Should Riesling Be Chilled?

Should Riesling Be Chilled?

Riesling should be chilled if you want to taste the wine to its fullest potential (although this doesn’t mean you’re required to chill). Aside from personal preferences of taste, every beverage of choice has an ideal temperature to remain at before serving. 

Temperature plays a big role when it comes to flavor. This is why you should hold a wine glass at the stem of the glass instead of holding the bowl of the glass. Wine glasses were made to help protect the temperature of the wine. 

Is Riesling served warm or cold?

Now, you may be wondering, is Riesling served warm or cold? Light beverages like Riesling will always be served slightly chilled or at room temperature in a formal setting. More specifically, it should be served anywhere between 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit (or 7-9 degrees Celsius). Riesling falls into a dry category in flavor and retains fruity notes. 

Cooler temperatures in the wine help define not only the acidic flavors. But also the dryness, bitterness, and astringency sensations we get when we taste a dry beverage. Temperature also improves the prominence of distinguished notes on the pallet and the beverage’s aroma. 

Overall, when choosing fine dining out at restaurants, suppliers should always know to serve you Riesling within the right temperatures. I know what you might be thinking, ‘what if I want to enjoy a Riesling at home? How can I ensure a good temperature in my own home?’

Should I put Riesling in the fridge?

The short answer is yes. This, of course, depends on how long you want to refrigerate your wine. Keep in mind that we want to chill it – not freeze it. A warmer bottle of Riesling needs time to fall to a temperature between 45-50 degrees F. 

If you leave it in for too long, there’s a solid chance that your wine could get too cold. This is because a wide range of refrigerators on the market will keep an average temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (or -18 degrees Celsius).

Leaving your bottle in the refrigerator for too long at this average temperature could make your beverage far too cold for proper serving. It’s also very important to note that keeping wines in general in the refrigerator for longer periods (longer than a month, to be exact) is not recommended. This is because the refrigerators we have in our homes were not built to hold and store wines at the recommended temperatures. 

The good news is there’s a wide variety of wine coolers on the market specifically built for in-home use. So if you are a wine enthusiast (or aspire to become one), I highly suggest looking into purchasing one for yourself. Of course, you want to do this, especially if you want to serve your beverages with proper etiquette.

What is the best way to serve Riesling wine?

The absolute best way to serve Riesling wine is to be chilled accordingly to the recommended temperatures listed above. This is solely because your wine should be experienced to the best of its making. Light Riesling wines pair nicely with a fish (possibly raw) that’s very fine in texture. 

Other Rieslings are usually paired with foods of Asian culture. This could include but is not limited to main courses that contain poultry, like chicken, or other seafood options such as salmon or tuna. Although we typically pair Riesling with these, don’t limit yourself.

I recommend experimenting. Try this at home with anything from a domino’s Hawaiian pizza to jambalaya with smoked pork sausage or shrimp. Again, there’s an array of combinations you can try. There are also plenty of wine enthusiasts who might also have recommendations of their own. 

Summary

We hope whatever your celebration might be, it will be a time to remember. Just keep in mind what we recommended previously. Riesling should always be chilled in a formal setting, with a 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. If you are using your refrigerator at home to chill the wine, be sure not to leave it in there for too long. 

Your Riesling will always be paired best with foods of Asian culture, but don’t let this recommendation set your limit. Instead, try a variety of cuisines with this wine to find what fits best with your pallet’s taste preferences.