Can WINE be… FROZEN?

By Jill Misterka

Perhaps you’ve never considered putting a bottle of wine in the freezer, or maybe you’ve wondered what would happen if you did. Here are some answers to questions regarding freezing wine:

Won’t the alcohol in wine prevent it from freezing?

Pure alcohol won’t freeze till the temperature gets down to -173° F, which can’t be achieved in a home freezer or even outdoors here in Upstate New York (it just seems that cold some winters). However, wine averages only about 12% alcohol so it will eventually freeze. Higher alcohol drinks such as whiskey or liqueurs normally will not freeze all the way but will remain slushy.

A bigger concern is the damage caused by the liquid expanding as it turns to ice. Don’t freeze a full bottle of wine for fear of breaking the glass or popping the cork while in the freezer.

Why would anyone freeze wine on purpose?

Some advocate putting leftover wine in the freezer to save it for later, either in the bottle or in ice cube trays. This is especially useful for those who like to use wine for cooking and don’t need a whole bottle at a time. Since the bottle is not full it should freeze safely.

Another reason is that freezing can change the taste of a wine in a way that some people like. Red wines contain tartaric acids that can make them taste harsh. Aging softens the taste of the wine because in time the tartaric acids form tartrate crystals that drop to the bottom of the bottle. Below freezing temperatures will speed up this process, causing in effect “instant aging”, though much of the complexity left by normal aging will be lost.

And finally, freezing can be used for fractional crystallization, or cold distillation. The water in wine freezes first. If the remainder is poured off the ice before it freezes too, the remainder will be concentrated and have a high alcohol content. Some home vintners have used this method for creating homemade “brandy”, but this is no more legal in the U.S. than heat distillation is.

Should I freeze wine?

Some serious wine drinkers feel that freezing ruins wine. Others feel that wine is not harmed and may even be improved, as explained above. Which is correct?

Freezing may change the taste of wine, but it is subjective whether it improves or ruins it, or simply makes it different. Try it for yourself sometime with leftover wine and decide.

Sources: wineloverspage.com, tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com, vinofictions.blogspot.com

Photo © Mykola Velychko/photoxpress.com