Temperature can lift — or flatten — a wine. A red served too warm tastes mostly of alcohol; a white served too cold hides its aromas. The rule of thumb is simple: the lighter and crisper the wine, the cooler it wants to be poured.
Sparkling and sweet wines show best well chilled, around 6–8 °C, which keeps their bubbles and acidity taut. Crisp whites and rosé sit just above that, while a fuller, oak-aged white can take a few degrees more — too cold and its aromas shut down. For reds, the temperature climbs with the wine's weight: a light, fruity red such as Beaujolais is most charming lightly chilled, a finesse-driven Pinot Noir prefers it a touch warmer at around 14–16 °C, and powerful tannic reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Amarone are at their best at 16–18 °C — not 'room temperature' in a modern heated home. Rule of thumb: take the bottle out of the fridge 15 minutes early, or quickly chill a too-warm red in a bucket of iced water.