Most wine reviews focus on the type of wine, the vintage, etc. Just as important, in particular with Pinot Noir, is the glass one is using and the temperature of the wine. There is plenty of information on glasses, therefore this post is about temperature.
Temperature is so important for Pinot Noir, because the wine has to be warm enough to unfold its flavours and mouthfeel, but not too warm, which would eliminate flavour nuances. Pinot Noir from the fridge is too cold, directly from a temperature controlled wine cellar is too cold as well. Room temperature is too warm.
My preference is to take a bottle from my (quite cold - 13 degrees) cellar and leave the bottle 1 to 2 hours at room temperature. This time could also be used for decanting. The opposite approach is to have a room temperature bottle and put it in the fridge for some minutes. The disadvantage here is somewhat uneven cooling, in particular if decanted.
Any thoughts?
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2 comments:
The 'right' wine temperature for drinking is always going to be somewhat subjective; the most important suggestion in your article is to decant while waiting for the pinot to reach your desired temperature. Of all the varietals wines we can drink these days, decanting is an absolute MUST for pinot. From 30 mins to an hour + beforehand, pinot will ALWAYS drink better. Every time, without fail.
A related observation would be to point out the sometimes amazing differences one can experience from the first to the last sip from your glass.
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