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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

I recently read that you can chill red wine for 30 minutes before pouring the wine. Of course, Florida is very hot and I keep my wine at room temperature. Please advise if this is OK or even correct.

—Ruth L., Hallandale, Fla.

Dear Ruth,

It's perfectly OK to drink wine at whatever temperature you like. Many connoisseurs think that Americans in particular tend to drink our whites too cold and our reds too warm. I bet that's because most folks chill their whites in the refrigerator (where they can get cold enough to suppress a wine's aromatics) and serve their reds at room temperature (which can be a bit on the warm side, depending on your definition of "room temperature"). As a rough rule of thumb, we recommend serving most whites between 45 and 50 F and most reds between 65 and 70 F. Experiment a bit, and if reaching your preferred temperature for reds requires a brief stay in the refrigerator, go right ahead.

—Dr. Vinny

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