1. Stock the cellar. (When it is -30 you’ll be glad you did.) Get your wine made and bottled and at your home before it gets too cold outside. Big flavour reds and hearty whites are perfect with comfort foods like roasts and stews. And a glass of wine warms you up on a cold, blustery winter day.
2. Wake up your wines! Be sure to decant or aerate both your reds AND your fuller whites to get the most flavor and aromas out of them on the chilliest of days.
3. Serve white wines a touch warmer than usual. If you’re used to chilling your whites in the fridge before serving, try cutting the chilling time down to enjoy a fuller aromatic effect.
4. Safeguard your wine. Take care to ensure your bottles aren’t exposed to colder conditions (like in the garage, outdoors or in the trunk of your car). Flavors and aromas begin to dull the longer they are exposed to extreme cold. And your wine could freeze and expand and put pressure on the cork, or even crack the bottle.
5. If you experience a frozen bottle, don’t panic! If the bottle and cork are still intact and not damaged, let the wine thaw at room temperature. Do not heat it or microwave it. Patience is a virtue when it comes to frozen wine.
6. If you have a frozen sparkling wine, take the bottle outside and dispose of it safely. With the wire cage holding the cork in place, a frozen bottle of bubbly will actually explode.
7. Frozen wines can sometimes cause “wine diamonds” or potassium tartrate crystals to form. Wine diamonds are perfectly harmless. These tiny crystals will drop to the bottom of the bottle as the wine comes to normal temperature. Aerate your wine thoroughly and enjoy as normal.
8. Stay Warm and Enjoy Your Wine!!