The Best Way to Warm Your Glass of Wine When It’s Too Cold

When serving wine, most drinkers at home are primarily concerned with how to get a bottle cooled down as quickly as possible. Maybe dinner will be ready sooner than expected, or perhaps a last-minute, celebratory Champagne toast is in order. But there are occasions when wine can get too cold and might need a bit of warming up to hit the optimal temperature. So, how do you know when a bottle is too frosty, and what should you do to heat it up? VinePair tapped Tira Johnson, the beverage director of We All Gotta Eat restaurant group (including the Sushi Noz restaurants and the soon-to-open Chez Fifi) to provide some guidance.

Before we get into the details, what happens when a bottle gets too chilly? Johnson shares that serving temperature is mostly up to personal preference, noting that while she loves red wines with a bit of a chill, others may prefer them at room temperature. But no matter what your vibe is, if a wine is too cold, its more delicate aromas and flavors can come across muted.

“When wine warms up, the wine opens up,” Johnson says. “You’ll gain more aromatics and be able to feel more on the palate.” This can be particularly true of fuller-bodied white wines with more complexities and texture. While your crisp, easy-drinking Sauvignon Blanc will be enjoyable at refrigerator-temp on a hot summer day, those bigger, more unctuous wines like Chardonnay and Viognier can start to show their nuances after some time out of the fridge. That’s why Johnson gives those ordering white Burgundy from her an option, asking if they prefer the wine at cellar temperature or fridge temperature before grabbing the bottle.

Another reason to temper the temp: Those deeper flavors can continue to develop over time as the wine warms up.

“This is why I love drinking Champagne and white wine cold, and red wine chilled to start,” Johnson says. “Then, I leave the bottle on the table and don’t ask to put it on ice. As you drink it over the course of an hour-plus, you will see it evolve in your glass as it warms up. That’s the beauty of wine and what makes it such a special beverage.”

So, let’s say you prefer your full-bodied whites on the warmer side and you encounter an ice-cold glass — what should you do? Johnson has run into this scenario on more than one occasion.

“At home, I’ve thrown bottles in the freezer to chill them down,” she explains. “But then I forget, and remember an hour later and it’s too cold.” She says the best practice is to just wait it out. Set the wine on the table for about 20 minutes and crack open a beer or make a cocktail in the meantime.

One common tactic people use is to hold the bowl of the glass in their hands to use body heat to warm up the wine faster. Though this might be acceptable in the confines of your own home, Johnson says it’s probably best to avoid this method if you’re a guest at someone’s event or if you’re at a restaurant. She suggests that instead, it’s always best to speak with the sommelier about serving temperature, especially if you have particular preferences.

“This is why tasting the wine before the sommelier pours it in everyone’s glasses is important — not only to make sure the wine is sound, but also that it’s at the temperature you prefer,” Johnson says. “If it is too cold, ask the sommelier to decant it. The glass wine bottle itself is cold, so transferring it to a decanter will warm it up faster.”

Johnson also warns against more drastic measures, like putting the wine in the microwave: “Just don’t do that.” Though we’re all anxious to start sipping wine in its most perfect state, most of the time, the best way to achieve the ideal temperature is to be patient.

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