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Last Updated: 
December 10, 2023

How to Chill Wine In A Hurry

Can I chill wine super quick? You bet! Are you hosting a dinner party and feeling the pressure of ensuring everything is perfect for your guests? The last thing you want is to realize that you forgot to chill wine, especially when your guests are due to arrive in just a few minutes! Don't panic, as there are ways to quickly chill your wine and get it to the perfect serving temperature.

Fortunately, the entertaining experts at AWG Private Chefs are here to help. With their tips, you'll be able to chill your wine or bubbly in 20 minutes or less, ensuring that your guests can enjoy their drinks at the ideal temperature.

So, what do you need to do to chill your wine quickly? Check out these simple steps and you'll be ready to serve chilled drinks in no time:

Wine chilling vessels.  Clear lexan ice bucket, tall stock pot, copper champagne bucket.

Step 1: Grab your favorite tall vessel to chill wine

The first step in quickly chilling wine is to find a tall container that can hold ice and water. You don't need anything fancy – a bucket, a large bowl, or even a spaghetti pot will work just fine. It's important to choose a container that is tall enough to submerge the entire bottle of wine up to its neck. This ensures that the wine will be chilled evenly and quickly.

Step 2: Place the wine in the bucket and add ice and water

Once you have found the perfect vessel to chill wine in, it's time to prepare the wine for chilling. Start by grabbing your favorite bottle of wine or bubbly and placing it in the center of the vessel. Then, fill the bucket with ice, filling it up about halfway to the top. Next, add cold tap water to the vessel until it is nearly full, leaving about an inch or two of space at the top to prevent spilling.

The ice and water combination will quickly bring down the temperature of the wine. The water conducts the cold temperature from the ice to the wine bottle, chilling it rapidly. Always make sure that the entire bottle is submerged in the water and ice mixture, which is the optimal method to chill wine.

Step 3: Add the secret weapon! SALT!

large ice bucket, filled with ice and a bottle of wine.  Sprinkling salt over the ice to accelerate chilling.

If you want to take your wine-chilling game to the next level, there's a secret weapon that can speed up the process even further: salt. While rock salt is the best option, you can use kosher salt or regular table salt as a last resort. Sprinkle 4-5 tablespoons of salt over the ice and water mixture in your vessel. Then, give your bottle a few bounces to mix the water and salt together.

But why use salt? It's all about the science! Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water, allowing it to become colder than the freezing point of regular water. By creating a brine solution with salt and water, you can chill your wine even faster than with just ice and water. The salt helps the water get even colder, which in turn will chill wine much more quickly.

Step 4: Stir the bottle around every 5 minutes for 20 minutes

Now that your wine is chilling in the ice and salt solution, take a moment to relax and get ready for your guests. Check your hair and makeup, adjust the lighting, and light some candles to set the mood. You've got this under control!

While you're getting ready, don't forget to stir the bottle around in the salt solution every 5 minutes for the next 20 minutes. This will ensure that the wine is evenly chilled and ready to be served when your guests arrive. By the time you're finished getting ready, your wine will be perfectly chilled and ready to enjoy. Cheers to a successful dinner party!

Step 5: Pop that cork and enjoy!

As the doorbell rings, take one final deep breath and get ready to be the perfect host or hostess. Your wine is now perfectly chilled and ready to be served, so don't worry about it anymore. When you remove the bottle from the ice and salt solution, make sure to wipe it dry with a clean towel to avoid any saltwater drips in your glass. No one likes a glass of salty Dom Perignon!

Now, it's time to pour the chilled wine and enjoy the company of your guests. With the wine perfectly chilled, you can focus on the rest of the evening and enjoy the company of your friends or family.

Bonus: An even FASTER way to chill wine!

using a sous vide machine to chill wine.

If you're a fan of Sous Vide cooking, you might be excited to know that you can also use your Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to chill wine in a hurry! Instead of constantly bouncing the bottle up and down while you're trying to prepare for your guests, you can simply clamp on your Sous Vide machine to your wine chilling vessel.

Just dial up the desired serving temperature of your wine, click start, and walk away! The digitally controlled technology of your sous vide circulator will allow the water and ice mixture to circulate around your bottle, ensuring the perfect serving temperature every time. You can focus on other things while your Sous Vide machine does the work for you. It's the perfect solution for those who want the perfect way to chill wine without all the fuss.

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