In general, there is no problem in putting a nice bottle of wine in the freezer. If you have opened too many bottles of wine at a party, then there is no problem storing the leftovers in the freezer.
Many also try freezing wine at a low temperature to help it cool down rapidly. If you have stored wine in the freezer, you are safe to drink it as it will not cause any harm.
While putting wine in the freezer will not cost you any harm, you should avoid doing it on purpose because of the presence of alcohol content. Read on to find everything you must know before storing your favorite wine in the freezer.
Why Shouldn’t You Freeze Wine?
If you have frozen wine at home, you can safely drink it once it thaws. However, drinking frozen wine on purpose comes with some complications. Due to its molecular structure, it starts to expand in the bottle when you freeze wine.
This expansion leads to leakage and spillage of wine in the freezer creating a big mess for you. Sometimes, this expansion can create great pressure, which will either pop up the cork or burst the bottle. You do not want to be in any of these situations as it can also cause severe damage to the freezer.
In addition, when a wine is in contact with air (due to leakage in the cork), it gets oxidized and turns into vinegar. Oxidation will spoil the refreshing and authentic flavor of the wine. The situation can get worst when you store a bottle of sparkling wine.
A bottle of sparkling wine can explode like a hand grenade once frozen. To deal with a frozen bottle of bubbly or sparkling wine, leave it in a safe place to thaw on its own.
How Long Can You Put Wine In The Freezer?
The ideal freezing time for wines depends on their alcohol content, not color. Additionally, it depends on whether you want to freeze or a ready-to-serve temperature in your wine. Ideally, 4 to 5 hours are sufficient to get frozen wine from a regular freezer.
You can drink this frozen wine for two days at most, but its flavor will change with time. For those who want a chilled bottle of ready-to-serve, freezing it for 40-45 minutes will do for them.
While storing wine in the freezer for long hours can cause severe damage, there are also some benefits. For example, the freezer provides a dark, shady, cool place with minimum light effect.
In addition, the freezers used in common households can reach 0 °F, which is way lower than the freezing point of most wines. On freezing wine at such a low temperature, you will get freezer burns in wine.
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Freezer burns are the phenomenon when something stored in the freezer losses its taste and becomes dry from the inside.
Can We Use Frozen Wine To Make The Vinegar?
Many people ask if frozen wine can be used to make vinegar. Yes, it’s possible to use oxidized and frozen wine for making vinegar at home. Simply add some water to a bottle of chilled wine and put it in the refrigerator. A day later, you will have some nice quality vinegar, which will taste slightly different from a fresh one.
To make vinegar from frozen wine, you need a “vinegar mother” first. Vinegar mother is popularly known as the gelatinous membrane that is formed on top while preparing vinegar from a frozen wine.
Though vinegar mother is not needed to make vinegar, it will speed up the process. The vinegar mother also protects wine from being damaged by other bacteria, which can lead to a bad-tasting product.
Using Frozen Wine To Make Sangria
Sangria is a refreshing and chilling Spanish drink that is thrown together by mixing red or white wine, fresh fruits, some sugar, and brandy.
Everybody loves making Sangria on special occasions, but using frozen wine to make Sangria is not the most idealistic thing to do. But if you have leftover frozen wine after a weekend party, you can give it a shot to avoid the wastage of frozen wine.
All you have to do is add the chilled wine to a glass of ice cubes, mix some sliced fruits and add plenty of liquid sweeteners. Sangria recipes that include frozen wine will often call for another ingredient: Brandy. Brandy will add the alcohol content to the drink because frozen wine has already lost its touch of alcohol in it.
You can also use frozen fresh fruits, which will put less of a sour aftertaste on your Sangria. However, frozen fruits will provide your Sangria airy and frothy texture. Here’s how you can throw your favorite Sangria drink at home using frozen wine:
- Take a large jug and add one full of frozen wine, one full cup of orange juice, and ½ cup of brandy and sugar to taste.
- Shake to mix and then serve by garnishing with sliced fresh fruit.
Once you remove the wine from the freezer, let it thaw naturally at room temperature as much as possible. This will prevent expansion from happening inside a bottle of wine.
Guide On: Can You Drink Cooking Wine?
Never remove a cork from a bottle of wine immediately after taking it out from an icebox or freezer, as this will cause pressure to build up inside.
Safe Method For Freezing Wine
If you want to serve ice-cold wine, you can try keeping the bottle in a bucket of ice for a few minutes. However, if you have no choice but to put wine in the freezer, use a container that supports expansion.
The good idea is to use ice trays for freezing wine as they will not affect the expansion of wine under freezing conditions. Pour wine into an ice tray and cover it tightly with a zip-lock bag or wrap tightly using plastic.
Covering it will help prevent oxidation, and you can easily thaw out to enjoy a glass of fine wine.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens if you put wine in the freezer?
Since alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water, the alcohol components in wine are out first. This will leave your wine with a sweeter taste than before. Additionally, on freezing, the wine undergoes expansion, leading to leakage from the cork. Therefore, freezing wine also affects the quality of taste and flavor of the wine.
2. How long can I leave wine in the freezer?
For most wines, it is best to wait until the wine is completely chilled to serve, which takes 45 minutes at most. However, if you plan to store your wine in a freezer longer, it is preferable to freeze the bottle for only a couple of days. This is because the frozen wine will lose its flavors after a few days and become unfit for drinking.
3. Does freezing wine mess it up?
Freezing the wine will not ruin it but cause freezer burns or oxidize it to vinegar. It can greatly affect the quality of taste and flavors of the wine. On a freezing, the bottle of wine also undergoes leakage due to expansion. Freezing wine for a few days will not harm you, but you should avoid freezing wine on purpose.
4. Should you put wine in the freezer or refrigerator?
The best place to store wine is in a dark area, which is cool and away from direct heat. Usually, the refrigerator and a pantry are suitable places for storing wine bottles. However, if you want to cool down your drink quickly, you can put it in the freezer for half an hour.
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