Serving temperature: a range of perception, not a number

The standard

A stated range of perception says what a temperature figure refers to: the wine in the glass, not the room and not the cellar. Without that reference a number of degrees cannot be verified.

Criteria

• The figure denotes the temperature of the wine, not that of its surroundings
• It is given as a range, not as a single value
• It distinguishes between the perception of alcohol, tannin firmness and aromatics
• It takes into account that the temperature in the glass rises

Distinction

Serving temperature ≠ storage temperature: one applies for minutes, the other for years. Serving temperature ≠ drinking maturity: a temperature shifts the perception of a condition, it does not create it. A stated range of perception keeps the two apart.