A seemingly endless night with friends, de-stressing after a long work week – a wonderful time, right? Except. You wake up in the morning and someone (could have been anyone, really, certainly not YOU!) has left the wine in the freezer! Now what?! Is it safe to dethaw and consume frozen wine? Throwing away wine is like against the law or it should be. Will it taste the same? Have the same effect? So many questions – important ones, too. Not to worry, you have wandered into the right place – we have all the answers for you.

Can You Freeze Wine – Is It Even Possible?

“I have always heard that alcohol can’t freeze?” You are mostly right my fellow wine-loving friend, but not completely! You see, if the temperature is below 15°, it is possible for your wine to freeze. It may not necessarily be frozen all the way through, however. So yes, freezing your wine, whether it be accidentally or intentionally, is possible.

So… Is It Safe to Drink Frozen Wine?

I would absolutely thaw it before attempting to consume it, obviously. But yes, after dethawing, it is completely safe to consume. However, freezing your wine isn’t really recommended. This is because it can affect the flavors and aromas in a negative way. In other words, it will probably ‘still do the job’ but likely will not taste as good as it should.

Sparkling Wine? That Is a Whole Different Story:

With sparkling wine, freezing it is even less recommended and can actually turn the bottle into a ticking time bomb. Okay, I’m being a little bit dramatic but it’s not out of the question, though! Be cautious as the pressure could end up pushing the cork out. While this might be a good time at a New Years’ Eve party it could be dangerous when unexpected.

There Are Far Better Ways to Go About Chilling Your Vino:

Now, if this was not an accident – no worries or judgments here. If you want your wine chilled, there are far better ways of doing it. A good old-fashioned ice bucket does the job beautifully. Simply fill a bucket with both ice and water. Furthermore, if you wanna be even more awesome than you already are, toss some salt in the cold water. It will help lower the waters’ temperature, keeping it much colder, for much longer. You’re welcome!

Another cool way (see what I did there?) to chill your wine is by freezing actual grapes and using them as ice cubes. Regular, boring ice cubes will water down your vino (blasphemy!) but frozen grapes get the job done without interfering with the flavors and aromas of the wine.

Waste Not, Want Not – Tips on Making Use of Frozen Wine:

Throwing away wine is like a Greek tragedy in my eyes but stuff happens. If you should ever have to face a bottle of frozen wine, you should really be prepared.

Spruce up your culinary skills. There are so many amazing recipes that incorporate wine. Using up frozen wine while cooking is a terrific way to ensure not a drop goes to waste.

It is Sangria time! Simply add one cup of orange juice, ⅓ cup brandy, and 3 tablespoons of sugar to your previously frozen wine. Mix it all together, throw in slices of fresh apples and oranges, and BOOM disaster averted.

Use it to make vinegar. The easiest and laziest (my personal preference) way is to simply leave the wine out at room temperature for around a month, allowing the natural oxidation process to take effect.

No matter the ultimate cause of your frozen wine, all is not lost, and as humans, we learn from our mistakes. You now know how to turn that mistake into something useful. I think that deserves a well-earned pat on the back (as well as a nice glass of wine). Cheers!