can you freeze red wine?

[paul]

i know it can be frozen to be used in cooking at a later date; but can it be frozen to be drunk at a later date? how would the alcohol content be affected by the freezing process? and what about flavour etc?

[insane_alien]

yes you can freeze it without messing it up although, it would be better to leave it in the bottle as there will be a small amount of oxidation, but if your making wine ice lollies before a party or something then its fine.

[npts2020]

Just curious. Why would one want to freeze wine when it keeps so well in the bottle?

[insane_alien]

well, if you've opened the bottle and only have a little left, recorking will still result in oxidation of the wine. enough to destroy the flavour, freezing whats left will significantly lower the oxidation rate preserving the flavour for longer and you don't need to pour anything down the sink because its gone off.

[npts2020]

well, if you've opened the bottle and only have a little left, recorking will still result in oxidation of the wine. enough to destroy the flavour, freezing whats left will significantly lower the oxidation rate preserving the flavour for longer and you don't need to pour anything down the sink because its gone off.

 

What? Open a bottle of wine and not drink it all! Why that's sacrilege.

[insane_alien]

i know, and it wouldn't happen if i were around but some crazy people actually do this.

[Phi for All]

i know, and it wouldn't happen if i were around but some crazy people actually do this.

These are the same people you see in movies who meet someone in a bar, order a drink, talk for two minutes, then throw a tenner on the bar and leave a whole drink behind practically untouched.

 

I guess there was just no chemistry.

[John Cuthber]

It won't matter a lot if you plan to cook with the stuff but I suspect that freezing red wine might change its character a bit. As it freezes the water is removed and the other components become more concentrated. One of the reactions involved in the aging of wines is the condensation of polyphenols/tanninss with themselves and with proteins. These reactions might take place faster at the higher concentrations (notwithstanding the low temperature). Also the higher alcohol concentraion in the liquid phase might have an effect of the course of these reactions.

 

In any event, a normal freezer won't freeze the wine, a liquid mixture of alcohol, water and at least some of the other components will be left behind. Whatever agancy is responsible for collecting tax on alcohol in your area might think is the same as distilling and so it may be illegal. I don't seee them bothering to come round to check, but if you happen to get a visit from the authorities about something, they might take a dim view of this.

[jason fielding]

all be back with the Chemistry of the oxidation of wine! But balanced REDOX reaction aside-a like a decent wine-why oxidise a good wine when it can be nicely enjoyed?:cool::cool:LATER!!!Chemical scientist Jason.s.Fielding!

[Genecks]

Perhaps vaccuum the air out before freezing. I suspect that would do some good. Don't drink from the bottle at all. The air will mess with the wine, though. Keeping things at a cool temperature prevents breakdown.

 

Other than that, I have had wine freeze on me while in the freezer. Well, it has turned to slush, which makes an interesting slushie concoction. After thawing it, it didn't taste the same. I drank it regardless. ^o^

 

About the few things that don't freeze are things such as Jagermeister and other liqueurs. I haven't tried freezing jack or bourbon; it doesn't last long around here, anyway. *gulp gulp* ^_~

Edited January 2, 2009 by Genecks

[Entropy]

Perhaps vaccuum the air out before freezing. I suspect that would do some good. Don't drink from the bottle at all. The air will mess with the wine, though. Keeping things at a cool temperature prevents breakdown.

 

It would probably be easier to remove oxygen by blowing nitrogen (or even better Argon) over the wine to remove oxygen.

[jdurg]

Regardless, there's no real good reason to freeze wine. If you can afford a contraption to keep the wine completely frozen and store it for a while, you can afford to purchase good wines ad-hoc when you need it. Also remember that the price doesn't indicate a good wine. The taste does. I've spent a lot of money on one bottle to be very disappointed, only to spend a tiny bit of money on another to be VERY happy with it. There are many good places in your area to discover good wines. Regardless of where you are, there will ALWAYS be a location that will help you pick out a good wine.

 

Remember, if you buy wine for cooking, buy something you'd drink on its own. A good drinkable wine in a dinner makes it MUCH better than a crap wine. When you cook with wine, the alcohol and "common" components tend to burn/evaporate off. The stuff that's left is what makes one wine different from the rest. So if you are cooking with it, you want the best wine you can get.