Ice Wine

[DanCole42]

So, uh, I um... accidentally... uh... heh heh... this is a little embarassing... I accidentally FROZE a rosé. Badly. The cork was forced off.

Once thawed, will it be ok? Or at the very least DRINKABLE if nothing else is available?

[Sthitch]

Yes, it is significantly less damaging than keeping the bottle in your car in this heat. I know of some people who freeze half finished bottles for enjoyment latter. I have tried them, and find that they are fresher than if they had simply stuffed a cork into them, but not nearly as nice as the wine originally tasted.

[dinwiddie]

So, uh, I um... accidentally... uh... heh heh... this is a little embarassing... I accidentally FROZE a rosé. Badly. The cork was forced off.

Once thawed, will it be ok? Or at the very least DRINKABLE if nothing else is available?

Only one way to find out. But I would imagine that it will be "different."

[deangold]

The issue is how oxidized the wine will be by the time it thaws. It will not oxidize appreciably while frozen, but as it thaws it can. I would think it will be fine. However, freezing a wine can do a few things to it, mainly if it was not cold stabilized before botling. So it may develop tartrate crystals or some other sediment. Better a Rose than one of the expensive bottles talked about in the $500 a bottle thread.

[demandalicious]

I have done that before and the wine was fine once it thawed. Then again, I'm more of a wino than a wine expert, so I could be wrong.

p.s. Semi-slushy wine is good for wine spritzers when it's really hot outside. I speak from experience.

*hiccup

[Sthitch]

However, freezing a wine can do a few things to it, mainly if it was not cold stabilized before botling. So it may develop tartrate crystals or some other sediment.

I never like the crystals bother me, especially in a rose. Every bottle of 2005 Monbousquet Rose and several of the Pavie Rose's I have had significant tartrate crystals, and all have been very drinkable.

[DanCole42]

Phew. You're all making me feel a LOT better. This is a 2004 Graham Beck pinotage rose I picked up at Cheesetique last night.

Now if I can just stomach eating thawed (and therefore soggy and brown) lettuce on my sandwich...

[The Hersch]

So Dan, what happened? Did you accidentally leave the stuff outside in the cold?

[Banco]

So, uh, I um... accidentally... uh... heh heh... this is a little embarassing... I accidentally FROZE a rosé. Badly. The cork was forced off.

Once thawed, will it be ok? Or at the very least DRINKABLE if nothing else is available?

I'm relieved to hear this happens to other people, too. I sometimes forget I've put a wine in the freezer to cool it down rapidly (which is a bad idea as well, I know) only to find a little missile experiment has been going on in my refrigerator. The ice out of my dispenser ends up tasting like Graves for the rest of the week (or Eiswein).

The only difference in taste I tend to notice is a somewhat more pronounced sweetness, as though the balance of the wine were thrown off. But I suspect this has more to do with how the acids in the wine were affected rather than the sugars.

[deangold]

The one time I did it was on a vacation with my parents when I was in high school. I put a bottle of cold duck inthe freezer for my parents. When I went to take it out, despite the wire cap. the top exploded off the bottle and the frozen duck went everywhere. We were staying in a vacation rental apartment. The top of the bottle either cracked or dented the door to a cabinet and i certainly wish I hadn't left the cutlery drawer open right in the trajectory of the flying ducky slurpee! It bounced off the bowls of the spoons and spread out everywhere. There was cold duck in every cabinet and drawer in that little kitchen! Plus I almost got frostbite from where it landed on me. Never drank cold duck since!!!!!

[Sthitch]

I'm relieved to hear this happens to other people, too. I sometimes forget I've put a wine in the freezer to cool it down rapidly (which is a bad idea as well, I know) only to find a little missile experiment has been going on in my refrigerator. The ice out of my dispenser ends up tasting like Graves for the rest of the week (or Eiswein).

I keep two of these in my freezer (and one of the Champagne version) to facilitate faster cooling. I find that it works almost as well as an ice bucket for rapid cooling. Both methods work much faster and are safer than the freezer method.

[DanCole42]

So Dan, what happened? Did you accidentally leave the stuff outside in the cold?

Let's just say it happened, and leave it at that

Luckily, the wine was already frozen enough that the cork popping off didn't leave much of a mess.

[DonRocks]

I don't mean to paint myself as a heretic, but the best way to thaw a frozen wine is to microwave it. Stick the cork back in (tightly), put the bottle on its side, and microwave it for a minute at a time, preferably having the bottle roll around while it's being nuked. Inspect it after each minute, giving it a good tilt and mixing the frozen wine with the liquid. As the ice begins to disappear, change the regimen to thirty-second intervals, making sure it doesn't get too warm. Rosé is probably the best wine to freeze and microwave: it won't throw tartrates during freezing (like some whites), and it won't have sediment which makes it cloudy (like some reds).

Cheers,

Rocks.

[JPW]

I don't mean to paint myself as a heretic, but the best way to thaw a frozen wine is to microwave it.

Just remember to remove all of the foil first.

[Hannah]

And make sure your cat isn't asleep on top of the fridge when you accidentally leave the glass bottle in the freezer.

[The Hersch]

And make sure your cat isn't asleep on top of the fridge when you accidentally leave the glass bottle in the freezer.

But if the cat gets wet, you can always dry it out by putting it in the microwave at full power for about five minutes.

[SrtaJRosa]

I have a question:

What to do with unknown aged wine found in a freezer with the corks blown off completely?

I actually encountered this conundrum with two bottles pretty recently...

Worth saving for staff tasting? Just kidding, yeah I was the guinea pig, and yes, after thawing it tasted pretty much like an old stank refrigerator.

[DanCole42]

The verdict is in!

I had plenty of time for the rose to thaw naturally, and it tasted just fine! Plus, the whole experiences saved my corkscrew undue wear and tear!