Does Wine Freeze? - Ultimate Guide

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Daniel Lawson

Wine & Wine Equipment Expert / Founder at Kosmonaut

Daniel has always been a wine enthusiast, ever since being a student at Cornell. Following his BBA in Business, he attended The Culinary Institute of America, to study a Masters in Wine and Beverage Management, where he further expanded his expertise in all things relating to wine and wine equipment.

At What Temperature Does Wine Freeze?

A bottle of wine freezes around at 15–25°F, depending on its alcohol content. The wine needs to stay at that temperature for a while before freezing solid. Alcohol’s freezing point is lower than water at (32°F).

Can You Freeze Wine?

Yes, you can freeze wine, but it’s not an ideal practice. However, it beats pouring leftover wine down the drain. You can thaw an already-opened frozen wine and enjoy its contents. However, the freeze compromises the quality. It changes the taste and aroma, making it a lot stranger than the wine you consumed before

The amount of time it takes wine to freeze also depends on the wine bottle. So, there’s a chance of your leftover wine not getting frozen by the next day.

Why You Shouldn’t Freeze Wine

We don’t recommend freezing wine. Sometimes when the wine freezes, it expands and puts pressure on the cork, pushing it out of its sitting.

You might end up with a glass mess in your fridge if the wine leaks around the cork or the wine bottle breaks because of the freeze. Sparkling wines explode a whole lot more than red wine.

If your sparkling wine freezes, remove it from your fridge carefully, aiming the bottle head away from your face. You can place it in a place where your kids or pet can not come around as it thaws. This way, if it explodes, no one will be in the line of fire.

Oxidation is the biggest threat to frozen wine. If the cork pops out, it allows air to get to the wine, ruining its taste. It will feel like consuming vinegar. Wine with screw tops is not exempt from oxidation if frozen wine breaks off the seal.

If you’re a big fan of wine flavor, freezing wine shouldn’t be on your to-do list.

Should I Throw a Frozen Bottle of Wine Away?

No, do not throw away the frozen bottle of wine unless it’s been frozen for months. In this case, it won’t be salvageable anymore. Although consuming frozen wine isn’t the manufacturer’s intention, the wine will still have some kick to it when it thaws.

Frozen wine may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there are other things you can use it for, like cooking. Oxidation is what you should worry about. However, as long as the cork is still intact, the wine can still be consumed.

Bear in mind this depends on the wine quality, level of freezing, and brand.

How Long Does It Take Before Wine Freezes?

A regular kitchen freezer takes about 5 hours for wine to freeze solid. This is because a standard kitchen freezer is around 0°F, which is colder than most wine’s freezing point. However, the wine will not freeze solid if stored in a freezer at exactly its freezing point.

Since water has a lower freezing point than alcohol, the water molecules in the wine freeze first before the alcohol molecules, that’s why the alcohol’s freezing point goes lower as the water freezes, leaving more alcohol molecules behind. This makes the wine look slushy rather than freezing solid.

What’s the Best Way to Freeze Wine?

When freezing wine, always use a One of the best ways to freeze wine is to use a container that allows for expansion. You should not leave wine in the fridge to freeze without taking precautions, regardless of how much space you have in your refrigerator. Since wine bottles expand and explode when frozen, using a container that allows such expansion is your safest bet.

Sealed glass containers can be disastrous especially sparkling wine bottles, because they are already pressurized. Use silicone ice cube trays or freezer-safe containers to freeze wine and leave enough space for expansion.

How to Chill Wine Without It Getting Frozen

Typically, red wine should be consumed at room temperature, and white wine should be served chilled. However, the rulebook does not frown on drinking chilled red wine. People’s taste differs. So here are ways to chill your wine before consumption.

Add Frozen Grapes to the Wine

Use frozen grapes in your wine instead of ice cubes to avoid the cubes melting and diluting your wine. Frozen grapes will enhance the flavors of your wine, keeping it chilled as it melts and improving your drinking experience.

Use an Ice Bucket or Wine Cooler

Invest in an ice bucket or wine cooler to chill your wine before drinking. Ice buckets take away any worries you may have about forgetting the wine in the fridge, and it freezes or the wine freezes and explodes.

All you need to do is submerge the wine in a bucket with ice cubes and water, then use salt to decrease or lower the ice melting point. This way, the wine will remain chilly for a long time.

Wine coolers are another option for chilling wine. Some wine coolers do not require using ice. Instead, it works with thermal insulated stainless steel to keep warm air from reaching the wine. The downside is that the wine bottle must be cold before putting it in the cooler. The wine cooler will retain the temperature for at least an hour.

Chill in the Freezer

There’s no need to steer clear of chilling wine in the fridge because freezers might freeze it solid. At the end of the day, freezers are still an ideal way of chilling wine before serving. Put the wine in the fridge for 45 minutes, and it will not freeze solid when you want to consume it. Red wine requires about 45 minutes to cool, but increases the time to an hour for white wines.

Other Things You Can Do With Frozen Wine

If you do not like the taste of frozen wine, here are other things you can make with them:

Cooking

Wine is still an excellent ingredient for your meal, regardless of its frozen nature. Where most people will frown on frozen wine’s taste, it doesn’t matter when cooking. The flavor will still enhance your meal. Wine helps as a cooking liquid, marinade ingredient, and flavoring. So measure out the right quantity for your dish and get to cooking.

Make Wine Vinegar

As you know, oxidation causes wine to lose its flavor and aroma, and it can turn red and white wine into vinegar. Wine vinegar can be handy in the kitchen for marinade, seasoning, meat dressing, and many more. Many people use wine vinegar for Mediterranean cuisines. So you can do the same for that or whichever meal recipe you’re working with that strikes your fancy.

Frozen Wine for Sangria

Sangria is a famous Spanish drink that consists of a delicious mix of fruit, sugar, red wine, and sometimes brandy. It’s an excellent party drink that does not get ruined if you use frozen wine. This way, you’ve made the utmost use of the wine without having to throw it away.

Make Wine Slushies

You can use frozen wine to make delicious slushies, which will not affect the taste. As it stands, many freeze slushies to a frozen point and imbibe the drink later. So the frozen nature of the wine won’t be an issue while making slushies.

Make Wine Ice Cream

Red wine tends to work best. Mix the thawed wine with cream, sugar, and eggs. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker. Once it’s frozen, you can enjoy your homemade wine ice cream as a sweet and decadent treat.

Make Wine Sorbet

To make wine sorbet, thaw the frozen wine and mix it with sugar, lemon juice, and any desired flavors. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker until frozen, then serve as a light and refreshing dessert.

Conclusion

Wine can freeze when kept at cold temperatures. The freezing point of wine can vary depending on its alcohol content, with wine that has a higher alcohol content freezing at a lower temperature.

Freezing wine can compromise its quality, changing the taste. We do not recommend freezing wine because it can cause the cork to pop out. This results in oxidation and ruining the taste of the wine. Additionally, there are many things you can use frozen wine for such as cooking, making slushies, and making vinegar.

Does Wine Freeze? – Ultimate Guide