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Edited on Sat Dec-23-06 09:47 AM by TahitiNut
... who did the whole gamut from formal wine-tastings to 'baby' Beaujolais to touring the wine regions and cellars of France (as well as Western New York and the Napa and Sonoma Valleys), I can say ....
However it tastes best to you.
Yes, while the vast majority drink reds at room temperature (about 70), whites/sparkling chilled and blush wines cooled, it's highly likely that a majority of such folks do that merely because "it's the way it should be done" rather than choosing to serve their own tastes. Other than the most pretentious wine snobs, I never met a true wine lover who'd deny (or condemn) a person the liberties of accommodating their own tastes.
Wines (reds, whites, blush, and sparkling/champagnes) are best stored at constant cellar temperatures, which is around 55 degrees F since that's the earth's temperature. Many focus too much on the level of the temperature rather than the constancy, where a constant temperature is the more important. Cool is better only because it slows chemical reactions - but that doesn't mean it has to be very cold. There's apparently a balance in the the rates of change as a wine ages that vintners have achieved over the centuries - a balance that seems to be best achieved around 50-55.
That said ...
A carefully-made, vintage (i.e. reputable and expensive) red wine will often taste better when decanted (poured carefully into a decanter to leave the sediment behind) a few hours before drinking and allowed to "breathe" - which oxidizes some of the more tart/sharp substances and allows the more volatile elements to evaporate. I wouldn't think of drinking a 10-20+ year-old estate-bottled Bordeaux without doing this ... because I find it really works to round out the flavor and smooth the oaky taste of many reds.
Wines made from the pinot noir grape are among the most widely available. It's one of the more commonly grown grapes in Burgundy and California (but not New York). (It's the basis of some of my most favorite Burgundy appellations ... particularly Gevrey-Chambertains.) Of the reds, it's often used in lighter, more 'fruity' wines and would be a common choice for me if I were, say, going on a picnic in the Bois du Bologne, even in a vin du table (vin ordinaire). It's also the basis of one my favorite champagne types - a blanc de noirs. It's a good choice with a meal - particularly fowls and "the other white meat." While I personally prefer a cooled Zinfandel with turkey, a pinot noir is often a good choice, too. I know that folks usually say it's good with red meats (beef), but I tended to strongly prefer a Merlot with beef.
There's a LOT of range in the varietal wines made from pinot noir ... so the body, flavor, etc. will vary by winery.
(Gosh! It's been a long time. I stopped drinking about 15 years ago, but I really enjoyed exploring wines.)
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