I have never ordered an ice bucket for my red wine. In fact, come to think of it, I have never ordered an ice bucket for white wine, Champagne or dessert wine. I'm generally a room-temperature man - I like to taste, smell and enjoy the texture of my drinks. O.K., I admit white wine can improve with a little chilling, but too often it is served far too cold, neutralizing the nose, killing the taste and, in some cases, accentuating all sorts of nasties.

Try chilling a youthful red wine. With tannins that are a little too astringent, you will get a not-so-pleasant surprise. The cool temperature will neutralize the smell of the fruit while exacerbating the bitter, dryness of the tannins.

But it's heating up over here in London and dining out last week, I was tempted - sorely tempted - to ask for the ice bucket. The red wine in question was simply too warm. It tasted a little flat and the refreshing crispness of the acidity had lost its shine. I'm attributing this particular problem to that tricky handover in spring when one isn't quite sure whether to turn off the central heating or leave it on. At this time of year, room temperature can fluctuate wildly if the sun is shining outside.

As a rule of thumb, I would suggest red wine be served between 10°C (50°F) and 18°C (64°F), with heavier reds, such as Australian Shiraz, served towards the higher end of the temperature range and lighter reds, such as Beaujolais, served at the lower end. White wine can be served between 4°C (39°F) and 10°C (50°F), although, as I said, I prefer mine on the warmer side.

Of course the exception is Champagne, which does benefit from cooling as it improves the texture of the wine, accentuating its crisp, refreshingcharacter. If you find yourself out of ice, a good tip is to put warm water in the ice tray and pop it in the freezer, as it will freeze quicker.

There is an advantage to serving wine too cold: It is relatively easy to warm up again either by cupping your hands around the glass or warming the glass by rinsing it under hot water. If you really feel the need to ask for an ice bucket with your red wine, I would advisetrying this practice out on close friends and family. To the casualacquaintance, you may appear dangerously pretentious.

Will Lyons

• youthful [´ju:θfəl] a.年轻的；青年的 (初中英语单词)
• exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)
• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)
• freeze [fri:z] v.结冰；凝固；冷淡 (初中英语单词)
• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)
• advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)
• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)
• bucket [´bʌkit] n.水桶 (高中英语单词)
• dessert [di´zə:t] n.(餐后)甜食 (高中英语单词)
• relatively [´relətivli] ad.比较地；相对地 (高中英语单词)
• casual [´kæʒuəl] a.偶然的；临时的 (高中英语单词)
• texture [´tekstʃə] n.(织物等的)质地 (英语四级单词)
• warming [´wɔ:miŋ] n.暖和；加温 (英语四级单词)
• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
• champagne [ʃæm´pein] n.香槟酒；微黄色 (英语六级单词)
• sorely [´sɔ:li] ad.痛苦地；剧烈地 (英语六级单词)
• refreshing [ri´freʃiŋ] a.使心神爽快的 (英语六级单词)
• dangerously [´deindʒrəsli] ad.危险 (英语六级单词)