August 13, 2026
winespeed-by-karen-macneil

Don, it’s definitely okay. In hot and often humid places like Florida, red wines can taste especially dull and lifeless when they are served a bit too warm. A good rule of thumb is to serve all red wines at the temperature of an air-conditioned movie theater. That’s in the high 60s Fahrenheit, not the 70s (which is the temperature in many people’s homes.) In particular,
Pinot Noir and tastes much better when served on the cool side. Can you put a red wine in the freezer to chill the bottle? Actually it’s faster (and better for the wine) if you submerge the bottle up to its neck in ice water. Ten minutes should do it.

–Karen