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Improvement of wine over time and its duration usually depends on the character of the variety and its
type.
The following chart shows the best period of conservation and aging for various types in ideal conservation
conditions offered by your appliance. However, you should always follow the instructions of the
winemaker, especially for fine wines.
Conservation of wines - Time of conservation
TYPE OF WINE
CONSERVATION
TEMPERATURE
TIME OF
CONSERVATION
New wines (Vin Nouveau) from 12° to 14° C 6 months
Sweet sparkling wines from 8° to 10° C 1 year
Rosé from 10° to 14° C 1 year
Semi-sparkling wines from 10° to 12° C 1 - 2 years
Normal white wines from 10° to 14° C 1 - 2 years
Light red wines from 12° to 14° C 2 years
Dry sparkling wines from 8° to 10° C 2 years
Classic sparkling wines from 8° to 10° C 3 - 4 years
Barrique and Vigorous white wines from 8° to 12° C 3 - 5 years
Normal red wines from 14° to 16° C 3 - 5 years
Barrique and Vigorous red wines from 14° to 18° C 7 - 10 years
Straw wines or Liquorous wines from 16° to 18° C 10 - 15 years
Conservation of wines - Consumption temperature
As a general rule, white wines should be served at
a temperature between 10 and 12° C (50 and
53,6°F) and red wines between 12 and 14° C (53,6
and 57,2°F).
Some wines may however be best enjoyed at
higher or lower temperatures.
You should also keep in mind that, during the
summer, wine is generally enjoyed at lower
temperatures than during the winter.
You should also consider the following:
White wines
White wines are normally not served at high
temperatures, since they are generally more acidic
that red wines and not very tannic. Therefore they
are more enjoyable at low temperatures.
It is preferable to serve these wines between 10° C
and 14° C (50°F and 57,2°F). Young, fresh and
aromatic wines can also be served at 10° C (50°F),
while less aromatic ones are served at 12° C
(53,6°F).
Temperatures between 12° C and 14° C (53,6°F
and 57,2°F) are for soft, mature white wines that
have been aged for some years in the bottle.
Higher temperatures would favour the exaltation of
the sweet character of the wine, at the expense of
the acidity and flavour, which are considered
pleasant and desirable characteristics of this type of
wine.
Rosé
Rosé wine is served at the same temperature as
white wines. It should be noted that these wines
may include a certain amount of tannin and may
therefore be preferable at higher temperatures.
Therefore, they are served between 10° C and 12°
C (50°F and 53,6°F), if young and fresh, and
between 12° C and 14° C (53,6°F and 57,2°F) if
robust and mature.
