Wine Fridge Temperature Guide (For Different Styles of Wine)

Wine fridge temperature is immensely important when storing delicious bottles, as any wine enthusiast knows.

If you want to care for your wine properly, you need to set your wine fridge temperature according to what kind of wine you have. Consider this the ultimate wine cooler temperature guide for the most popular styles of wine, from Bordeaux to prosecco and everything in between.

Keep reading to learn how to store and care for your wine properly so every glass is perfect.

Why Is Temperature So Important?

When researching wine storage, you probably encounter a lot of temperature talk. But how important is the temperature of your wine storage, really? Extremely important! That's why they make wine coolers! You can set a wine refrigerator or wine cooler to keep your wine collection at the optimal temperature.

Why is the ideal temperature so important? Improper temperature storage can cause the wine to age too rapidly, freeze, or oxidize, all of which can ruin the flavor of the wine. Below is a thorough explanation of what imperfect temperatures can do to a precious bottle of wine.

High Temperatures

If you store your wine above 70ºF, the wine will start to cook, causing a nasty flavor and effectively ruining the entire bottle. Wine stored at high temperatures will take on a sour and jammy taste that is not pleasant. If the heat does not cook the wine and ruin the flavor, it will still cause it to age rapidly, so the maturation process is compromised.

If you hold onto special bottles of wine to let them age and deepen their flavor, it must be at the right temperature. Stored at the wrong temperature, what you think is aging may just be the wine getting worse and worse.

Cold Temperatures

Many wine lovers understand the dangers of storing wine in high temperatures, but cold temperatures can be just as destructive. The wine will expand when stored at low temperatures, putting pressure on the bottle and the cork. If the cork is compromised and forced out of the bottle, even just a bit, the wine will begin to oxidize and go bad.

If the environment gets super cold, the wine may begin to crystallize, causing the cork to pop or the bottle to crack and shatter. Obviously, a shattered bottle or popped cork means the wine is not suitable for drinking.

Ultimate Wine Temperature Guide for Storage

Now that you know why it’s important to store your wine properly, let’s get into the ideal storage temperatures for different wines. Some people assume you can store all red wine at the same temperature, but that’s not true. Below are the ideal temperature ranges for some of the most common varieties of wine.

Red Wine

First up is red wine fridge temperatures. Ideally, you should store all red wine between 55ºF and 67ºF, but below are more specific ranges for popular red wine varieties. Keep this list handy when setting your wine fridge temperature if you’re a red wine lover.

• Red Zinfandel: 66-67ºF
• Syrah: 66-67ºF
• Bordeaux: 66-67ºF
• Cabernet Sauvignon: 66-67ºF
• Burgundy: 66-67ºF
• Malbec: 60-62ºF
• Rioja: 60-62ºF
• Merlot: 60-62ºF
• Grenache: 60-62ºF
• Chianti: 55-60ºF
• Barbera: 55-60ºF
• Beaujolais: 55-60ºF
• Pinot Noir: 55-60ºF

White Wine

Now for the folks who adore white wine. Expectedly, the temperature range for white wine is lower than the range for red wine, but not by much. However, these few degrees of difference can make or break a bottle of wine. White wines should be stored between 46ºF and 55ºF. Below you will find a more specific temperature range for the most popular types of white wine.

• Viognier: 52-55ºF
• Chardonnay: 52-55ºF
• Sauternes: 52-55ºF
• Montrachet: 52-55ºF
• Riesling: 50ºF
• Chablis: 50ºF
• Pinot Grigio: 46-48ºF
• Sauvignon Blanc: 46-48ºF

Other Wine Varieties

A few varieties of wine do not fall into the white or red category perfectly. Below are other types of wine you may want to store properly.

Rose Wine

Rose wines are light pink and often have a sweet and delicate flavor profile. They are usually served chilled, and the ideal storage temperatures are as follows:

• Sangiovese Rosé: 55-60ºF
• Grenache Rosé: 55-60ºF
• Syrah Rosé: 55-60ºF

Sparkling Wines

Sometimes people forget that sparkling wine is wine too! It’s extra important to keep sparkling wine at the proper temperature because the bubbles make them more susceptible to issues. To keep your celebratory wines bubbly and delicious, store them at the following temperatures:

• Champagne: 40-45ºF
• Prosecco: 40-45ºF
• Asti: 40-45ºF
• Cava: 40-45ºF

Setting Your Wine Fridge Temperature

Since many people enjoy a glass of red with their steak and a glass of white with their salmon, you may be perplexed about how to store all types of wine in a single fridge.

If you have a bottle of champagne and a bottle of Bordeaux, what wine storage temperature do you set your fridge to? Splitting the difference is recommended, so 55ºF would be ideal.

An even better solution is to buy a dual-zone wine fridge that allows you to set each side to a different temperature.

However, the moral of this article is to take your wine cooler temperature seriously. If you get a new bottle of wine and aren’t sure what the ideal storage temperature is, you can always return to this handy guide!

FAQs

Below are a couple of commonly asked questions.

Is rose technically a white or red wine?

Rose is tricky because it’s made similarly to red wine, but the flavor notes and heft are often closer to white wine. On restaurant menus, rose wines can be listed under red or white wines. Technically, rose is its own category and doesn’t neatly fit into red or white.

Are the storage temperature and serving temperature always the same?

While white wines are often stored and served at similar temperatures, red wine storage and serving temperatures can differ more substantially. And that’s why guides like this are so helpful!