Does freezing wine effect alcoholic content?

Answer 1

The quick answer is not really if you thaw it right.

There are two differences between water and alcohol that you have to consider.

First, water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol.

Second alcohol evaporates faster than water.

When wine is put in conditions that freeze water (especially if it freezes it slowly), but not alcohol, the tendency is for just the water part of the wine to freeze, "pushing out" the alcohol. Some people actually use this to get the alcohol out of the wine over successive freezings.

If you try to thaw the wine at room temperature without a good seal on the bottle, the concentrated alcohol can also evaporate while the ice is melting. Then, once it's thawed, you will have less alcohol (whatever alcohol was trapped and whatever didn't evaporate.

So if you accidentally tossed a bottle of wine in the freezer and forgot about it until the next day, fear not. Just make sure to keep it sealed and thaw it all the way through. I did the same thing last night *wink* and after thawing, I'm about halfway through the bottle and it seems to be doing it's job. ^__^

Cheers

Answer 2

Doesn't change.