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wine thermometers - 6/29/2008 7:17:19 AM

JohnNezlek

Posts: 219
Joined: 12/14/2006
From: Gloucester, Virginia
Status: offline

Hi,

Although I know/suspect that we can all go overboard at times, I have recently become a bit more sensitive to the exact temperature at which I serve my wine. This may be due in part to the scorching weather we are having here in Va, although it is certainly due to the fact that I have noticed meaningful differences in taste, with cooler usually leading to better.

Does anyone have any experience with thermometers that can measure the temperture of a bottle before it is opened? It appears that there are two types: contact (you hold the device so that it touches the bottle) and non-contact (infra red). The non-contact can also be used to measure the temperatrue of food (and Lord knows what else).

Although I am not a big "techy" per se, it seems to me that the infra red is the better way to go. I have been looking at a Bonjour for about $20 (discounted price). Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.

Cheers,

John

Post #: 1

RE: wine thermometers - 6/30/2008 12:15:37 PM

rjonas

Posts: 148
Joined: 11/5/2006
From: Newcastle, WA
Status: offline

John - I probably look too simply at this issue but since my cellar keeps my wine at a fairly consistent 55 degrees F, I try to just follow the simple rules of 1) serving white wine at cellar temp and 2) letting red wine warm up a bit (at least 30 min but preferable an hour or so)

I keep my house at a reasonable 70-72 degrees, so even at room temp, reds should be okay...

I don't think my palate is sophisticated enough yet to be able to discern the difference a few degrees might taste... I just likes what I likes...

(in reply to JohnNezlek)

Post #: 2

RE: wine thermometers - 6/30/2008 12:36:07 PM

Colonel Lawrence

Posts: 2093
Joined: 4/24/2006
From: Arabia
Status: offline

I own a wine thermometer, but have only used it once so far (it's the traditional sort).
It somehow doesn't seem to fit with either:
1. the ritual of serious wine tasting, or
2. the cheerful quaffing of everyday drinking.
I will probably use it a little more, just to educate myself.

In fact I generally know the problems with wines I serve:
1. The whites, straight from the fridge, are too cold;
2. the reds from inside the house, are normally too warm.

I therefore take whites out a little before I need them and have been known to give quaffing reds a touch of the fridge.
For good reds I will keep them in the one cooler room I have in my house for 24 hours (they will have come out of a cooled wine cabinet, or a cellar, prior to drinking).

Of all the problems, it's warm reds that gets to me.
I can live with an overchilled white: it takes little time to warm up, and if your desparate pretend it's brandy (warm in the hands) and hold it in your mouth a touch longer than normal. But a warm red - yuk.
I believe that in older times - before central heating etc. - rooms were far cooler, and much better for the wine drinking too.
L.

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(in reply to rjonas)

Post #: 3