White wine served too cold

A domestic fridge runs at about 4–5°C, and almost no wine shows well at that temperature. Cold suppresses volatility, so there is very little to smell, and it accentuates acidity and any tannic edge, so what remains tastes sharp and hard.

For a simple, inexpensive white this is arguably the point — cold hides thinness as effectively as it hides everything else. For a wine with something to say it is a straightforward loss.

The rule of thumb runs in both directions: take a white out of the fridge twenty minutes before pouring, and put a red into it for twenty minutes. Both are moving towards the middle.

Fuller and more complex whites need it most. A serious white Burgundy, an aged Riesling or a barrel-fermented Chenin served at fridge temperature is unrecognisable next to the same bottle at 10–12°C.