Nuvo Vino wine thermometer – superfluous but wonky fun
“I bet this wine is sixty-two degrees,” I confidently proclaimed. Seconds later, I used the Nuvo Vino infrared wine thermometer to check by pointing it at the surface of the wine and pushing a button. The instant reading was sixty-one degrees. Close.
The company sent me their $37 device for testing recently. I started testing the temperature of red and white wine in my glass at the table. But quickly that got tiresome and I found my son’s hand was eighty-three degrees. His ice water, thirty-three degrees. The next morning, my coffee was 149 degrees.
Is it necessary to know the exact serving temperature of your wine? No. But it is true that many whites are served too cold (fridge temp) and many reds served too hot (room temp). I don’t think you need a $37 thermometer to tell you that a wine is colder than room temp or warmer than the fridge. On their site, they have a detailed chart for recommended serving temperatures, which generally good (I particularly like their advice “cheap sparkling wine is best served quite cold.”). The excessive detail of the chart and the suggestion that there are yet more rules to follow for wine consumption though, I fear, risk confusing the average consumer who is just warming up to the fact that it’s OK to have pinot noir with salmon.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a gift to give the wine lover who has everything, has a hankering for James Bond-style gadgets, likes wonking out with experiments in wine service, and wants to annoy everyone with repeated temperature readings, then throw it in your shopping cart.
On April 28th, 2008 at 11:09 am ,Nancy wrote:
I have used an instant-read meat thermometer to test the temperature of my wines, just for the sake of pure geekiness and also to then learn, by tasting, what a 60-degree red feels like in the mouth. Absent a thermometer, a 60-degree red feels exactly the way a glass of milk does, when you’ve left it out too long and it is barely cool at the tip of your tongue, but warms to body temperature the moment it reaches the palate. A peculiar comparison, perhaps, but it works for me.
On April 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pm ,Nuvo Vino: Un termómetro muy práctico - El Gran Catador wrote:
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On April 28th, 2008 at 4:14 pm ,winehiker wrote:
I’m sure a $37 nerdgasm is cheap my many standards!
On April 28th, 2008 at 6:13 pm ,Dr. Debs wrote:
I have a $22 version from Wine Enthusiast that I must admit that I adore. It can be used on closed bottles of wine (therefore it’s easier to hide your uber-geekdom from unsympathetic/bored dinner guests). Where I notice the biggest difference is with the reds.
On April 30th, 2008 at 2:52 pm ,Joe wrote:
Like Nancy and Debs, I am a total wine temperature geek, using an old school glass bulb filled with liquid. I would totally love that instant read, but at $37 I’d probably pass. I’ve always wondered just how accurate those ones are that can be used on closed bottles…
On May 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 am ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Deb – how does that work through the closed bottle? I supposed I could go to their catalog and see…
Joe – You live in Canada, land of the almighty Loonie! Splurge on American gadgetry!
On May 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 am ,Andrew wrote:
Hello Dr. Vino,
Please forgive me; I couldn’t help it. I’m the founder of Nuvo Vino. I just wanted to clear up the claim of temperature measurement from outside of a bottle. Although some claim to, no infrared thermometer can measure the internal temperature of a closed bottle. IR thermometers measure surface temperature. If a bottle has been in a stable environment, one can safely assume that the bottle surface will be of nearly identical temperature to the wine inside. However, if a bottle has changed environments (e.g. put on ice), then the surface temperature of the bottle will be useless.
I’m sorry that you did not find this product useful. Most wine consumers can’t guess temperature within 7 – 10 degrees, especially on warm days. They are surprised to be drinking an 80 deg wine. This product does not mandate geekiness. It’s all about maximizing enjoyment the of wine. If we can help consumers drink wine in a temp range that the winemaker intended, the wine will shine. As accurate as the SnapShot is, it is not necessary to drink wine within a 2 deg range. But it certainly helps a bottle when you keep it within a 6 degree range on a warm day when that wine is changing temperature rapidly. Remember the efforts of the winemaker. Their talents are wasted when a wine is consumed too hot or cold.
After using the SnapShot for 2 years, I too can estimate the temperature of wine quite well. Though it took a lot of practice.
Thanks for listening and best wishes to you and your fantastic blog.
-Andrew