I had a package shipped ground across the US last week. I tried to stop it when I saw the forecast but it had already gone out. I’m pretty nervous. The shipper said it was in “insulated packaging”–that wouldn’t make a difference over a whole week, would it?
This has been discussed before, but generally, for red wines as long as the cork is unmoved I feel the wine is unaffected. Maybe a small caveat for old wines.
For whites, tartrates can precipitate out a low temperatures and could affect the acidity level.
I wouldn’t worry about it. Cold is fine as long as the cork doesn’t push.
+1. I think wine is a lot sturdier than we give it credit for.
Throw a bunch of grapes in your freezer for just one night, then put them on the counter for a day and tell me if they taste different than the unfrozen ones.
Do they? That is different since they’re actually going to freeze, which in the case of the wine, would push the cork. I have forgotten bottles of wine in the freezer long enough to freeze with sludge oozing out of the bottle. With wines that I had tasted without that treatment, I didn’t notice any difference.
Note that the OP specifically stated “so long as it doesn’t freeze.” The suggestion that one can infer effects on finished wine based on the effects of the same conditions on some table grapes is ludicrous.
No
they taste WAY better frozen.
Agreed…I love frozen grapes…especially green grapes. That said, this isn’t an appropriate analogy. Of course they will taste different as the texture will be permanently altered.
Alvear 1927 PX is really good over vanilla ice cream. No adverse effect from the cold.
My cellar is 38 degrees this week and I’ve collected wine since 1989, cold does not hurt the wine.
Not when it comes to heat. Take it from this Texan.
But have you tried it first without ice cream, then poured it over ice cream, separated the ice cream molecules from the wine molecules then retasted?
Seems pretty simple. We all have anecdotal impressions (mine are that cold is not an issue- heat can be problematic) but can’t these questions be answered authoritatively by comparing the chemistry of samples of the same wine with good storage and some with exposure to extremes? Surely some PHD student has amused himself with such a study somewhere.
The adult version of a 7-11 Slurpee
I didn’t say it was indestructible…
This is the correct answer, in my ancedotal experience. I have had whites ruined by cold temperatures even though the cork never pushed. You’ll know it when you see it: give the bottle a little shake and you’ll see a cloud of precipitates in the bottle. Having drunk a couple bottles like this, I am convinced it affects flavor and acidity. I am still trying to determine to what extent this affects reds, but better not to take any chances if it can be avoided.
Of course, the risk of heat damage is much more significant than cold damage. But I don’t agree with the folks saying not to worry about cold damage.
Final caveat - I think temperatures need to get pretty darn cold for this to be an issue.
More concentrated wines, such as big cabs, zins and sweet whites, are more likely to be damaged by cold temperatures. Just because the low temperature reduces saturation point for some molecules and force them to precipitate.
As long as the whites aren’t decanted off the precipitate while still cold, though, this shouldn’t be a problem. If it precipitates out when cold, it should redissolve at the warmer temp.