Serving Temperature/Mistakes

[MontereyRick]

Hi all..

I was fortunate enough to buy a house 6 months ago with a very nice wine cellar (completely below ground/8 foot ceilings) and it keeps the wine perfectly at 57 degrees.

That said, I find that too often a moment strikes when friends come over and we pop a bottle of wine and drink it immediately and don't get the most out of it.

I realize that sometimes this is unavoidable. However I noticed in the last week or two the difference a little breathing time/warming can make. I took a bottle of 97 Arrowood Cab to a friends house and we let it breath for a solid 2 hours and it had more time to get to room temp. It was incredible.

Last Sat night, friends came over and after we ran out of the bottles we had let breath and had to run down to the cellar for another, I popped the same 97 Arrowood and it didn't have nearly the fruit/finish. I think it was mainly because it was too cold and didn't have time to open up.

I realize wine should be stored at around 55-60 degrees, but what is the correct temp for good reds to be served at and how long does it generally take for a wine that comes from 57 degrees to get to that correct temp?