Most of us drink our white wines too cold, our reds too warm.
The Wyse family -- which owns Burrowing Owl Estate Winery and Calliope Wines in Oliver and Wild Goose Winery in Okanagan Falls -- is touting the 20/20 rule as the solution.
Basically, you pull white wines out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving and you pop red wines in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving.
Most fridges are kept at a chilly 36F or 3C to keep food.
Therefore, if your white wine is hanging out in the fridge, it's too cold to serve at the recommended 46-50F, or 8-10C, for aromatic and light whites and 50-53F, or 10-12C, for heavier-bodied whites such as Chardonnay.
Drinking your whites too cold can numb the taste buds and mask the delicate fruit, flower and nut flavours and aromas.
Serving at the right temperature allows the aromas and flavours to come alive.
So, keep that in mind next time you enjoy a white from one of the Wyse family's three labels, including these four amazing new releases:
- Wild Goose 2022 Sauvignon Blanc ($20)
- Wild Goose 2022 Riesling ($20)
- Burrowing Owl 2022 Sauvignon Blanc ($28)
- Burrowing Owl 2021 Chardonnay ($34)
Most people keep their homes at 72F or 22C.
Yet, the best temperature to serve red wines is 57-60F, or 14-16C, for light reds like Pinot Noir and 62-66F, or 17-19C, for more full-bodied varietals.
So, if your reds are kept in a rack in the living room, dining room or kitchen they are too warm.
Drinking reds too warm can make them taste 'hot,' which means the alcohol in the wine is overly pronounced, and make them taste sweeter or flabby.
But, toss that red in the fridge for 20 minutes and it cools just enough to lift the flavours and aromas and balance the alcohol, sweetness, body and mouthfeel.
Thus said, you now know how to enjoy this stunning cross-section of reds from the Wyse family's three labels:
- Wild Goose 2020 Red Horizon ($32)
- Wild Goose 2020 Merlot ($26)
- Burrowing Owl 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon ($43)
- Burrowing Owl 2019 Meritage ($53)
- Wild Goose 2021 Pinot Noir
- Wild Goose 2020 Cabernet Merlot ($24)
- Calliope 2020 Figure 8 Red ($22)
Now, after saying all this, the only exception is sparkling wine, which is meant to served almost ice cold at 36F or 3C, so, most certainly pull it straight from the fridge or chill it well in an ice bucket.
Of course, if you have a bougey wine fridge with temperature-controlled zones, you can simply let it figure it all out for you.
Quality over quantity
The Okanagan wine grape harvest is well underway and so far the yield is down anywhere from 34 to 56%.
That's devastating.
It's due to the extreme cold we had in December 2022 damaging vines.
On the bright side, after nice and warm spring, summer and fall, the reduced crops of grapes being harvested are of excellent quality, ripeness and concentration.
What that means is the 2023 vintage of wines will be spectacular, but there will be a lot less volume and most likely higher prices.
Summer wildfires and smoke might also be an issue if some grapes are tainted.
Wineries won't know the full extent of that until they actually start to make the wine.
Truth and reconciliation
There's still some last-minute tickets to the Nk'Mip Cellars National Truth & Reconciliation Gala in Osoyoos tomorrow night.
Tickets are $100 and includes food stations, incredible wines, live music, raffles and live auction -- all benefitting the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Tickets available here: https://www.
Nk'Mip, which is North America's first Indigenous-owned winery, also has a full fall of culinary, wine, culture and adventure events.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears in this space every Friday afternoon.
