Merlot 101

When drinking red wine (Merlot), is it better to drink it cold or room temperature?

Public Comments

1. room temp
2. I dont drink it...
3. Room temperature, white wines are the ones you chill.
4. red wines are supposed to be drank at room temp but if you like it better cold than chill it before drinking it
5. Red wine is usually served at room temperature, but I like it chilled a little.
6. Its always nicer at room temperature. Ive tried it cold and It was terrible.
7. Serve merlot at room temp. In general red wines are served at a room temp and whites are served slightly chilled... Thought we left champaign in the freezer over night and that was a complete disaster. I would strongly recommend against the frozen bubbly.
8. Try it both ways and decide which you like best. This is all about enjoying what tastes good to you, not to some wine snob.
9. Room temp.
10. Merlot should ALWAYS be at room temp. The cold suppresses the grapes flavor.
11. I was informed by my good friend who likes to think she knows her wines, that red wine is to stay room temp, while white wine is to be cold.
12. Room temperature.
13. "room temperature" is actually supposed to be in the mid 50's to low 60's F when talking about reds. In it's purest form, the term refers to room temperature of cellars, not your living room. Cool would be appropriate, slightly chilled might even benefit the wine. A few minutes in the fridge, even half an hour maybe can help wake it up. But not refrigerated for too long. Think low 60s.
14. Room temperature,actually it is best straight from the cellar,because you don't want it too "room temperature" but you want the coolness to be natural,If you have a cool basement or room that stays fairly cool that is the best way to store it,and serve it,it seems strange but naturally cool is different the refrigerated cool when it comes to wine.
15. Room temperature. This allows the wine to warm up and release its "bouquet", the fragrance of the wine. Merlot has touches of certain fruits in its bouquet.
16. Room temperature is fine..but I find Slightly Chilled is better, like it just came out of your Wine Cellar.
17. Always drink red wine at room temperature or some less, but not chilled. Chill white wines.
18. room temp....i work in a restaurant/bar...and red wine (like cabernet and merlot) is served room temp, white wine (chardonnay and white zin) is served cold
19. the rule of thumb is that you should serve better wines warmer than younger or less good wines. A cheap Merlot you might serve in the low 50s-upper 40s, a good/very good/great Merlot in the mid 50s to mid 60s.
20. If you've stored it at room temperature, then you should throw it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to simulate cellar temperature. Contrary to most of the answers here, red wine is supposed to be served at cellar temperature, not room temp.
21. i store my wine in a wine fridge at about 52 - 53 degrees. When I am getting ready to serve wine, red wine in particular, I take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving, open it and let it breath. most red wine is to be at room temp. But room temp is what it was in french chateau's in europe which was usually in the low to mid 60s.
22. the problem is that the definition of "room temperature" is actually about 55-60 degrees farenheit. However, in most of the US, at least, room temperature is about 70-75 degrees, so chilling a merlot in the fridge for an hour or so is usually okay, but don't leave it in there overnight. Your best bet, however, is to buy a wine cooler at like Lowe's, for example, where you can set the temperature to cool the wine, depending on what kind you have. There's also a detailed list of information on the proper temperatures for wine here: http://www.seniorcitizensguide.com/articles/activities/wine_tips.htm