Rapid Wine Chillers

Old-Fashioned Cooling Methods

Wine caves or cellars dug into the side of a hill or underground are great for storing wine at a constant temperature of 50 to 60 degrees. That's just fine for reds, but perhaps a little too warm for serving whites; those need to be a bit colder. Optimally, and this varies according to the varietal, whites should be chilled anywhere from 34 to 50 degrees. The easiest way is to put a bottle into the refrigerator. In general, it will take a wine two to three hours in the refrigerator to reach the right temperature. Ice buckets work well and make handy cooling devices when hosting a [Wine Tasting Party|wine tasting party]. Plunge a bottle of wine into a bucket of half ice and half water and it should be chilled in about 20 minutes. You can accelerate the process, and make you feel like you're actively helping at the same time, by gently rotating the bottle back and forth. This creates friction with the ice to melt it faster and making the water colder while also evenly chilling the wine in the bottle. Another trick that turbocharges the chilling is to add about a half cup of salt to the mixture—it melts the ice faster and cuts the time by about one-third. It's also a good idea to use an ice bucket at the dinner table or at a party to keep the Champagne or the Sauvignon Blanc chilled, crisp, and ready-to-sip. However, for people wanting to turn their back on old-fashioned conventions, there are alternatives to the ice box or bucket…and faster ones.

Rapid Chiller Innovation

Setting aside the refrigerator and the ice bucket, modern technology and innovation has been directed to the important task of chilling your wine. There are several devices that have been developed that can cut the time for a room temperature wine down to the proper cool temperature in just a handful of minutes. The following are several types that are available where they sell wine accessories.

• Gel-based Jackets

These frozen gel-based jackets fit around the bottle. Put the jacket into the freezer until it is cold, remove it, and insert the bottle. It should effectively chill in about 7 to 10 minutes. These are also useful for chilling beer, sodas, and other beverages. They are also great for keeping a bottle of wine at a constant temperature while drinking. There are also companies that insert the frozen sleeves in an insulated ice bucket.

• Electronic Wine Chillers

Here's where the wine geeks and gadget people get excited. There are several electronic chillers on the market that will get a bottle cold in about five minutes -- that's about as fast as a person can find the corkscrew in the kitchen drawer and open the bottle. The best ones combine ice and water. There are also some that employ the Peltier Effect, which is a thermoelectric technique that runs an electric current between two different metals creating one hot and one cold. In this case, the cold side would be on the side of the bottle. These do not rapidly chill the wine, but are better for maintaining a pre-existing temperature.

• Chilled Ice Buckets

These are insulated ice buckets that are better at maintaining a chilled bottle than making one.

Some Chillers for Consideration

• Vacu Vin

This company makes chillers based upon gel-based sleeves that are pre-frozen. They can effectively chill wines in approximately five minutes and the sleeves can be reused.

• Breville

An ice bucket that uses gel-based packs instead of ice.

• Cooper Cooler

This is a cool technology chiller for multiple beverages. It combines ice and water in a bottle rotating machine with push button controls. Generally, it takes about six minutes for a 750ml bottle of wine to chill. The cooler uses a standard 120V plug and also includes a 12V adaptor to plug into your car's lighter for use at tailgating parties.

• Wine Well

These are industrial-strength rapid wine chillers that can chill up to seven bottles at a time in about seven minutes. These tubs use freezing water that circulates around the bottles. My local wine shop has one and I stick a bottle in, shop around, and pick it up on the way to the check-out stand. Works like a charm.

Cautions

• Don't freeze the wine.
• Even reds need to be chilled slightly. Sure, most consider room temperature the optimum for reds, but often that room temperature will give the Burgundy heat stroke if it hasn't been properly stored. Stick it in a chiller for a few moments to take the edge off, somewhere between the 55 degree to 65 degree vicinity.
• Don't give your whites frostbite. Depending on the varietal, flavors and aromas go into hiding if too cold.
• The fancy modern-edge rapid wine chillers are great conveniences and work well in a pinch. But remember, a good ice bucket is still indispensable...and a stylish one can also make a cool statement about the host.