, an electric wine chiller can reduce the temperature of a bottle of wine by about 12º. Many chillers have electronic controls that allow you to indicate whether the wine is red or white, but note that they are not very practical for long-term storage.
If you are interested in taking wine along on a picnic, some versions are battery-powered.
Multi-Bottle Chillers/Wine Storage
| If you a collector, beginning or otherwise, a wine storage unit is especially useful. These units create the ideal place for wines to age: the bottles are kept out of direct sunlight at a constant temperature (13º is ideal). Humidity levels are maintained (usually between 70-80%), and the bottles are stored on their sides so that the corks do not dry out and allow air to get into the wine.
For more information on this subject, see our Wine Storing Tips. |
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