How Long it Really Takes to Chill a Bottle of Wine

F&W chilled red and white wines in the fridge, the freezer and an ice-water bath to determine exactly how long each method took to do the job.

Fridge

In the fridge, it took 2.5 hours for red wine to reach its ideal temperature of 55° and 3 hours for white wine to reach its ideal temperature of 45°.

Freezer

In the freezer, it took 40 minutes for red wine to reach its ideal temperature and 1 hour for white wine to reach its ideal temperature.

Ice-Water Bath

The winner! In an ice bath, it took just 10 minutes for red wine to reach its ideal temperature and 20 minutes for white wine to reach its ideal temperature.