At what temperature to serve Bordeaux

The temperature for each wine

The CIVB (opens in a new tab), the Bordeaux wine council, gives these ranges, and they sort the reds by weight and the whites by sugar:

Wine	Serve at
Structured or age-worthy red	16 to 18 °C (61 to 64 °F)
Light-bodied red	13 to 15 °C (55 to 59 °F)
Dry white and rosé	8 to 12 °C (46 to 54 °F)
Sweet white (Sauternes (opens in a new tab), Barsac (opens in a new tab), Loupiac (opens in a new tab))	6 to 8 °C (43 to 46 °F)
Crémant de Bordeaux, the sparkling wine	6 to 10 °C (43 to 50 °F)

The warmest figure in the table is 18 °C. A red that has stood in a warm room all afternoon can be above it before it is poured, and a short spell in the fridge brings it back. A Sauternes wants the fridge from the start.

The Bordeaux glass is built for air

For a full-bodied red, the CIVB asks for a glass with a broad bowl that narrows slightly at the rim, the shape of the Bordeaux glass. The bowl lets the wine take air, and the rim holds the aromas in. A lighter red does well in a medium glass, wide enough to let the wine breathe. Dry whites and rosés go in a slimmer, gently curved glass that keeps them fresh. For Crémant de Bordeaux, the CIVB says to skip the flute, which restricts the air, and pour into a fine wine glass instead.

Cool, dark, on its side, and steady

Three things keep wine well: a steady cool temperature, darkness, and a bottle on its side.

Temperature. A steady 10 to 13 °C (50 to 55 °F). Anything from 7 to 18 °C (45 to 64 °F) is safe, and rapid, extreme, or frequent swings do more harm than missing the number.
Humidity. From 70 to 75%, enough to keep a cork from drying out; anything between 50 and 80% is safe.
Light. Sunlight ages wine prematurely, so keep bottles in the dark.
Position. A corked bottle lies on its side so the wine stays against the cork.
Vibration. Constant vibration may speed up the chemistry in the bottle over the years. The theory is unproven, but it is still a good reason to keep the rack away from the washing machine.

A kitchen cupboard beside the oven fails on the first count, however convenient it is.

How long an open bottle keeps

Oxygen helps a wine in the glass and wears it down in the bottle. Put the cork or a stopper back as soon as the pouring is done.

Wine	Keeps, once opened
Red	3 to 5 days, stoppered, somewhere cool and dark
Dry white or rosé	2 to 3 days, resealed, in the fridge
Sweet white	More than a week, in the fridge

The red figure comes from a 2017 study by the merchant Laithwaites. The sweet one comes from Aline Baly, co-owner of Château Coutet (opens in a new tab) in Barsac. Open a red and a half bottle of Sauternes on the same Monday: the red lasts until about Friday, and the Sauternes is still there the Monday after.