The Best Way to Chill Wine Fast

Warm wine is never a part of the plan, and yet many times we’ve found ourselves scramming for a glass only to realise that the bottle is warm. Chilling a wine to the right temperature is imperative to be able to enjoy its goodness. But what if you’re caught with a warm bottle of that stunning holiday favourite wine with no time to cool it down. There’s good news for you! You can chill wine fast with a few smart tricks that wine experts, sommeliers and bar tenders swear by.

How to chill wine quickly, how to cool wine fast, or simply knowing the best way to chill wine fast—this guide will pull the plug on all your wine chilling woes, without causing a disaster. This guide has every possible method you need to chill the wine fast, and a few you didn’t know existed.

What’s the Fastest Way to Chill a Bottle of Wine?

When you need a glass of wine real quick and there’s not a cool wine bottle in sight—the classic ice-water-salt bath always comes to rescue. This method works like magic based on science - the ice, water, salt combination lowers the freezing point of the mixture, allowing the temperature to drop below zero without turning into solid ice.

When the wine bottle is fully submerged, the cold water surrounds it evenly, cooling it dramatically faster than ice alone. If it’s a white or a rosé wine—it will be perfectly chilled in barely 10-15 minutes, while you grab the glasses and your favourite wine snacks. If it’s a sparkling wine, let it stay in for a few more minutes to enjoy it well chilled and if it’s a hearty red wine bottle, pull it out a few minutes earlier to enjoy the robust flavours.

It’s an efficient, science-backed, #1 method to chill wine quickly—no shortcuts needed.

What’s the Easiest Way to Quick-Chill Wine?

Now, you need a sure shot and an easy way to chill the wine quickly, even if you’re ice less? We’ve got you covered, it’s the damp paper towel + freezer method. Here’s what you only need to do wrap the bottle in a wet paper towel and slide it into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. The moist towel conducts the cold far more effectively than dry air, helping the wine bottle to cool down much faster.

This is a set-it-in and forget-it trick (well, don’t forget it entirely that requires zero effort or equipment and works well every single time.

Why Use the Spinning Method to Chill Wine?

If you saw someone spinning or rotating the wine bottle gradually as it chilled in the ice bath, they were not showing off—they were doing this based on logic to speed up the wine chilling process. This gradual spinning helps as the warm liquid from the centre of the bottle gets a chance to come to the edges and get in contact with the chilled ice water —this basically helps in even and fast chilling of the wine inside the bottle. This steady, gentle movement promotes quick chilling of the wine, cutting down the total chilling time by up to 40%!

Just remember— this is not a cocktail shaker scenario, so the spinning should be slow and gentle, especially in the case of a sparkling wine.

Can You Put Wine in the Freezer to Chill It Quickly?

Yes, you absolutely can put wine in the freezer if you need to chill it quickly. The freezer pulls out heat fast enough to bring the wine to its correct service temperature within 20-30 minutes. Honestly, this is my go-to lazy way of cooling a wine bottle when i’ve forgotten to pop it in the freezer, because hey, who wants to prepare that ice-water-salt bath every time!

The only catch? You must set a timer to pull that wine bottle out of the freezer. If you forget — you may end up with a slushy wine scene in your freezer. As wine freezes and expands, it pushes against the glass which can eventually crack the bottle and push the wine out. To avoid this frosty wine situation, keep an eye or an alarm on it.

Can Wine Freeze in the Freezer?

Yes, wine can and will freeze in your regular at home freezer. Freezing typically occurs at around -5°C to -8°C, but this will also depend on wine’s alcohol content. Leaving wine in the freezer for too long, will also alter its texture and flavours—wine is a delicate liquid after all and cannot withstand temperature extremes—so freezing and thawing is a definite no. And of course, there’s that risk of a cracked bottle and a wine slush strewn all over your freezer.

So in short—wine can freeze in the freezer and you should definitely avoid letting it happen.

How to Speed Up Wine Chilling Even More?

If you’re really in a pinch for time, sub the ice cubes in the ice-water-salt bath with crushed ice. This will turbo-charge the wine chilling process as there will be more surface area for rapid cooling. Laying the bottle down horizontally in the crushed ice bath increases contact and speeds up the chilling even further. To further shave off minutes from the cooling process, use a metal wine chiller or a cooler to conduct cold even faster. And now, the ultimate cheat—chill your wine glasses by popping them in the freezer while the wine chills out in the ice bath. Remember, unless you want to warm the wine by transmitting to it the subtle heat of your palms, always hold the wine glass by its stem.

How Long Does It Take for Wine to Chill in the Fridge?

A standard at home refrigerator set at about 4°C takes a surprisingly long time to chill wine. Sparkling wines need even longer time, about 3 hours, while most whites and rosés take around 2+ hours. Light and fruity red wines take about 60 minutes to chill and be bright and nice, whereas full-bodied red wines might take up to 2 hours to come to about 15°C to 18°C. This is exactly why fast-chilling methods for wine are so popular—the refrigerator simply doesn’t stand a chance when the time is short.

Which Wines Should Not Be Chilled?

Most wines that we drink benefit from a bit of cooling and all have different service temperatures based on their style. Some wine types like sweet and sparkling wines are served well-chilled, while the others like full-bodied, tannic reds will taste sharp, astringent and muted on fruit if served chilled. Cold temperatures tighten tannins and suppress fruit aromas, making a wine feel unbalanced on the palate—like you’re just drinking a cold liquid without any flavour depth. Full-bodied, tannic reds and oaky, high alcohol whites are best enjoyed at slightly cool but not cold temperatures of around 15 to 18°C (temperature range referred to as the room temperature in general). A touch of cellar-like coolness is what you’re looking for in bolder wine styles—anything beyond that will sort of ruin a full bodied wine by weakening its overall texture.

Wine Service Temperature Guide

Speaking all about—how to chill wine fast, it’s only relevant that we share an on the go wine service temperature guide based on different wine styles. So, here’s a set of ideal wine serving temperatures:

Follow these service temperature ranges according to the wine style of your mood and you’ll never have a dull or muted wine drinking moment.

Finally, our expert curated Champagne Baskets and Wine Gift Baskets are here with great deals, updated selections, gourmet treats and bestsellers that are back in stock for the holidays. So, leave your holiday wine gift delivery woes to us and go chill your favourite bottle of wine for tonight.

Additional reading guide : The most magical time of the year is right around the corner and our blog library has got you covered—right from how to store the bottles well to the best wines for gifting, and the holiday favourite food and wine pairings. Here’s an additional reading guide you can archive:

• How To Store Champagne
• Champagne And Food Pairing
• Best Wines To Gift For Any Palate - From Reds To Whites and More