Wine Serving Temperature Chart: Red, White, Rosé and Sparkling

If your bubbles taste too sharp, the wine is probably too cold. If they taste flat, it is probably too warm. That is how much serving temperature matters, and the same idea applies to every style of wine.

The short answer: serve sparkling wine at around 6–8°C, rosé at 8–12°C, white wine chilled but not ice-cold, and red wine slightly below room temperature. A bottle such as Ayala Brut Majeur NV, a 12% ABV Champagne at £33.95, is a good one to practise with. Below you will find a simple chart, plus easy ways to reach each temperature at home.

Wine serving temperature chart

Use this chart as a starting point. The figures come from our own guides to each style.

What is the best temperature to serve wine?

It depends on the style. Sparkling wines and whites are served cold, rosé sits in the middle, and reds are served slightly below room temperature.

Temperature changes how a wine tastes. A rosé served too warm can lose some of its crispness, while one served too cold can taste muted. White wine should be chilled, but not too cold, because extreme cold can mask flavour.

A simple habit helps. Start a little cooler than you think, then let the glass warm gently. Letting a rosé warm a little after it is poured can bring out more layers of flavour.

Sparkling wine and Champagne temperature

Aim for cold, but not frozen. Around 6–8°C is right for most sparkling styles. Champagne is best served slightly chilled at 8–10°C, which brings out its structure and taste, while Prosecco shines a little cooler, around 6–8°C, which highlights its crisp fruitiness.

Ayala Brut Majeur is a non-vintage Champagne in which Chardonnay makes up 55% of the blend. It is fermented in stainless-steel vats, has a low dosage, and is aged for three years in the cellars. As a Champagne, it suits the 8–10°C range.

You can also check the temperature by taste. If the bubbles taste too sharp, the wine is too cold. If they taste flat, it is too warm. A regular white wine glass or a tulip-shaped sparkling glass gives you far more of what is in the bottle.

White wine serving temperature

White wine should be chilled, but not ice-cold. Light and crisp whites are usually enjoyed well chilled, and extreme cold can hide flavour.

For a properly cold white on a hot afternoon, our summer guide suggests around 6–8°C, ideally with the bottle kept in an ice bucket. A good example is Sauska Furmint 2025, a 75cl bottle at 13% ABV and £16.95, with ripe figs, mango, kiwi, lemon zest and green tea. Our notes describe it as crisp and well-balanced, which makes it a lovely wine to enjoy well chilled. It comes as a single bottle, so you can try it without buying a case.

Rosé wine serving temperature

Rosé is best served chilled, usually between 8 and 12°C. Within that range, the fruit aromas stay lively, and the wine keeps its freshness.

On a hot day, you can go colder. Our summer guide suggests keeping rosé properly cold, around 6–8°C, in an ice bucket. If it then warms slightly in the glass, that is fine, because a little warmth can reveal more flavour.

Mirabeau Côtes de Provence ‘Classic’ Rosé 2025 is a pale pink wine with wild strawberry and raspberry compote, a gentle hint of spice and a long, fresh finish. It is 12.5% ABV and sold by the case of six at £94.95, shown as £15.82 per bottle. Case wines like this one usually take 7 to 10 business days to arrive.

Red wine serving temperature

Red wine is best served slightly below room temperature, not warm. Our own notes give a few examples: Pinot Noir at about 14–15°C, and Shiraz at around 16°C, described as cool room temperature. Even bigger reds such as Malbec and Shiraz taste better slightly cool than warm.

A slight chill suits lighter reds well. For Pinot Noir, about 15°C highlights its fresher notes, and it also shines served slightly chilled on a warm day or with spicy food.

Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2022 is a 75cl bottle at 14% ABV and £23.95, with sweet cherry and red fruits, and notes of incense, mocha and lavender. It is a good bottle to try with a short stay in the fridge first.

How to chill wine quickly

You do not need special equipment. These timings come from our own guides:

• Sparkling wine: about three to four hours in the fridge, or about twenty minutes in a bucket of ice and water.
  

• Red wine: fifteen to twenty minutes in the fridge before serving, especially for lighter reds.
  

• White wine and rosé on a hot day: keep them in an ice bucket throughout.
  

• Dessert wine: about an hour in the fridge before serving.

Chill a little more wine than you think you need on warm days, because bottles warm up quickly in the heat.

What about opened bottles?

The fridge helps once a bottle is open. Cold temperatures slow the chemical reactions that cause spoilage, and even red wines do better in the fridge after opening. Reseal the bottle tightly and keep it somewhere cool and dark.

Our open wine guide gives about three to five days in the fridge for red, white, and rosé with a cork or stopper. Sparkling wine sealed with a sparkling wine stopper usually holds most of its fizz for one to three days.

Dessert wine and sherry temperatures

Dessert wines taste best slightly chilled. Our guidance gives 6–8°C for light sweet wines, 8–10°C for medium sweet wines and 12–14°C for rich fortified dessert wines. Too warm and a sweet wine can taste heavy. Too cold and its flavours may hide.

Sherry depends on the style. Fino and Manzanilla want to be properly cold at 6–8°C, while Amontillado and Palo Cortado are best slightly cool, around 10–12°C. Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez are happy at room temperature, or just a touch below. You can explore sweet styles in our dessert wines collection.

Serving temperature FAQs

What temperature should white wine be served at?

Serve it chilled, but not ice-cold. For a properly cold glass on a hot day, aim for around 6–8°C.

Should red wine be served at room temperature?

Slightly below room temperature is better. Our notes suggest about 14–15°C for Pinot Noir and around 16°C for Shiraz, and fifteen to twenty minutes in the fridge helps.

What temperature should Champagne be served at?

Champagne is best served slightly chilled at 8–10°C. Prosecco is a little cooler, around 6–8°C.

What temperature should rosé be served at?

Rosé is best served chilled, usually between 8 and 12°C. Too warm and it can lose crispness, and too cold and the flavours may become muted.

How long does opened wine last in the fridge?

Red, white and rosé usually last about three to five days with a cork or stopper. Opened sparkling wine usually holds most of its fizz for one to three days.

How quickly can I get wine delivered?

Single bottles such as Ayala Brut Majeur, Sauska Furmint and Spy Valley Pinot Noir show next business day delivery when ordered by 12 noon, Monday to Friday. Delivery is free on UK mainland orders over £200, and a few areas have different terms, so check our delivery policy.

A final thought

Serving temperature is one of the easiest ways to help a good bottle taste its best. Start with the chart, taste as you go, and adjust by a degree or two until the wine feels right to you.

If you want a bottle that is both rosé and sparkling, Ayala Rosé Majeur NV is a Champagne at 12% ABV, with strawberry, raspberry and a hint of cassis, so it suits the 8–10°C range. We’re an independent shop in Portobello, Edinburgh, and we ship across the UK. Please drink responsibly.