Five Fast Wine Chilling Tricks

There’s something wonderful about a perfectly chilled glass of wine on a sultry August day. But if you forgot to put that special bottle in the fridge, there are other ways to cool it down.

Here are five ways you can sip chilled wine in minutes.

Salt of the Earth

Remember watching an adult putting ice in the ice cream machine when you were growing up? That was to help it freeze faster, and it's a trick that works well with wine. Simply grab an ice bucket or a deep pan, place the wine bottle in it and fill with ice. Toss in a couple handfuls of salt and fill with cold water up to the bottleneck. The salt melts the ice, which makes the water get colder faster. (It works like putting salt on an icy sidewalk.) Let it set about 15 minutes before serving.

Freeze In

It seems I rely on this method most of the time. Take that room-temperature bottle and place it in your freezer. (Better yet if you have a large chest-type freezer where you can place the bottle down among bags of frozen veggies.) Wait 15 to 20 minutes, pull it out and pour. (Just don’t forget and leave the bottle in there.)

Frozen Fruit Fix

Grapes work best for this trick although other fruits can be used. Freeze red grapes for red wine and white grapes for white wine. Just drop a few in the glass and pour your room-temp wine over them. No more ice cubes in the wine. Now you have a classy alternative that looks and tastes great. You can use other fruits, just be sure to pair with the wine grape with the frozen fruit used. For example, serve Chardonnay with frozen peaches.

Beverage Stones

These little jewels may also be marketed as wine pearls or whiskey stones, but the moniker doesn’t matter. Simply keep the stainless stones in the freezer until needed. Place a couple of cubes in your glass for a quickly chilled vino. Now, how cool is that?

HyperChiller

Prep the chiller by filling the inner and outer stainless steel chambers with water, twist in place and place in the freezer overnight. Pour your room temp vino in the top, swirl and you’ll pour out a nicely chilled wine in less than 60 seconds – with no dilution. This chiller will also work with whiskey, juice, even hot coffee.

Best Wine Temps for Serving White Wines

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Moscato and sparkling wines should be served around 45º degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius)

Chardonnay is best served between 48 - 52 degrees Fahrenheit (9 - 11 degrees Celsius)

Best Wine Temps for Serving Red Wines

Merlot, Pinot Noir and Red Blends serve at 62 - 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 - 18 degrees Celsius)

Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet chill to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius)

Now pour a glass of wine and chill.

~ Joy