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A corkscrew, a glass and a patch of sun for a picnic are all you need to enjoy a bottle of wine. But what a shame if the wine is lukewarm rather than cool!
This piece of advice, offered in the introduction to the Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine , points out the importance of drinking wine at the right temperature – which is why you need ravi, a Canadian invention that is practical and ingenious.
Unfortunately, red wines are usually served too warm. The alcohol tends to predominate, concealing the fruit of the wine. As a result, the wine loses its typicity and personality. Ravi, which is intended mainly for red wine, enables you to go instantaneously from room temperature to that of a wine cellar, namely between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius (54 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit). When you’re enjoying white wine or rosé wine, ravi can cool to perfection a wine that has been left at room temperature for a little too long.
This table shows the suggested temperature at which you should drink various wines.
| Wine Style |
Examples |
Suggested
Temperature |
| Crisp, Dry White Wines |
Muscadet – Sancerre – Sauvignon – Alsace-Italian |
6° to 8° C
43° to 46° F |
| Complex Dry White Wines |
Burgundy – Graves – Chardonnay - Rioja |
9° to 12° C
46° to 54° F |
| Finest Dry White Wines |
Mature Wines |
10° to 12° C
50° to 54° F |
| Finest Sweet White Wines |
Sauternes – Late-Havest Wines |
11° to 13° C
52° to 55° F |
| Rosé Wines |
All types |
6° to 8° C
43° to 46° F |
| Young, Fresh Red Wines |
Loire – Beaujolais – Côte du Rhône |
10° to 12° C
50° to 54° F |
| Young Bordeaux |
14° to 15° C
57° to 59° F |
| Mature Vintage Red Wines |
Bourgogne: Vosne Romanée – Pommard – Clos Vougeot… |
16° to 17° C
61° to 63° F |
| Mature Fine Wines |
Burgundy and Bordeaux |
17° to 18° C
63° to 64° F |
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