I always thought temperature fluctuations were to be avoided because, over the long term, the expansion and contraction of the contents in the bottle could increase the ingress of air and speed up the oxidation process. I never thought that it was a problem over the very short term. For example, throwing a room temperature bottle into a cold fridge an hour before serving wouldn’t damage the wine.
But this weekend I went glamping and brought along a 2017 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay. It’s cold here in New England, so the wine went from the 55F of my cellar, to the 70F of the car, to the 25F outside by the campfire over the course of a few hours. I didn’t think this would be an issue given the fact that the wine never got hot enough to get cooked, the temperature swings were over just a few hours, the wine is on the young side, and it was under screw cap.
The wine didn’t show great. Certainly not at the level I’ve expected. Other potential factors were that it was consumed outside by a fire, it was drunk out of cheap crappy glasses, and the bottle was purchased from a big box store where the storage was questionable. All that being said, the wine still didn’t show as it should have. Probably the temperature were the least of the issues in this circumstance, but it did get me wondering.
We always hear to avoid temperature changes. Why is that?
Is it only detrimental over the long term, or short term as well?
Is it still a worry with screw caps?
Any chance the temperature swings in this case negatively affected the Leeuwin? (My hunch is no, but thought I’d ask).
Data points are always good but you need to repeat this two or three times to rule out bottle variation. Also agree on maybe there are better choices for outdoor winter imbibing than Chardonnay.
Data points are always good but you need to repeat this two or three times to rule out bottle variation. Also agree on maybe there are better choices for outdoor winter imbibing than Chardonnay.
Agreed that Chardonnay was perhaps not the best choice. But my drinking partner wanted a white, doesn’t like Riesling, and we were cooking fish. The clunky glasses were the ones that came with the rented cabin; I wasn’t about to lug Zaltos into a forest. Of the wines I had, the Leeuwin seemed the best choice for the circumstances.
Like I said in the original post, my hunch is that there was more going on than the temperature fluctuations. It’s more that this sub-par bottle of wine was just the seed for my questioning what we read about the evils of temperature fluctuations. Namely, Why is it that they are so bad, over what timescale are they bad, and are they something to worry about for wines under screw cap?
Those small temperature variations are pretty much irrelevant. Other than that, big swings in temperature are detrimental to the wine, but not as much as some people think. Most wine is a lot hardier than people like to believe. If you buy it at a store and take it home and keep it in your cellar, you still have no idea what happened to it before you got it. Did it sit on a hot dockside? Was it shipped in temp-controlled trucks and ships? Was it in the store with the AC on every weekend?
In theory, temp shifts are bad because the air in the neck expands and contracts a lot more than the glass, which for all practical purposes doesn’t shift, and the wine, which can expand and contract but not nearly as quickly as the air. So in theory, you’re pushing out and pulling in air.
In theory.
In reality, if you’re heating your wine too much, you’re cooking it. That might not show right away, but it will show. And if you store the wine at too warm a temp, it will not last as long. But like I said, wine is a lot hardier than people sometimes think.
It doesn’t really matter if the temp shift is slow or quick, or if you have a screw cap or not - too much heat is not good. But in your case, I think you just didn’t have a good wine for drinking outside next to a fire. Glasses don’t matter when it comes to tasting the wine, but if it’s too cold, everything is muted and if you’re near smoke, that affects your perceptions too. So next time don’t drink your wine that way.
I doubt the temperature fluctuations had anything to do with this. Even refrigerator temperature (40F) is too cold for any white. In the 20Fs, the wine will just be shut down.
Yeah, I also think the low temperature when drinking, outdoors, and not great glasses were the issues. The temperature variations you cite would not be a concern.
Lowing the temperatures from 70 doesn’t suck in air unless the cork is already compromised or the wine freezes. The pressure differential is only a fraction of an atmosphere because the outside pressure is roughly an atmosphere and the inside pressure is only a bit lower. High temperatures are a pressure issue because they can generate internal pressures that are several atmospheres (liquid is fairly incompressible and headspace is too small to accommodate). That will move the cork, compromise the seal, and make it easier for air to come in when the temperature drops.
They’re not, IMO. It’s just more conventional wine wisdom with not much scientific evidence of a problem. Maybe in the old days, with less reliable corks, there could have been some concern about wide swings in temperature. Today, I would never think twice. Unless, as Al says, you get into a situation with really hot or cold, there the pressure results in real physical damage to the bottle/cork. I wouldn’t worry about modest temp swings on an annual basis, a weekly basis, or even a daily basis.
I avoid doing any professional tasting outside. Wind, light, heat, insects, smells, noise are all factors that distract from the job. On the subject of temperature: Evaporation is what releases aromas. An over-chilled Chardonnay will usually disappoint because it doesn’t have much if any nose.
I mean, last summer we drank PYCM and Hudelot from plastic Dixie cups with one hand while holding on to a line on a catamaran in 30 knot winds on puget sound and the wine tasted great (13 st aubin 1er ebaupins, 17 Bourgogne rouge) but I’m not sure I’d drink either in winter by a fire. Syrah would’ve probably showed much better.
I’ve had some of my greatest wine appreciation experiences outside on the patio with warm weather and good glasses. OTOH, we camp a lot and drinking wine while camping with all the accompanying camp fire smoke and other odors along with poor glassware is best done with the less serious wines in the cellar. Something powerful like Carlisle, Bedrock or Jaffurs can also work while camping. I’ve enjoyed LBV port during late season trips when the temperature plummets after sunset.
to rule out bottle variation. Also agree on maybe there are better choices for outdoor winter imbibing than Chardonnay.