Whether it’s white or red, the temperature of the wine matters. Whether we want to taste a white, a red or a brulé or a grolla.

Should red wine never be put in the fridge?
Does white, on the other hand, always go to the fridge?
And the sparkling wine? Where do we put the sparkling wine? Help!

The temperature of the wine

The temperature completely changes our sensations. On a physical level it modifies the receptive capacity of the taste buds, on a chemical level it modifies the vapors that a food or, as in this case, a wine emit and which also affect the nasal cavities. In short, steam also counts.

Cold enhances bitterness and astringency

To understand it, just drink an espresso coffee left to cool. We will feel it much more sour and much more bitter.
Same thing for a wine. Red wine has much more tannin and tannin itself gives the sensation of astringency, that is, the stuff that gives you the feeling of having eaten a sponge. If we drink a cold red, this sensation is amplified leaving us with the doubt that we have really drunk a sponge.
White wine is by its nature poorer in tannin and its characteristics are its “freshness” and aromas. By “freshness” we mean acidity, a quality made physically more pleasant by the low temperature on the taste buds, so the white should be drunk cold to enhance its characteristics.

The heat and the scents

A higher temperature amplifies the sensations of heat (but okay?).
The bitterness and astringency subside. Therefore at a higher temperature it is better to drink a red wine with great structure that if drunk cold it would be as good as a box of sand in the mouth.

The temperature, therefore, serves to balance the natural imbalances of wine, white and red, and make the experience better based on the characteristics of what you are drinking.
Of course if you prefer to gulp down alcohol, then grab a Tavernello and don’t argue about the temperature.

Does red go to the fridge?

Almost always… yes.
Why?
Because “room temperature” is bullshit. At the moment I have 30 degrees at home, we are on August 13th and if I leave an egg on the terrace it cooks itself. In a few months I will have 22/23 degrees and the heating is on.
In any case, it is very rare that in our homes there is the right room temperature for wine.

The definition of “room temperature” comes from the tradition of our grandparents, people who warmed themselves with the fireplace and with the embers under the sheets. At home he was between 15 and 18 degrees in the winter and above all he drank terrible wine which was best kept cold to numb the tongue.
Do we want to trust these people to drink well?

In our homes this is no longer the case, the temperature is always higher than the 18/20 at which an important red should be served.
So the refrigerator is welcome, as long as you take out the bottle a little before it opens. A wine thermometer is what it takes, if you are not one of those who chug at random, huh.