<!-- from fixya rte -->What are best dates to drink red wine? - Wine & Spirits

Hi Laraine:
Beer:
- If you're British, warm. Canadian, wet. Otherwise, who cares?
Wine:
- white - chilled, red - warm. If you're Canadian, wet.
-Pop - cold, but if you're Canadian, stick to beer and wine so....... Who cares?
Cheers

That is a tough question and impossible to answer with a blanket definition. The vast majority of wines are made for immediate consumption, but will also be good to drink for a couple of years. In general, red wines age better than whites and certain grape varieties and wine styles age better than others: wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Port wines can be very long-lived for example. Whether such wines improve with age is a subjective opinion: older wines trade some of their fruit and vibrancy for developed flavors, and it is a trade-off that some like more than others.

Merlots are generally deep in color, full bodied, low tannin red wines. The aromas can sometimes be that of plums or even chocolate. Many people consider Merlot to be an easier drinking wine to Cabernet's due to their lower tannin content.

Allowing time for a wine to breathe can bring great flavor qualities to the wine that may not have been present if consumed immediately. Not all wines will benefit from being given time to breathe. It is also crucial not to let them sit too long. Although oxygen helps to open up the wine, it also oxidizes the wine, eventually ruining it.

I recommend leaving younger reds for about an hour, while giving more mature reds up to three hours of breathing time.

There are four different types of wine with different temperatures. Deep red wines should be served in 15-19 Celsius. Light red wine should be served in 13 Celsius. Sparkling wines and Champaign should be served in 6-8 Celsius. Dry white wines like rose and blush should be served in 8-14 Celsius.