Should Riesling Be Chilled? To Chill Or Not To Chill

Riesling wine has a reputation as one of the most collectible white wines in the world so its a firm favourite amongst wine lovers everywhere.

To help get the most out of your bottle, let’s take a look at the best temperatures to serve and how to store Riesling properly.

In this post, we will tell you everything you need to know about ‘should Riesling be chilled’. We’ll also cover Rieslings best serving temperature, storage temperature and how long you should store Riesling.

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Should Riesling Be Chilled?

Yes, Riesling should be chilled. The best temperature to serve Riesling is chilled between 41°F to 46°F or 6°C to 9°C, while its best to store Riesling wines long term at 11-15°C or 51-59°F.

In order to get the best out of your bottles of Riesling wine it's important not to serve it too cold or too warm.

Too cold and you may not be able to taste the beautiful and complex aromas of Riesling. If your Riesling wine is too warm the drink may taste more alcoholic, becoming unpleasant for you and your dinner guests.

What is The Best Temperature to Serve Riesling

The best temperature to serve Riesling is between 45 – 49°F or 6 - 9°C.

Riesling, like other white wines, should be chilled before serving. This can be done using a wine fridge or other refrigerator.

Once chilled, the best way to maintain the ideal serving temperature for Riesling is by using a wine cooler which you can learn more about here and buy online here.

3 Popular Styles of Riesling and Their Ideal Serving Temperature

• Dry Riesling from Alsace, France: These drier styles of Riesling are perfect at “fridge temperature” (47–49°F or 7-9°C)

• New World Riesling from Clare and Eden Valleys, Australia: Treat these New World styles of Riesling as you would Dry Rieslings from France and Germany. (47–49°F or 7-9°C)

• Sweet Riesling from Germany: These sweeter styles of Riesling (labelled Kabinett or Spätlese) can be chilled further, so their sweetness doesn’t become cloying. (45–47°F or 6-8°C)

Storage Temperature for Riesling Wine

Due to its ageing potential, Riesling is best stored in a wine cellar, wine refrigerator or cabinet.

It is best to avoid extremes or sudden changes of temperature when it comes to storing Riesling. Consistency in temperature is key.

The ideal temperature to store Riesling is between 11°C and 15℃ (51–59°F).

Ideally Riesling should always be stored on its side, so as not to dehydrate the corks. Try to keep the bottles away from direct sunlight where you can.

Should You Put Riesling In The Fridge?

The answer to “does white wine (Riesling) go in the fridge” is almost always a yes. In order to reach its ideal serving temperature Riesling should go in the fridge.

If you want to make sure that you are consistently serving your Riesling at the best temperature a specialised wine refrigerator is a good investment.

Not only will the temperature of the wine fridge keep your Riesling chilled, but it will also store it in consistent conditions that won’t damage the bottle.

Ideally, your Riesling should be in the fridge and chilled down to 6-9°C (45–49°F) before serving.

But don’t worry, if you leave your Riesling in a domestic fridge for too long and it becomes too cold you can simply remove it from the fridge 5 minutes before serving so it can warm up a little.

Related: How To Store White Wine

How Long Should You Chill Riesling?

The length of time you should chill your Riesling depends on your fridge.

If you have a domestic refrigerator the drier conditions may damage the corks over time, so it’s best to store your Riesling elsewhere and place it in the fridge a few hours before serving to reach the required temperature.

Related: How Long Does White Wine Last In The Fridge?

If you have a specialist wine fridge the conditions will have been designed to look after your wine, and in this instance Riesling can go in a wine fridge for a longer period of time.

Our Best 5 Tips on Serving Riesling

1. Serving Temperature

The ideal serving temperature for Riesling is between 45–49°F or 6-9°C.

2. Wine Fridge

Use a wine cooler to help maintain your Riesling’s temperature in between servings.

3. Don't Freeze It

Try to avoid placing your wine in the freezer, if you can help it as frozen wine is negatively impacted if its frozen.

4. Storage Temperature

Store your Riesling between 11°C and 15℃ (51–59°F) and keep bottles in darkness away from direct sunlight and sudden movements / vibrations.

5. Storage Position

Laying your bottles of Riesling on their side whilst storing them can help to ensure the cork doesn’t dry out.

Summary Of Chilling Riesling From Expert Wine Storage 

We hope this answers all your questions on if you should chill your Riesling.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, or email us at info@expertwinestorage.co.uk

If you want to learn more about other types, consider our related blog posts.

You can also shop new wine coolers online at Expertwinestorage.co.uk.

You can browse more posts on wine types here.