This is what happens when wine freezes

Don’t leave it outside for too long

This is what happens when wine freezes

Freezing temperatures have the advantage that wine cools down quickly outside. However, the fine drops should not be left in the cold for too long.

Nicholas GreinacherEditor Wine

In winter you don’t need a fridge to chill a bottle of wine. A short time in front of the kitchen window or in the snow is often enough to reach the desired drinking temperature. However, it can quickly happen that the wine is forgotten outside and freezes.

Alcohol has a lower freezing point than water. As a result, wine will not freeze at zero degrees unless it is non-alcoholic. Conventional wine with an alcohol content of twelve percent freezes at around minus five degrees. The higher the alcohol content, the less quickly the good drop freezes.

Frozen wines lose quality

When the wine is frozen, the liquid expands and may damage the closure. Uncontrolled air gets into the wine, which causes it to age quickly and can become undrinkable within a few days. Such wines with too much oxygen contact are called oxidized.

If the frozen state lasts for a longer period of time with a damaged closure, a wine can even dry out. The phenomenon, known as freezer burn, causes affected wines to have a degraded flavor profile. With unfiltered wines, longer storage at sub-zero temperatures means that the smallest particles in the wine become more visible and clearly perceptible on the tongue.

If you want to be on the safe side when chilling a dry white or sparkling wine, wrap the bottle in a damp cotton cloth and place it in the freezer compartment of your fridge. Around 15 minutes later, the wine has already reached the perfect drinking temperature. If you set an alarm clock, almost nothing can go wrong when it cools down.