Let's assume you've been able to select a good wine for dinner, say by using the Quarterly PocketList of Top-Rated Wines. Now you have to serve it. Temperature As with almost every aspect of wine, temperature is a matter of personal taste. Fortunately, however, there are guidelines. First, don't necessarily follow the lead of the restaurant where you ate last week.
Many restaurants serve white wines too cold and red wines too warm.
For white wines, the bottle should feel cold to your touch, but not ice cold. If the bottle was stored in the refrigerator, take it out 30-40 minutes before serving. And forget about that ice bucket during dinner, unless the meal is long and you need to re-chill the wine. Red wines seem to taste better at warmer temperatures than white wines. The bottle should feel cool, not cold to the touch.