WineSquire.com Question of the Month

Q: Our cousin had a few of bottles of Egelhoff Cabernet Sauvignon sent to us over the holidays. I was home to receive the delivery from UPS and I opened the box immediately. The bottles, while not frozen, were cold, cold, cold. I was under the impression that extreme temperatures of any kind are not good. We are planning to store a couple of the bottles for months or even years. Will this exposure have any lasting negative effect on these bottles? -Carol S.

A: Ideally, extreme temperatures should be avoided, but most experts agree that very cold and even freezing wine should do no harm. Most wine begins to freeze at around 22 degrees Fahrenheit or -6 C. You would think that damage would be done by freezing but many taste tests have shown this to be very rare. When wine goes below 20 it turns into to a thick slush, before if freezes.

The greatest threat may be if your corks were compromised. I would remove the capsules and carefully inspect each cork for leakage. If the corks have not moved and you see no sign of leaks, a freeze is unlikely and your wine should not have been damaged: cellar them with confidence. If you do see leaks, enjoy them all now, or pursue an damage claim with the shipper.

The question about how the wine will age after very cold temperatures is more complex, subtle changes may be possible after long periods of aging but they would most likely be so slight that someone with a good palate would not notice. Believe it or not there are groups of people who freeze wine on purpose and say it tastes better after freezing, kinda like lasagna or stews tasting better the next day. Hmm, just may have to try that myself!

Cheers!

Squire Value Picks
Squire Cellar Picks
Question of the Month
Product of the Month
Home