Wine Thermometers

A cheeky chap on "that other forum" says he brings his wine thermometer with him when invited to friends' houses for dinner, enabling him to put their wine back in the refrigerator or take it out if it doesn't meet his specs. I mention this not as a criticism but because I'm envious. I've often had the urge to bring mine but know I'll never in a million years have the audacity to pull it off, much as I hate drinking my friends' 35-degree Chards and 75-degree Cabs.

I'm left wondering, though, if most wine lovers even own wine thermometers. You seldom see them for sale in wine shops and tasting rooms, which is a shame. They're a good investment if mine is typical as it's been in perfect working condition for about thirty years and shows no sign of giving up -- maybe because it's not digital? I don't know how people get along without them.

...I don't know how people get along without them.

I've been getting along without one all my life. Heck, I don't even monitor the temperatures of the wines I make as they ferment, but that is because there is little I can do about that, other than if it gets too cold out in the garage, I can bring them in the house, which I did have to do with the Merlot this year.

I've never personally seen the need for a wine thermometer. Just curious about yours--what type of thermometer is it? What does it look like?

I have a thermostat that helps to control the temperature in my actively-cooled wine cellar, but that's a very different thing.

-Paul W.

No wine thermometer here either; I have one that I bought in Spain years ago but I think I used it once. For me, red wine goes into the cooler 20 minutes before I drink it and white wine comes out of the cooler 20 minutes before I drink it. If I get any more complicated than that I start to fall apart. As an aside, I do not think I would be pleased if someone brought a thermometer with them to dinner at my house unless it was just to show it to me once.

No thermometer here. I would rather not drink the wine than test it for being too warm or cold. If a person serves you red out of the refrigerator he probably knows nothing about wine and it won't hurt to skip the bottle. If the white wine is too cold just hold it in your hand for a while. Not sure a wine has to be drank at perfect + or - two degrees.
Walt

No wine thermometer here either; I have one that I bought in Spain years ago but I think I used it once. For me, red wine goes into the cooler 20 minutes before I drink it and white wine comes out of the cooler 20 minutes before I drink it. If I get any more complicated than that I start to fall apart. As an aside, I do not think I would be pleased if someone brought a thermometer with them to dinner at my house unless it was just to show it to me once.

Jon,
Agree 100%. I am a wine geek but if you are so anal to bring a thermometer to my dinner party to test wine it will probably be the last party you are invited to.
Walt

A cheeky chap on "that other forum" says he brings his wine thermometer with him when invited to friends' houses for dinner, enabling him to put their wine back in the refrigerator or take it out if it doesn't meet his specs.

I think this chap needs to be put in and out of the refrigerator.

In my opinion, you don't need a thermometer to tell you if a wine is too cold or too warm - that is what your palate is for. And I think it would be incredibly insulting for a host to have a guest bring a thermometer to test their wine temp. If you are that anal as to refuse to drink a wine unless it is at the "perfect" temperature (which it cannot hold, as the ambient temp will start affecting it immediately), then you are better off drinking at home where you won't offend anyone.

I was given a wine thermometer for Christmas 8 years ago. I think I might have tried it once or twice. But I guess I gave it away, haven't seen in at least 5 years. For me, I have a pretty good idea what temp cellar is. In summer it's about right for most reds, I stick whites in fridge for a bit (or ice bath if in a hurry). In depth of winter (Feb) it's about right for whites, maybe 5 minutes in fridge, reds need to be brought upstairs in advance. If I taste and feel wine needs to be warmer, cupping stem works quickly. If too warm, back in fridge or ice bath.

But I did find my usenet post from beginning of 2003

"'ve been meaning to post about this for a month now. A dear friend who knows I
like wine usually gives me a nice bottle every Christmas (she goes to a wine
store I frequent, gets their suggestions, so usually nice). This year though
she was traveling and did all her shopping through Sharper Image. She gave me a
Wine Thermometer. Not something I had thought of needing, but a thoughtful
gift. While I think I can pretty much judge how temperature is in wine, it
might be fun to use. Now this doesn't just give you the temp (you can select
Fahrenheit or Centigrade by the way). You can select a variety of wine types
and it tells you cooler, warmer, or just right (shades of Goldilocks!).
Here's the list and their suggested temps (C/F):
Alsace 8/46
Beaujolais 13/55
Bordeaux 18/64
Bourgogne 15/59
Burgundy 16/61
Cabernet 17/63
Champagne 8/46
Chardonnay 8/46
Chianti 17/63
Languedoc/Roussillon 17/63
Loire 12/54
Merlot 17/63
Pinot Noir 16/61
Port 20/68
Rhone 14/57
Rose 11/52
Sauternes/Bdx Blanc 8/46
Sud-Ouest 7/63
Zinfandel 8/46
There's lots of stuff I could quibble about here. The Bourgogne/Burgundy
distinction is weird, but I guess I could agree that a lighter Bourgogne Rouge
should be served a little cooler than a 1er Cru etc. I personally tend to chill
Champagne (at least NV) more than other whites. I do like Loire reds lightly
chilled, but as the vast majority of Loires around are white I find this rec
slightly puzzling. The Rhone temp seems a bit cool to me (at least for bigger
wines). The Chardonnay temp is way too cool for a good white Burgundy. Etc.,
etc., etc. But what REALLY struck me was the "Zinfandel". Obviously that rec
has to be for blush. Now I know Sharper Image isn't a wine geek's dream store.
But I have to assume the target audience for a wine thermometer is people who
care about wine. How many of whom think of White Zinfandel when they see
Zinfandel? It seems to me that they could have consulted any wine professional
and come up with a clearer chart. I just find it weird.

That pretty much answers my question. Apparently few people have them and those who do almost never use them.

What does mine look like? Pretty much like the thermometers used to stick into roasts to see if they are done, except of course the temperature range is appropriate for wines. To use it you stick the probe in the neck of the bottle, which has to be full for the thermometer to work.

How do I use mine and how often? I use it different ways, but come to think of it I've used it mostly only after the first few months I owned it, as it's trained me not to have to use it very often. For instance, my refrigerator is 40 degrees F and my wine cellar is 58 degrees, and when I take a bottle of Champagne or still white wine out of the fridge I can stick the thermometer probe in the bottle neck and wait until the Champagne temperature goes to somewhere near 45 degrees or the still wine to mid-50s, which is where I like to start drinking them.. Mostly though I no longer have to do that as now I have a pretty good idea how long to wait. Or when I take a bottle of most red wines out of the cellar if I don't decant them I can stick the probe in and wait for the temperature to go into the low 60s. Again I don't do that sort of thing very often now as now I have a pretty good idea how long to wait.

I have an instant-read digital, bought at a wine conference a few years ago for about $10. Use it to heat (or learn proper setting in microwave) water for making bread, and occasionally for checking wine. More so to find the perfect temperature to serve a particular wine. For instance, when I get a wine "just right" I will check to see what that temp is, for future reference. Would buy another, and if I were a wine rep, I would always have one with me to make sure my whites were not too cold, or my reds too warm. I would buy again @ $10-$15. Use more for cooking than wine. Would never take to a friends house. Would be like taking your own stems, something I occasionally do in restaurants.

Richard, you make a good point. That's how I determined years ago what the temperatures are at which I like to drink my wines. I'm actually pretty flexible, but I find a mediciocre wine in my temperature comfort zone delivers more pleasure than a great wine that's above or below it.

[Jenise]

No wine thermometer here either; I have one that I bought in Spain years ago but I think I used it once. For me, red wine goes into the cooler 20 minutes before I drink it and white wine comes out of the cooler 20 minutes before I drink it. If I get any more complicated than that I start to fall apart. As an aside, I do not think I would be pleased if someone brought a thermometer with them to dinner at my house unless it was just to show it to me once.

Jon,
Agree 100%. I am a wine geek but if you are so anal to bring a thermometer to my dinner party to test wine it will probably be the last party you are invited to.
Walt

Same here. I've told the story before about a friend who brought INAO glasses to dinner so she could "find all the flaws" in the wines I served. I told her if she unwrapped them she was a dead woman.

In my response I actually forget the original post, about the guy bringing his thermometer to test wine. I try to be accommodating to guests, and he'd be welcome to use it at my place. I'd go downstairs, get a bottle of whatever $5 Zachys closeout I'm using for cooking wine, and he and his thermometer can sit in a corner checking its temp for the entire dinner, while the rest of us drink what I'm serving at the temp I'm serving it for the rest of the evening.

I have a wine thermometer that I rarely use. Probably the same as Dale's as seem to remember it has some wierd temperature recommendations. Wouldn't dream of taking it to a friend's house. I have been a lot more tempted to take my own glasses, but I haven't (yet) done that either.

I have about half-a-dozen wine thermometers, each sent to me for "evaluation" by one producer or another. Those thermometers sit in an empty cigar box on a shelf in my cellar. I have never even vaguely considering the possibility of using them.

Best
Rogov

They’re great little “gadgets” to “play” with, but I wouldn’t take them to seriously. Take the ones that wrap around the bottle- what temperature are they actually measuring?

Salute

I used one at home for a few years and found the results very interesting. For one thing, I pretty much agreed with Hugh Johnson's recommended temperatures for Bordeaux and Burgundy, with Burgundy in general being a little cooler than Bordeaux. And his chart, in the Wine Atlas, tops out at 64, nothing recommended higher that that.

It's useful if you are going to serve some wines and have an idea about the ideal temperature you are aiming for. You can get them there beforehand. With good wines, especially older ones, i have found that even a half degree difference could be quite significant in terms of how the wine performed! OK if you don't believe me!

Now, for myself, I adjust at the table, using a small picnic bag with a gel-filled freezer block inside, and take the bottle out, or put it in, depending on the need for a cooler or warmer temperature. In general, I find Bordeaux that are higher in tannins and/or acidity need to be "less cool" than riper ones, for instance.

Paul, your experience pretty much parallels mine, although I'm not sure I have problems with temperature changes of as little as half a degree. Sometimes, though, I do experience profound changes between one sip of wine and the next one a few minutes later, particularly as the glass is nearing empty, and then it's hard to know when the change is driven by a slight temperature increase or exposure to air. And I find especially amusing some of the blind tastings by my wine club, which is more social than geeky. The club tastes, then chatters at length, then some members taste again and drastically change their rankings. Is the cause air or temperature or both. It's often hard to tell.

I have a VinTemp infrared digital thermometer that I received as a gift some time ago. I do not use it very often, but it is a neat novelty item that guests can play with. -- Clark