We’ve all found ourselves facing an unfinished bottle of wine, pondering over the most apt way to utilize the leftover wine. The most straightforward solution might just be the best one: Freeze the wine for future use. You may ask, can wine be frozen? Absolutely, it can. We’ll delve into the how and why of freezing wine.

While water solidifies at 32°F, the freezing range for wine lies between 15 and 25°F, contingent on the level of alcohol. A higher ABV results in a lower freezing point. Generally, white wine manifests a greater freezing point than red wine. Wines having an increased sugar content, such as dessert wines, solidify at even lower temperatures. Sparkling wines can be frozen too, albeit they will forfeit their fizz.

Approximately 5 to 6 hours are required to freeze wine. This process can be hastened by decanting the wine into ice cube trays prior to freezing.

Suppose you unintentionally left a bottle of wine to chill in the freezer, only to remember several hours on that it was never taken out, and now the wine is partially or completely frozen. The favorable news is that the wine remains absolutely safe to consume. Some variations in flavor may be observed, but if you still find it palatable, that’s all that truly counts.

There are instances where freezing wine is advisable. For example, should you have some wine that wasn’t consumed, it can be poured into ice cube containers to be used later for cooking purposes. Another is for making frozen cocktails such as sangria or this watermelon mint frosé.

However, it’s generally not a smart idea to freeze wine in its bottle. As liquids freeze, they expand which could potentially pop the cork or even shatter the bottle in your freezer, creating a mess nobody wants to deal with. Therefore, it’s recommended to use ice trays or other freezer-friendly containers to safely freeze wine.