Wine Serving Temperature - What's best and why?

Quite often we serve our white wines too cold and our red wines too warm.  When this happens white wines can appear tasteless and red wines might come across as bitter.  There are a few reds that do benefit from being slightly chilled especially in the warm summer months.  For lighter and fruitier reds such as Gamay Noir and some Pinot Noir putting them in the fridge for about 45 minutes and then let them come to room temperature for about 20 minutes will create similar circumstances to what home temperatures were like when all the talk started about serving reds at room temperature.  Chilling these reds will focus their flavours and make the wine taste more refreshing.  Around 12 - 15C.

White wines like Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc can be chilled for about 1 1/2 hours in the fridge and then 20 minutes to warm up and then served they should maintain their crisp light refreshing flavours. Around 10C. With heavier whites like Chardonnay a little less time in the fridge, about 45 minutes and then about 20 minutes to come to temperature should showcase the rich full bodied flavours Chardonnay is known for.  

With Sparkling wine a couple hours in the fridge is perfect as you want to maintain the crispness and microscopic bubbles in the glass. Sparkling wines should be chilled to 6 - 7 degree C. This slows the release of bubbles. Not only does the wine stay lively longer, it keeps its fruit aromas and bouquets longer.

One last thought is that it is easier to warm a wine up in the glass than it is to cool it down so err on the side of cooler.  By experimenting a bit with some of your favourite reds and whites you might find you like them even more at the correct temperature.