Temperature

Serving wine at the right temperature is critical if it is to show its best. Follow certain basic rules and you will be fine - there's not much wrong with "white wine cool, red wine room temperature," but you can apply a little more nuance without being a bore.

Broadly, the warmer the wine, the more volatile the flavour molecules will be and the more aroma and flavour they will reveal. However, if a wine is too warm it may obscure its more delicate aromas. The cooler a wine is the more refreshing its acidity will be. The aim, therefore, should be to match serving temperature to how refreshing, versus how "expressive" the wine should be. 

White wines generally rely on a refreshing acidity for their structure and their appeal, which is the reason they are generally best served cooler. In particular light, fresh wines such as Muscadet, delicate German and Alsatian wines and also sparkling wines show best at fridge temperature. Many dessert wines also need a good chilling to help the acidity balance the sweetness.

Most modern, fruit-driven whites, as well as fino Sherry, good quality off-dry Rieslings, most rosés and better Champagne are better served just above fridge temperature, whilst the very best Burgundies, white Bordeaux and New World Chardonnays show best at around cellar temperature (10-12°C).

Whilst the lightest reds from the Loire, Beaujolais and Italy are often served lightly chilled - their appeal lying, like white wines, in their refreshing fruitiness - most reds show best at a little below room temperature. At this temperature they reveal their fruit whilst still showing enough acidity and tannin to keep the wine structured. Wines with a lot of natural structure, such as good claret, Barolo, New World Cabernet and Port need the warmest temperatures (although never more than a cool room temperature) to release their powerful fruits. These, incidentally, are also usually the most suitable candidates for decanting.