Let's start with our usual advice on how to enjoy wine. We give some pointers and our rationale below, but if you enjoy it, then it's right for you. Don't stress about perfection.
Full bodied reds (around 18 degrees)
These wines, think Nebbiolo and Sangiovese in particular from our range, are the easiest to manage. You probably already know that room temperature is the way to go, right? But what does 'room temperature' mean? Well, you'll have to imagine a typical room in Europe 100 years ago... In this instance, we're talking about roughly 18 degrees. I dare say that's a whole lot cooler than the typical Aussie dining room for 9 months of the year.
But we're not aiming for that temperature just to pretend we're in Europe. At higher temperatures, the reds will become more volatile and the alcohol will start to overpower the other characters of the wine. At lower temperatures, the wine will be more refreshing, but you lose a bit of the roundness of a big red.
How to get to around 18 degrees will depend on your storage. If you store your reds in ideal conditions, just bring the bottle out of your cellar or wine fridge and it will come to the right temperature by the time you've poured it into a glass and swirled it around in your hands a little. If you're decanting, you might want to leave the decanter in a cool spot so it doesn't warm too much. If you store your reds somewhere a bit warmer than the ideal 'room temperature', then a little time (even just 10-15 mins) in your fridge before serving will do wonders. This is going to feel weird, especially if you're not in the habit, but give it a go! In fact, our Chief Tasting Officer, Surya, requested I delete this advice because she would never put a full-bodied red in the fridge, but I'm just following the science...
Full bodied whites and lighter reds (10-13 degrees)
For these wines, we want a touch cooler, so dropping down to 10-13 degrees. For reds we're talking about the fresher styles, typically younger wines not aged in oak. The slight chill will really accentuate the freshness and fruit, but you won't lose the big round nature of the red because it wasn't there in the first place. For example, in our range, you could try this with the Dolcetto from Cagliero. To get to the right temp, even bottles stored at optimum temperatures will require a little time in your fridge. For bottles stored in your cupboard, they might need 30 mins or longer in the fridge. Think cool but not cold. To be honest, we don't tend to bother with this with our lighter reds at home, but as I said at the start, each to their own!
For whites, think big wines that are aged in oak. But, only do this with very high quality wines. The higher temperature allows you to experience the full roundness of the wine, but also the complex flavours that emerge from the mask that a fully chilled wine will have. From our range, you could try this with the Vosgros Premier Cru Chablis from Domaine des Trois V, or the Grand Cru Riesling from Kuentz-Bas, for example. The aged, dry style Vouvrays are interesting at this temperature too. This is a higher temperature than you might be used to serving whites at. If you've had the bottle in your kitchen fridge at 5 degrees, it will be much too cold to serve (you really won't get your money's worth) so you will need to take the bottle out of the fridge for around 30 minutes before serving.
Lighter whites and high quality Champagne (7-10 degrees)
Other high quality whites (i.e. the rest of our range) you can go cooler again, around 7-10 degrees. That means letting them warm just a little if they've been in your fridge. If you're taking them outside - an ice bucket will be helpful to stop them warming too much, but you don't need to fully submerge the bottle or they'll probably end up too cold. The reason to keep these wines at these temperatures is that the typically high acid content can be too harsh if they warm above this level. They don't have the big round body that the fuller bodied whites can use to balance out those characters at warmer temperatures. But you don't want to go colder or you'll lose a lot of the flavours.
This is also the bracket I'd suggest you think about for the demi-sec wines in our range. Even those that are very high quality and aged in oak, like the demi-secs from Domaine de la Fontainerie, or the Grand Cru Gewurztraminer from Kuentz-Bas may result in the sweetness levels overpowering the other characteristics of the wine if you allow them to warm too much. But at 7-10 degrees, you get a great balance of sweet, fruit, acid and florals.
Sparkling wines are typically suggested to be served at lower temperatures, around 6-8 degrees per the bracket below, but when it comes to high quality grower Champagne, like the Godin et Fillesrange, I'd suggest a touch warmer. Sparkling wines are often made with less ripe grapes and the acidity can be bracing if served too warm, but with wonderful Grower Champagne there's just too much complexity of flavour that you miss at lower temperatures. For a bottle of the Fût de Chêne vintage Champagne, especially the slightly riper 2018 vintage, you might even serve that at 10-13 degrees per the bracket above!
Dessert wines and cheap whites (6-8 degrees)
Finally, we're at the coldest bracket. 6-8 degrees, or essentially straight out of the fridge and it will lift a few degrees in the glass. There are two categories of wines to serve here: cheap / mass produced whites where the cold can mask all of the flaws, and dessert wines. We don't have any of the former, so let's talk about the one dessert wine in our range: the Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive from Kuentz-Bas. The flavours in this wine are so powerful they will shine through the cold temperatures. But if you serve warmer, the high sugar content can become cloying. The best way to figure out your ideal range is to give it a go! Taste a little out of the fridge, and then try again from the same glass 30 mins later.