Weekly Bet Ya Didn't Know: Why Do Beer and Wine Taste Better Cold and What Temperature is Best?

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Yes, folks.  Only pressing issues addressed here.  Now, my family makes wine, so I should have known the answer to this, but I did not.  Here is what I learned.

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Everyone knows beer tastes better cold, right?  Well, not necessarily.  I don't like beer, so my theory  has always been that because beer tastes so bad in general, the colder the beer the more you can hide that yucky taste .Apparently, I'm not completely wrong.  But, my original thought that beer tastes better cold was not exactly correct.  If you actually like the taste of beer, then you might not mind having it on the warmer side.  Serving beer cold does in fact mask it's flavor and smell, so you don't really taste that beer taste the colder it is.  Also, some beers are made to be served cold, so it just makes sense that they will taste better when you serve them cold.  It seems to be a mental thing as well.  Drinks just feel more refreshing to us the colder they are.  So it really depends on preference.
  
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Red wine just below room temperature and white wine chilled.  While this is the general rule, it's a little more complex.  It seems as though the richer the wine the warmer it can be served and the lighter and fruitier the wine, the cooler it should be served.  Room temperature is too warm for all wines though.  Red wine can just be chilled for a few minutes to help bring out the flavors so that it won't taste as soft and vinegary.  For a detailed graph of types of wine and temperatures, go to  http://www.bettertastingwine.com/.

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But Why?  So we know the rule, but I want to know why light and fruity wines taste better cold and richer wines a little warmer.  Generally, the darker the wine, the more tannins it has and therefore, needs more time to "breathe" and warm up to release it's aroma.  The flavors also soften and increases the taste.  White wines taste better chilled because they are more tart and the cold will make them taste less tart.  White wines should be allowed to warm just a bit before serving to let out it's aroma, as a huge portion of taste is it's scent.  However, do not let the wine get too warm because the alcohol will evaporate affecting the aroma of the wine more than you want.  It seems to be quite a delicate balance so that the wine smells and tastes best.

Cheers!

References:  http://www.ratebeer.com/,  http://www.wine.com/ and http://www.thatsthespirit.com/.